City of Orphans by Avi 350 pages

Newbery winner Avi, has crafted another gripping historical fiction novel. Young readers are probably not very familiar with life in 1898 New York City. Maks is not an orphan. He has a warm family trying to keep their heads above water. 13 year old Maks is employed as a newsboy. He meets Willa, an orphan living in an alley and brings her home. There is a lot of tension building. Bruno, leader of the Plug Ugly street gang, is after Maks. His older sister who works in the swank Waldorf Hotel has been thrown in jail on a trumped up robbery charge. Maks contacts an eccentric lawyer to free his sister. Donck, the lawyer inserts Maks into the Waldorf as an apprentice detective. Readers will learn about life as new immigrants and the perils of life on the streets for homeless waifs.