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40th out of 49 books
—
267 voters
Small Acts of Amazing Courage (Rosalind of the Raj #1)
It is 1918, six months after the end of World War I, and Rosalind awaits the return of her father from the war. While it is common practice for British children in India to be packed off to boarding school at the age of 6, Rosalind is unusual because she lives and is schooled in India because her mother insists. The heart of this penetrating story is Rosalind's coming of a...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
April 19th 2011
by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
(first published February 19th 2011)
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I loved this little story about Rosalind's awakening to her own capacity for compassion. It's a good way to introduce young readers to the lives of children of the British Raj. They were strictly required to always think of England as "home," and were often shuttled back and forth between India and England to satisfy British notions of propriety. But their real love, the home of their hearts, was always India.
It's 1919, and Rosalind is lucky. She's fifteen and has managed to avoid being shipped...more
It's 1919, and Rosalind is lucky. She's fifteen and has managed to avoid being shipped...more
Whelan is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of many books for children and young adults. She won the National Book Award for young people’s literature for her novel Homeless Bird. She told the NBA committee that “Books saved my life. . . . I think they save the lives of lots of children.” I’ve read several of Whelan’s books and each time I’ve been caught up in the characters’ lives, the plots, the conflicts, the settings, all possible because of Whelan’s ability to create realist...more
Feb 24, 2013
Audrey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Audrey by:
a Maud-L member
Shelves:
1910s,
favorite-heroines,
favorites,
historical-fiction,
listened-on-audio,
young-adult-fiction,
wwi,
india,
england
Even though I'm a big fan of many of Gloria Whelan's books, I didn't originally plan on reading this, as the subject matter just didn't sound that interesting to me. Thanks to the recommendation of a member of a book list I'm part of, I decided to give it a try anyway. I'm so glad I did!
There was so much I loved about this. The writing was fresh and engaging, at turns informational and humorous. It flowed very well and the book breezed by almost before I realized it. Even minor characters—such...more
There was so much I loved about this. The writing was fresh and engaging, at turns informational and humorous. It flowed very well and the book breezed by almost before I realized it. Even minor characters—such...more
Small Acts of Amazing Courage is an excellent example of historical fiction that is geared toward 5th.-8th. grade readers. I recommend the book for reading with an entire class. Gloria Whelan is an excellent writer. I will be looking for more novels by this author to add to our library collection.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the novel. I see them as relating to the relationship between India and Britain as well as relating to the personal relationships and growth of characters in th...more
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the novel. I see them as relating to the relationship between India and Britain as well as relating to the personal relationships and growth of characters in th...more
Summary:
Fifteen year old Rosalind James has always lived in India with her mother and her father, a major in the British Indian Army and a deputy commissioner. She is a bright girl with interests outside those of the other English girls who spend endless hours dressing up and gossiping while talking of fashion and teas. Her intellectual curiosity and her dawning awareness of social issues leads her to become interested in social justice and Gandhi much to her father's strong displeasure. When he...more
The premise of this book is an English girl born and raised in India because her father is in the military. She steps around rules she sees as foolish, like not talking to her Indian friend, Isha, or being fobidden from going to the bazaar. She secretly agrees with the cause of India's Congress Party—those in India who want freedom from Britain. When her father comes home and finds out some of the things she's doing, he sends her away to England to go to school and live with her two aunts. She l...more
Gloria Whelan used a great, tried and true writing style that you just don't see anymore with Small Acts of Amazing Courage. It [the 1st person point of view] wasn't overtly me-me-me like most newly written fiction, or outrageously over descriptive. It was honest and intriguing.
What I appreciated about this book is that I didn't have to agree with the Hindu religion to get through the book. It is described and talked about, but not forced on you.
I also was very glad that even though Rosalind'...more
What I appreciated about this book is that I didn't have to agree with the Hindu religion to get through the book. It is described and talked about, but not forced on you.
