TITLE: SOLD AUTHOR: PATRICIA MCCORMICK DATE/YEAR PUBLISHED: 2006 GENRE: REALISTIC FICTION Name: Jaden Bellina Class Period: 4th
SETTING The first part of the story takes place in a village in Nepal. It is a very poor place. In the village some places have tin roofs however, some barely have a roof at all. The other half of the story, where the climax takes place, is in India in a “dead” town. In India Lakshmi is in a “Happiness House”. The entire story takes place in the past.
CHARACTERS Lakshmi is 13-year-old skinny/boney girl. She is very hard working and always has hope. Mumtaz is a very cruel lady who makes Lakshmi do hurtful things. She has a very plump face and is described in the novel as extremely ugly. She oversees all the girls and “manages” their debts. Anita is also very skinny and boney. The “half frowning girl”, is one of Lakshmi’s roommates. She is kind and wears loads of make- up.
PLOT: CONFLICT In Sold there are many conflicts from Lakshmi being sold to things that happen in the “Happiness house”. I have to say the main conflict is when Lakshmi’s family is tricked. Mumtaz says that how ever hard Lakshmi works is how much money she will earn. Once her debt is paid off she may return home. Toward the end of the story Lakshmi starts to realize that there is no debt…….
PLOT: RESOLUTION The story has no real resolution. I don’t even know how the story ends, and might I say that I was mighty frustrated. All the cliff hanger leaves you with is a major wondering. Will this American man finally allow Lakshmi’s dream to come true?
YOUR OPINION I thought the book was very good, other than the cliff hanger. The book really touches your heart and makes you appreciate your life today. You can’t really imagine being sent off at such a young age because these days we really don’t have to worry about that stuff.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Patricia graduated from Rosemont College in Her first written novel for teens was Cut. She has won 21 awards as a writer. She was born on May 23, She lives in New York and has two children.
5 TEST QUESTIONS HHow long does Lakshmi have to work for Mumtaz? In the beginning, how does Lakshmi feel about her life style? How was Lakshmi’s life style in the end of the book? Was it better or worse? Did you think when Lakshmi got sold it was going to turn out as bad as it did? When you read about Mumtaz, what were your first impressions?
SUMMARY-TYING THINGS UP! LLakshmi is a thirteen- year-old girl who lives with her family high in the mountains. Her family is very poor and very desperate for money. When Lakshmi’s step father sells her to a glamorous young lady as a maid, she finds out she has been tricked. As Lakshmi tries to escape things keep getting worse and worse. Though she hasn’t seen anything until she finds out that she is not leaving the “Happiness House”. As Lakshmi tries to please Mumtaz she comes across an American man who can possibly grant all of Lakshmi’s wishes.