Mama's Babies [School & Library Binding]

Gary Crew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2002

Based upon the horrifying facts revealed at the criminal trials of the notorious 'baby farmers' of the 1890s, who took in unwanted children for profit, this is a dark and haunting novel by international-award-winning author Gray Crew, proving once again that fact is often stranger than fiction.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Sarah, the oldest of mysterious Mama's "adopted" children, who must thus care for the younger ones, lives in fear and squalor. Through Will Quaver, nephew of the stationmaster who mans the railway station from whence Mama picks up her occasional new baby, the 12-year-old begins to envision new possibilities of freedom and a glimmer of insight into the machinations of the woman who holds her hostage. When a new baby's arrival is followed by little "brother" Robbie's mysterious and terminal illness, Sarah begins to wonder. When Mama makes Sarah dose healthy little Horace with "special" medicine, Sarah worries about his alarming decline. All comes clear, of course, with Horrie's death, when Mama enlists Sarah in the garden burial and proceeds to lie to all regarding his whereabouts. Ever-observant Will arrives with the police, and Sarah gathers her courage and stands up to the evil woman, who is tried, convicted, and executed for murder. Based on true stories from the 1890s of several murdering "Mamas" who convinced hysterical, unwed, or otherwise needy women to pay them to "care" for their infants, this potentially powerful plot is marred by several weaknesses. Sarah tells the story in a dispassionate voice. The setting (Australia, 1894) is described only in the prologue, which many readers skip over, and the miraculous appearance of Sarah's birth mother in the last chapter (hinted at awkwardly in an earlier sequence) is unbelievably contrived. Given the violence and horror within, this book is surprisingly devoid of emotion.
Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. In the years before reliable birth control, young mothers often placed their infants with older women who could better care for them. Some of these "baby farmers" were less than scrupulous: they made a habit of collecting fees from young mothers and later disposed of the children in despicable ways. Crew's latest novel, set in Australia in 1897 and based on a composite of three actual criminal cases, is told from the point of view of nine-year-old Sarah, the oldest of Agnes Pratchett's children and the one who cooks, cleans, and cares for the other children. In a relentless, compelling narrative, Crew depicts Sarah's gradual awakening as she realizes that the life she leads and the only mother she has ever known are far from normal. Although the author wisely prepares readers for the horrific events well in advance, this gripping story isn't for the fainthearted. Young people who like horror of a realistic sort, however, will find this novel impossible to put down until Sarah is safely rescued from Pratchett's evil clutches. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 160 pages
• Publisher: San Val (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613582411
• ISBN-13: 978-0613582414
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serial Mama, April 17, 2004

By 

Linda "Linda" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mama's Babies (Paperback)

In the 1890's, 3 women were sentenced to death for murdering children that they had taken for money.
Mama's Babies is based on these real-life 'baby farmers', and is seen from the point of view of a (fictional) teenaged girl who begins to realize her life isn't normal, as children continue to join her "mama"s household and eventually disappear mysteriously.