Borrowed Children

by George Ella Lyon

Golden Kite Award winner, 1989 Booklist, Editor's Choice School Library Journal, Best Books of 1988 Publisher's Weekly, Best Books of 1988

Twelve-year-old Amanda Perritt is pitched head-first into adult responsibilities when she has to quit school to care for her newborn brother and invalid mother. She gets an escape, she thinks, when she's offered a trip to stay with her grandmother and her sophisticated Aunt Laura in Memphis. But during the visit, she discovers unexpected parallels between her mother's childhood and her own and comes to understand her own individuality as well as what it means to be part of a family.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Family

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

About the author

George Ella Lyon is a Kentucky author who has published in many genres, including picture books, poetry, juvenile novels, and articles.

Reviews

[Penelope Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Borrowed Children,” by George Ella Lyon, was another bargain basement find that I’m very glad I found and read. It’s the story of twelve year old Mandy who is suddenly thrust into adult responsibilities when her mother nearly dies after giving birth to her youngest child, baby brother Willie. The story is set in the Depression era, so you know the family is struggling. Baby Willie makes the sixth mouth to feed.

Mandy, who’s been looking after her two younger sisters all their lives, is no stranger to hard work and responsibility. What changes with Willie’s birth is that her strong and hard working mother can no longer manage the household. The family needs Mandy to leave school to step in and care for her younger siblings and her mother for six weeks until her mother is strong enough to resume her home management duties. Until then, Mandy will be cooking, cleaning, washing, and care-taking for the family. Her two older brothers are busy working off a debt they incurred, so no help there. And their father works away from home a week at a time. It’s a tough life for all of them, but especially for Mandy, who loves school.

This story is about family bonds, self-sacrifice, hard work, and hard choices that must be made in hard times. Mandy manages everything pretty well for a twelve year old. She’s able to keep the family together and get most everything done. She develops a strong “motherly” bond with baby Willie. When her mother is well and strong enough to take over again, there’s a pang when Mandy hands Willie over to their mother. Bittersweet. She’ll get to go back to school, and even has a nicer compensation—a trip to the big city of Memphis to visit her grandparents and her Aunt Laura.

Mandy takes a train ride by herself, and is treated as a welcomed guest at her grandparents’ home. She has new clothes for the first time. She eats out in a restaurant. It seems a glamorous life on the surface. Looking deeper Mandy finds that all isn’t as wonderful as it seems. Her Aunt Laura has some heavy problems. The death of an uncle at an early age strongly affected everyone in the family. Mandy learns more about her mother’s family than she knew and not all of it good. She returns home a much wiser twelve year old with a greater understanding of the hard choices folks have made and which she may have to make one day, too.

This story is recommended for middle school readers, especially those with less than perfect families and family life—which is most of us. I saw some things that reminded me of my family, our lives, and the choices we’ve made over the years. The sooner tweens and teens learn that life isn’t easy, that it takes grit and hard work to make it, and that things aren’t always what they seem like on the surface, the better off they’ll be.

[Jenny Diefenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet book. A little sad.
3rd grade reading level from my elementary library.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story. The kindness of the main character is very special.

[Ma Ha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great, though the ending does cut off rather suddenly.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful book from the eyes of a teen girl during the depression era in backwoods Kentucky. Her Mother needs bed rest for six week after delivering a baby and she, being the oldest daughter, must stay home from school to take care of the baby and house and other 5 children. As the Mother regains her strength, they send her to visit her Grandparents in the city for Christmas. The book is about the relationships and her analysis of how and why people do what they do. She grows up through this process. I really like the analogies used within the text...for example: the most likely alcoholic youngest daughter of Grandma and Grandma don't really get along, the daughter/aunt indicates that, "Grandma sings best in her own cage." To mean that she, Grandma doesn't want to venture down to the black part of Memphis to listen to the music and eat fried sweet potatoes.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book surprising, though I don't know why. There were times when I was startled. Like when the central character was expected to leave the best of everything for her brothers despite the fact that she had made the meal. I thought it was wonderful that she was able to get some insight into who her mother really was. A good story, certainly kept me turning the pages. I liked the author's message about what really makes a home.

[Sondra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just got this from my power of place workshop and it definitely reiterated a lot of what learned about the Appalachian lifestyle. But I think this book is intended for 5th/6th grade however there are parts that might be a bit confusing, especially near the end.

