Exploring the Chicago World's Fair, 1893

    Twelve-year-old Dora Pomeroy and her two younger sisters, Phoebe, Lillian, and little Tess find themselves in Chicago when their father gets a job with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. But no women are allowed there so their mother and the girls are on their own. But things are not good, father is gambling his money away and mother goes from job to job -- including one as a hootchie-kootchie dancer. The girls must find work of their own and figure out for themselves how they are going to function in the city.

      Reviews and Comments

      "... shows the glamour and grittiness of the World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago. The characters are stock, but the situation is not. Lawlor weave[s] some social issues into the story, and the sisters' resentments about not being in a traditional family and having to fend for themselves will ring true for many of today's readers." -- Booklist

      "The girls' parents ... seemingly irresponsible...[and] the siblings are left to fend for themselves on the crowded and potentially dangerous fairgrounds. ... the descriptions and details of the setting and activities are realistic and fascinating." -- School Library Journal
    Exploring the Chicago World's Fair, 1893. (2001) Minstrel® Pocket Books ISBN 0671039245; (2002) paperback. ISBN: 074343630X American Sisters Series. 240 pg. Historical Fiction.

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