I also was very glad that even though Rosalind'...more
I am a big fan of Whelan's Homeless Bird, which I think is a fantastic book. In Small Acts... she returns to India to tell the story of another teenage girl, this time an English girl experiencing India as a citizen of the occupying country. I really enjoyed this book, especially the heart-tugging story of Nadi. A recurring theme in this book is one of agency, as Rosalind struggles to assert her will and agency in the midst of her father's stifling authoritarianism, and her aunt Louisa overcomes...more
Rosalind lives in India in the early 1900s. India at this time is a colony to Britain. (Similar to the time period in A Little Princess.) Rosalind’s mother is emotionally fragile after the death of Roslalind’s little brother and her father is a British officer who is rarely home. This leaves Rosalind with a lot of freedom. She sneaks out to the bazaar and roams the streets, falling in love with her home and its people.
When Rosalind’s Father returns from his deployment things are …tense. Father a...more
When Rosalind’s Father returns from his deployment things are …tense. Father a...more
Teen fiction; historic fiction (India, 1908). I was not immediately impressed by the writing, laden as it was with multiple commas, sentences that ran on, and the simple observations of a pretty dull 15-year-old (adding more commas does not make you a complex character!). As the English daughter of a soldier off at war, Rosalind has led a sheltered life in India--though to her parents' dismay she keeps in touch with her childhood Indian friend and makes frequent excursions to the marketplace. Si...more
An extraordinary little book that draws you to its warm-hearted characters and introduces you to a part of history that called for great changes, which were achieved through 'small acts of amazing courage'. It is a delight and an eye-opener at the same time.
It settles you with a colonial family living in India in 1919, immediately after World War I, at the time when Ghandi was beginning his peaceful demonstrations to free Indians from British rule.
Rosalind is the fifteen year old daughter of a B...more
It settles you with a colonial family living in India in 1919, immediately after World War I, at the time when Ghandi was beginning his peaceful demonstrations to free Indians from British rule.
Rosalind is the fifteen year old daughter of a B...more
This book captivated me right away. The story telling is fast paced, and there is an urgent tension that propels the book forward from the first chapter to the very end.
The first few chapters of the book reminded me very much of Anya's War. The protagonist (Rosy) is part of a foreign community in Asia. In this case, she is part of the ruling British community during the time that the Indians start protesting for their freedom under the leadership of Gandhi. This is certainly a clear difference i...more
The first few chapters of the book reminded me very much of Anya's War. The protagonist (Rosy) is part of a foreign community in Asia. In this case, she is part of the ruling British community during the time that the Indians start protesting for their freedom under the leadership of Gandhi. This is certainly a clear difference i...more
I read this so long ago and forgot to review it that some of the details have slipped away, but I loved this book. It won the children's National Book Award and rightly so. Rosalind, our British teen narrator, is living in India during World War II, and her father, who has been away at war, has finally come home as the book begins. He's shocked by Rosalind's embrace of the more free-spirited/impoverished sides of Indian culture, her sympathy for the followers of Gandhi, and her lack of proper Br...more
Small Acts of Amazing Courage is the story of a 15 year old independent-minded, strong-willed girl in 1919 British-ruled India. It's a story of social mores, India through the eyes of the British, coming into one's own and standing up for one's self and the politics (family, societal and governmental) of the times.
Unfortunately, Small Acts of Amazing Courage seemed to me to be without a clear purpose. Author Gloria Whelan touches on many aspects of the culture of British-ruled India just after W...more
Unfortunately, Small Acts of Amazing Courage seemed to me to be without a clear purpose. Author Gloria Whelan touches on many aspects of the culture of British-ruled India just after W...more
Historical fiction that takes place during Gandhi's rise to prominence and the beginning of India's quest for independence from Great Britain. Rosalind's father is a military man stationed in India, and India is the only home she has ever known. When she begins to show a streak of independence, he makes good on his threat to send her to England to be educated "properly". Whelan does a nice job of describing both Indian life and British colonial life, including the Brits' disdain for the Indians....more
This book is special as it treats a period of history (1919 during the British occupation of India) that is rarely found in children's novels. I loved the character of Rosalind, who is becoming an independent-minded young woman, much to her father's chagrin. She reaches beyond the accepted protocol of the families of British officers in India to discover what the lives of the Indians are like as she follows her friend, Isha, into the dangerous, forbidden Bazaar. She is pulled into the Indian upr...more
http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/20...