[Mary Buzard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for historical fiction and gives children an insight into life in early rural America.

[Mimi San Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book back in fourth grade. At the time, most of the story went over my head—I only grasped that it was about a young girl who had to stay home, take care of her family, and shoulder responsibilities that were far too heavy for her age. Even then, I loved it, though I couldn’t fully explain why. Years later, I hunted down a copy, reread it, and realized how much more there was to this story than my younger self could see.

– Plot –

Twelve-year-old Amanda “Mandy” Perritt is forced to leave school when her mother falls gravely ill after giving birth. Mandy suddenly becomes the caretaker of her newborn brother while also trying to manage the household. She gets what seems like a reprieve when she visits her grandmother and sophisticated Aunt Laura in Memphis, but that trip only reveals unexpected truths about her mother’s own childhood. Through these parallels, Mandy begins to understand both her individuality and what it truly means to be part of a family.

– My Thoughts –

Reading this as an adult gave me a completely different experience. What once felt too complicated now reads as a heartfelt exploration of what it means to grow up too quickly. Mandy’s voice captures that confusing middle space between childhood innocence and adult responsibility, and George Ella Lyon handles it with sensitivity.

What stood out most is how the book illustrates the sacrifices children often make when family circumstances demand it. Mandy’s longing for education, her frustration at having to give up her own dreams, and her sense of being deprived of a childhood are all feelings that resonate deeply, especially when you reflect on the unfairness of it. At the same time, the story highlights resilience, compassion, and the strength that surfaces when love binds a family together through hardship.

The Memphis trip adds an important layer. Mandy sees her mother’s past mirrored in her own, which makes her realize that struggle isn’t unique to her—it is part of a larger cycle. That realization doesn’t erase her pain, but it shapes her perspective and in a way, gives her power back.

It’s a story that asks readers to reflect on their own lives. For me, it stirred up those old pre-teen feelings of wanting more freedom while also being reminded that others might be carrying even heavier burdens. It encourages appreciation for what we have while honoring the resilience of kids who are forced to carry responsibilities beyond their years. Reading it now also reveals the call toward breaking cycles, healing generational wounds, and recognizing patterns that may not have been visible when I first encountered the story as a child.

– Recommendation –

Borrowed Children is a moving and thoughtful read that speaks differently depending on your age. For young readers, it introduces empathy and perspective. For adults, it shines a light on the resilience of children who take on more than they should. If you are drawn to stories that balance hardship with heart, this one is worth picking up.

[Dundee Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Times are hard in the coal mining town of Goose Rock, Kentucky. They get even harder when twelve-year-old Amanda's mother nearly dies birthing her sixth child. Now the burden of taking care of a newborn, her weakened mother, and the rest of the household falls on Amanda. "Mandy", who loves school, is now required to stay home and deal with the pressures of keeping the house running for a family of eight. Just as the burden is becoming too heavy, her parents surprise her with a Christmas trip to Memphis to stay with her grandparents. There she is introduced to a whole new life-style which is far different from the only one she's ever known. Mandy begins to see her mother in a new light and discovers that riches don't always provide happiness or contentment. The burdens of caring for the baby seem much lighter from a distance. As her grandmother says, children stay only children for awhile and we are all "borrowed children". This was a heartwarming story of a preteens' discovery of what's truly important in her life.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandson gave me this book. He found it in the discard pile at his school library and thought I would like it. It tells the story of a young girl and her family, living in the mountains of Kentucky during the Depression. When Mandy's mother hemorrhages giving birth to Mandy's little brother, Mandy must leave the school she loves to stay home and care for her newborn brother and her two younger sisters while cooking and cleaning for her father and two older brothers and nursing her bedridden Mom back to health.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago I did a workshop with George Ella Lyon at a Barnes and Noble. It was an amazing experience. We wrote our own I am from poems and talked about her writing process.

[Ventsislav Kostadinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm coming home, I'm coming home, all times no matter what!!

[Mary Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread 6/11/04

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and could relate with the oldest child. This is an amazing book and one you will never forget. It will leave a long lasting impression on you.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the people and setting in this book. It was near an area where I once lived. I felt like I knew the characters in the book and would have liked for it to last longer.

[Cws]

JEAR3-Lyo

[Sow]

beautiful