WORTH

BIBLIOGRAPHY
LaFaye, A. 2006. WORTH. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689857306

PLOT SUMMARY
After being crippled by a tragic farming accident, eleven year old Nathaniel is angry and hurt when his father brings home a boy off the Orphan Train to take his place on the farm. Nathaniel quickly becomes jealous of John Worth, who has also taken his father’s attention. Nathaniel now has the chance to go to school for the first time, but his sense of “worth” is hurt as he is behind the youngest children in the school. John Worth is still grieving over the loss of his family and is repeatedly reminded of his “worth” as he sleeps in the lean-to fit for dogs and is yelled at by Nathaniel’s mother. John is resentful of the education Nathaniel doesn’t want since John realizes that an education is the ticket to a better life. John knows he has no future on this farm. Nate will inherit the farm that John has worked to keep alive. When the boys finally come to blows, they realize “each of us hating the other for being what we couldn’t be” was a waste of time. Overtime, each boy realizes that they are not so different and eventually come together to save the farm.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
LaFaye does an excellent job depicting the hardships in nineteenth century Nebraska concerning the ongoing battle between herders and ranchers for control of land. The adolescent characters of John and Nate illustrate that even the young can be heroic as is the case of the boys catching the fence cutters and warning the town. The boy’s showed great maturity in putting aside their differences to put others first to eventually become a family. The theme involving the power of family love is beautifully shown through the tear-stained eyes of the young men longing for a family in John’s case, and longing for his father’s attention once again in Nate’s. WORTH is an excellent read for kids and adults alike.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST starred review: "[The] Narrative is brutally honest."
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “It's a lively story of two boys set against a backdrop of the Orphan Trains, range wars, lynchings, drownings, and sheep killings. Something for everyone.”

CONNECTIONS
Students could research the Orphan Train
Guest speakers are available through the National Orphan Train Complex www.orphantraindepot.com
Picture credit: Amazon.com