In 1919, Rosalind James would be considered a rebel: defying her parents by listening to the oratory of Gandhi, saving neglected Indian children and helping place them in an orphanage, traveling alone on a steamer back to her “native” England whilst helping quell an onboard cholera epidemic, helping her spinster Aunt and guardian gain independence from the aunt’s intolerant sister, and inviting a local Indian friend to dinner in spite of the racial implica...more
In 1919, Rosalind James would be considered a rebel: defying her parents by listening to the oratory of Gandhi, saving neglected Indian children and helping place them in an orphanage, traveling alone on a steamer back to her “native” England whilst helping quell an onboard cholera epidemic, helping her spinster Aunt and guardian gain independence from the aunt’s intolerant sister, and inviting a local Indian friend to dinner in spite of the racial implica...more
15-year-old Rosalind is the smart and sympathetic narrator of this lovely story about a British girl coming of age in India during the push for Indian independence. The book has the feel of an old-fashioned classic, making it suitable for readers as young as 5th grade, even though it's technically YA. It's full of very interesting questions about identity (how can Rosalind follow her heart and also please her father?) and compassion (even though she's supposed to be loyal to the British crown, R...more
This National Book Award winner was a delightful journey into the end of the British Occupation of India. Like an onion, the book has many layers. Metaphors and circumstance paint a thought provoking picture of the conflict between control and freedom. The backdrop of the British presence in India, so filled with arrogance and entitlement, provides a harmonic resonance to the story of Rosy, a girl of British heritage who is looking for a way to choose her own path in a world where such things si...more
Jun 27, 2011
Dana Davis-avants
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
intermediate-fiction,
historical-fiction
Would not have put this book in the historical fiction catagory when I picked it up! The title was what caused me to pick up this book. Rosalinda is an English girl living in India with her mother and father, who is a major in the British Indian Army at the end of the decade of 1910. The death of her brother in England, while attended school, is the reason she is still living in India and attending school there. She encounters many influences in India that lead her to hear about Mahatma Gandhi,...more
This was an enjoyable, quick read. I love India and I love Ghandi and I think it is very interesting learning about that time period in India from a British child growing up there. It was a story about making the right choices even when it is is really hard or scary. Aside from purchasing a baby at the bazzar, most of Rosy's acts were small, yet they took courage. It just came natural to her to follow her conscience and do what was right. I enjoyed reading it, but I felt like it ended kind of ab...more
This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...
FIRST SENTENCE: How can kindness get you into so much trouble?
Set in colonial India, beginning in 1919, this is the story of 15-year-old Rosalind James. Her father is a major in the British Indian Army, and is away for months at a time. Almost all British colonials living in India sent their children back to England when they were 7 or 8 years old for school, but Edward, Rosalind's only brother, had been sent back to...more
FIRST SENTENCE: How can kindness get you into so much trouble?
