Homeless Bird
Gloria Whelan
© 2000 Gloria Whelan
HarperCollins Publishers

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Homeless Bird takes place in contemporary India, but it's a world away from the one we know. Thirteen-year-old Koly does her duty and honors her family by going forward with an arranged marriage, but things don't turn out the way they're supposed to. Koly's personality and her embroidery skills help get her through some very tough times. She hopes to fulfill her dreams, despite the traditions that keep her from them.

Homeless Bird was read by Veronica Lopez
Veronica 'Ronni' Lopez moved to Vermont from her native Texas, where she was a featured actress with the resident professional company of The Dallas Theater Center. She is a strong advocate for Vermont Theatre and is also Producing Artistic Director of Catalyst Theatre Company. Ronni's reading covers a wide variety, from biographies to poetry written by children. She's especially fond of stories with hope as its central theme.

When Camel's Hump Radio asked Veronica what her favorite book was as a child, she answered: "To Kill a Mockingbird came into my life 40 years ago, and I used to enjoy the stories of American legends...Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox, John Henry, Alamo guys (I'm from San Antoine). But that one summer when my older and wiser sister Judy passed her copy of Mockingbird to me, it has never been replaced as my all time favorite. Judy reads it often. I've probably read it 5-6 times all the way through. I still pick it up, open it up anywhere and just start reading. Delicious."

What do you think?

What did you like about the story?

What do you like about Koly?

What do you think it feels like to leave your family—the people you love—to live with people you don't know at all, and who aren't all that welcoming?

Did you spot any foreshadowing? Give some examples.

What did you learn about Indian society? Can you describe the strict roles it assigns?

Author Gloria Whelan's idea for the story was inspired by a newspaper article. What has inspired you to do something creative?

Show examples of birds used throughout the book to further the story.

Why do you think the book was called Homeless Bird?

Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book

Learn more about the newspaper article that inspired author Gloria Whelan on her website.

Koly's life was set based on her caste. This site explores more about India's caste (or class) system.

Koly's parents have arranged for her to marry a man she's never met. Shortly after being married, she and Hari travel with his family to the Ganges River in hopes of a cure for Hari's illness. This site takes you to the Ganges River and shares why it's called "the river of life" and is considered sacred. More photos are available here.

Koly's Sass (mother-in-law) takes her to Vrindavan on their way to Delhi. Vrindavan is one of India's most holy cities. Many widows come to this city to live in the temples. Here are pictures of some of the city's thousands of temples.

This site features embroidery of Indian women, similar to the items and stitching Koly did. If you'd like to learn some embroidery stitches, check out this site.

Remember how Koly's father showed he loved her by saving her a coconut cake from her wedding? If you'd like a taste, here's a recipe for Koly's favorite sweet.

The birds of India are woven throughout the story. This site has beautiful photos of the birds of India.

Koly's favorite poem was about a flock of birds flying day and night through the skies. One was always flying on to somewhere else. The poem was written by Rabindranath Tagore, one of India's greatest poets. He received the Nobel Prize for litereature in 1913. Learn more about him and read some of his poetry. Author Gloria Whelan's website has Koly's favorite poem (scroll to the bottom of the page).

If You Like This Book, Check Out...

Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked Homeless Bird, you'll probably enjoy these books as well:

Other books by Gloria Whelan:

Chu Ju's House (HarperCollins, 2004)
In order to save her baby sister, fourteen-year-old Chu Ju leaves her rural home in modern China and earns food and shelter by working on a sampan, tending silk worms, and planting rice seedlings, while wondering if she will ever see her family again.

The Impossible Journey (HarperCollins, 2003)
In 1934, thirteen-year-old Marya and her younger brother Georgi set out alone on a long and arduous journey into Siberia to find their mother after she and their father are exiled for opposing Stalin.

Listening for Lions (HarperCollins, 2005)
Left an orphan after the 1919 influenza epidemic in British East Africa, thirteen-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.

Companion Titles:

The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Roaring Brook, 2003)
In India, a healer invites twelve-year-old Anand to join him on a quest to return a magical conch to its safe and rightful home, high in the Himalayan mountains.

Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George (HarperCollins, 1974)
While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack.

Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, by Suzanne Fisher Staples (Random, 1989)
When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in the Cholistan Desert of present-day Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she must either accept the decision—as is the custom—or risk the consequences of defying her father's wishes.

Shiva’s Fire, by Suzanne Fisher Staples (FSG, 2000)
In India, a talented dancer sacrifices friends and family for her art.