Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
Ellis Reed is a struggling reporter in Philadelphia in 1931. He makes his living covering the few society events in the area during the Great Depression. Anything to keep food in his own belly and a roof over his head. When he stumbles across the sign, "2 children for sale", at a run down farmhouse, he uses the company camera to snap a picture.
The Chief is anxious to print the gut wrenching story and accompanying photo. However, for some reason the photo was destroyed before it could go to print. Ellis goes back to the farmhouse only to find it empty. Desperate to make a name for himself, he convinces two neighbor children to recreate the picture.
Lily, who has a secret of her own, discovered Ellis' original photo in the dark room and set the wheels of the newspaper story in motion. When she realizes what Ellis has done in taking the second picture, she joins forces with him in an effort to make it right.
Sold on a Monday is a heartbreaking story of how children of the time were treated in desperate situations. They were sometimes sold by parents hoping to break out of poverty, not knowing they were sending their children into a life of abuse and neglect. But I thought this story dragged on through the middle. The author added many sub plots that maybe didn't all need to be there and didn't add any depth to the story. This book is an interesting slice of history but the writing itself is over done.
Ellis Reed is a struggling reporter in Philadelphia in 1931. He makes his living covering the few society events in the area during the Great Depression. Anything to keep food in his own belly and a roof over his head. When he stumbles across the sign, "2 children for sale", at a run down farmhouse, he uses the company camera to snap a picture.
The Chief is anxious to print the gut wrenching story and accompanying photo. However, for some reason the photo was destroyed before it could go to print. Ellis goes back to the farmhouse only to find it empty. Desperate to make a name for himself, he convinces two neighbor children to recreate the picture.
Lily, who has a secret of her own, discovered Ellis' original photo in the dark room and set the wheels of the newspaper story in motion. When she realizes what Ellis has done in taking the second picture, she joins forces with him in an effort to make it right.
Sold on a Monday is a heartbreaking story of how children of the time were treated in desperate situations. They were sometimes sold by parents hoping to break out of poverty, not knowing they were sending their children into a life of abuse and neglect. But I thought this story dragged on through the middle. The author added many sub plots that maybe didn't all need to be there and didn't add any depth to the story. This book is an interesting slice of history but the writing itself is over done.
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