Set in colonial India, beginning in 1919, this is the story of 15-year-old Rosalind James. Her father is a major in the British Indian Army, and is away for months at a time. Almost all British colonials living in India sent their children back to England when they were 7 or 8 years old for school, but Edward, Rosalind's only brother, had been sent back to...more
I only gave three stars for a try to show were courage and kindness could lead you. Other than that, a book left me quite disappointed - there are about ten moments when you feel like a new story is sparked and something interested is waiting for you, but all of them ended awkwardly fast and without any surprise or explanation why that part was important. All of those parts didn't connect at the end aswell - the author finished the book as if she couldn't have been bothered to come up with anyth...more
This book is a historical fiction which takes place in India during the Indian revolution. With all the revolutions that are happening now in the Middle East (people searching for their freedom), it was important for me to read about an old revolution. I stumbled upon this book which took me back when Ghandi was trying to free India from the British ruling after the World War I. The journey was fun and very informative and to my delight, the Indian revolution steps were the same as any revolutio...more
I read this as part of a Mock Newberry group that I'm participating in. It's funny because I found the first chapter to be kind of boring - it was mostly descriptive in nature, no real dialogue or interaction amongst characters. While I do appreciate having a story take place in a particular setting, I'm an even bigger fan of dialogue and character development, both of which really started taking place in the following chapters.
I only gave the book three stars because I felt like it started off...more
I only gave the book three stars because I felt like it started off...more
Oh, I wanted to love this one. I really did. I loved Listening for Lions. And have actually convinced several students to read that one and enjoy it. (I have the WORST time getting kids at my school to read historical fic ... I really do. And I can't figure out why because I really do try to get some of the best and booktalk them and hey, they listen to me when I'm recommending mystery or fantasy ... but I digress.)
Really, maybe, as an adult read four stars. Because it really is quite good. I th...more
Really, maybe, as an adult read four stars. Because it really is quite good. I th...more
Small Acts of Amazing Courage is about an English girl named Rosalind who is kept in India by her mother - extremely over-protective ever since Rosalind's younger brother was sent to England to study and died. Rosalind is not the proper young lady, however, and she gets involved with Gandhi and India's desire to be free from British rule. Her father returns from war and immediately sends her away to English to become a "proper young lady". Even across the ocean though, Rosalind still rebels and
...more
Unfortunately, this didn't meet my expectations. I felt that there were a lot of interesting premises, but nothing really happened. For example, they mention Rosalind's schooling to be lady-like, India's fight for independence, Rosalind's romance with Max, and her aunts' big secret. But, there's not much of a follow up. The author didn't even describe Rosalind's feelings to many events, such as finding out her aunts' secret - at all! It was like it never happened. Maybe we're supposed to guess, but I won't relate to her unless I know her feelings and thoughts. In fact, after one of the only big events (bringing her aunt to India), the book ended quickly. I didn't like this writing technique.
Mar 13, 2012
Reeya Patel
added it
The book is about a britisher girl, who live in India during all britishers movie to India and rule ove it. Her name is Rosalind. She can actually feels the situation of Indian people during that time and she decided to help as much as she can. She adopted a child who lived in streets and sleeps on side walks. Her father did not like that and after knowing what his child is doing and what is going on her ife, he sent her to England for further sttudies. She bacisally did not like there and convi...more
Gloria Whelan brings us into a well-described setting for historical fiction. A British girl grows up in lush India in the time of Ghandi. She is not well-suited for her stuffy and well-provided for life style. However, her character is never completely realized. She moves through different experiences, some historically significant or seemingly implausible, and yet she stays nearly the same. I like the book for its description of life for people of different classes during that time period. How...more
I thought this was a pretty good book overall. About a british girl, Rosalind, living in india in 1918, with a father at war, a dead brother, and a weak mother. Her family and their friends frown upon her, how she doesn't where her hair properly, how she goes out in public, and how her best friend is Indian. Despite the fact that she knows nobody will approve, Rosalind does what she thinks is right, whatever that may be.
It was inspiring all the things she did, but sometimes I'd be drawn out of t...more
It was inspiring all the things she did, but sometimes I'd be drawn out of t...more
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Gloria Whelan is the best-selling author of many novels for young readers, including Homeless Bird, winner of the National Book Award; Friutlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect; Angel on the Square and its companion, The Impossible Journey; Once on this Island, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; Farewell to the Island; and Return to the Island. She lives with her husband, Joseph, in the woods...more
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“But what doesn’t die is the love we give to others. There is no end to that.”
—
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Jan 05, 2013 09:30pm