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Rosoff, M. (2009). //The Bride’s Farewell.// New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-1-101-10473-6 Set in the 1800’s in England, Pell, a young girl from a large poor preacher’s family, flees town on the wedding of her morning because she does not want to be trapped in the life her mother leads. Along with her on her escape are her horse Jack and her mute brother Bean. They travel to the Salisbury fair where she tries to find work but loses her horse, her money, and her brother. On her journey to recover these she makes friends with a gypsy family and falls in love with a poacher. She returns home to find that her parents died in a fire, her oldest sister was married off, her fiancé is publicly shamed by her leaving, and her remaining sisters were sent to a work house where Bean was as well. By the time she reached the work house, Bean escaped and her youngest sister already died. To earn money for her and two sisters, they work on a horse farm. Eventually Pell and the youngest of the remaining sister leave as well. In the end, it was the gypsy woman who set her parents’ house on fire because Bean was actually her son from an affair with their father and Pell and her remaining sister live with the poacher. I loved this book but it was hard to get into in the beginning. I wish there was more to this book, more descriptions of the characters, especially “Dog Man,” the poacher. I really liked how the story came full circle with the gypsy woman and Bean but I felt like this story was too concise for a novel. CC.9-10.R.I.1 Key Ideas and Details: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Strategy 12: Inference: Facilitating Reading Between the Lines //Before//: Prior to reading the text students will define an inference using a descriptive web. Teacher will summarize student responses. Students will then examine the book’s cover and blurb and will make predictions. Teacher will use the responses to refer to the inference strategy chart. //During//: Targeting specifically how Pell defies social norms throughout the book. As students read the first three chapters, they are to record observations and questions in their chart. Next, they will partner and discuss sources of their notes: text, my own knowledge, text and me, investigate. //After:// As a class, they will discuss their findings to contribute to the class inference strategy chart to form an inference about Pell’s character or what is socially acceptable for that time period.
 * APA Citation**:
 * Award**: 2010 Alex Award
 * Summary**:
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 * Curriculum Connection:** Grades 9-10
 * Genre**: Historical Fiction
 * Classroom activity using Developing Content Area Literacy**: