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Plot
Koly is a thirteen year old girl, living in India,from a poor family with one older brother and one younger brother. Her father works as a scribe in the marketplace and her mother makes saris at home. Koly's parents find her a husband named Hari. Koly wants to marry for love, but follows her parents' wishes. Her mother makes her a wedding sari and gives her her heavy gold earrings. Her parents sell their cow and some jewelry to pay for Koly's dowry. Koly makes a quilt, using the embroidery skills her mom taught her, with scenes from her house, yard, and the marketplace.

During the weding, Koly discovers that her husband-to-be is a 15 year old thin, sickly boy. After the wedding, Koly moves into Hari, her husband's, house with his mother, father, and sister, Chandra. Her Sass, or mother-in-law, is mean and greedy. Koly talks with Hari for the first time in his room and tells him stories of her home. Hari is bossy and tells Koly the doctor's think he will die of his sickness. Hari's parents used Koly to get money for a trip to the city of Varanasi, to try and heal Hari in the Ganges river. Hari convinces his parents to bring Koly.

They travel by train and stay in the house of a friend of Koly's Sassur, or father-in-law. They take Hari to the river the day they arrive. He seems to get better, the dies later that night. They cremate him in the city and spread his ashes in the Ganges.

Sass becomes even more cruel, but Koly gets back at her by being mischevious. An undetermined amount of years pass and Chandra's parents find her a husband. Sass takes Koly's wedding sari and tries to force Koly to give up her mother's earrings, but she rufuses, saying she lost them. Koly is sorry to see Chandra, her only friend, leave, but she makes her a quilt as a gift and part of her dowry. Koly attends Chandra's wedding and Chandra is married to a man named Raman.

Sass turns despondent, treating Koly and Sassur even worse than before. Sassur teaches Koly to read in private and introduces her to his favorite poet, Rabindranath Tagore. Koly stops her tricks and attempts to befriend first a homeless dog, then the bandicoot that lives under the house. Sassur becomes depressed because computers are brought into the school that he works at and dies less than a month later. Chandra visits for the burial and tells Koly how happy she is.

Sass and Koly become even more poor. When Sass threatens to sell Sassur's Tagore poem book, she gives up her gold earrings. Sass gets a letter from her brother, offering to hire her. On the way, Sass decides to stop in Vrindavan and abandons Koly with a bit of money. Koly is hurt and confused, sleeping on a porch for a few nights, returning to the train station everyday to watch for Sass. A rickshaw driver named Raji takes her to a widows' house. Koly meets and befriends a girl named Tanu.

The mistress of the widow's house finds her a job working for a garland seller with Tanu. Koly teaches Raji how to read and Raji shows her a special place outside of town, by a river. Raji tells her he has to leave and return to his village to work the land his father left for him. Koly has grown fond of him and thinks about him the whole time he's gone.

The founder of the widows' house, Mrs. Devi, visits and sees Koly's quilt. She recommends her to a sari seller, who was looking for skilled embroiderists with new ideas. He hires her and Koly meets Mala, who also works for Mr. Das. Mala invites Koly to a party, where a man spikes her drink and she is rescued by a musician. Raji returns and proposes to Koly. Koly is unsure and asks Raji to give her some time to think about it. They write letters to each other. When Raji writes to her about a room that he built, all for her, so that she can continue to embroider, her doubts leave. Mr. Das tells her she can visit the city to turn in her work and receive more requests. Mrs. Devi claims the first sari Koly makes in her new home and asks Koly to make a design from one of Tagore's poems. Koly decides to stitch Tagore's "Homeless Bird", finding a home at last.

Hindi terms are defined in an extensive glossary at the books' end.

Major Themes
Koly, likened to a "homeless bird" in a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore, embodies the tragic plight of Hindu women without status, family or financial security. She is saved from a dismal fate by her love of beauty, her talent for embroidery, and the philanthropy of others.

Background
Gloria Whelan is an American poet, short story writer, and novelist for children and adults. She won the 2000 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for the novel Homeless Bird. She was the winner of the Great Lakes Books award in 1996. Homeless bird was inspired by a newspaper article about the real thirteen-year-old widows in India today.

Reception
Homeless bird recieved mainly positive reviews. Shelle Rosenfeld praised Gloria Whelan's "lyrical, poetic prose interwoven with Hindi words and terms" and says they "eloquently convey Koly's tradgedies and triumphs, while providing a descriptive, well-researched introduction to India's customs, people, and daily life". She stated that Koly "is an appealing, admirable character, portrayed with sympathy and depth, who learns that art, heart, dreams, and perseverance can bring unexpected joy." Martha Davis Beck also had good words for the book. She said "In many parts of the world, a women's identity is still narrowly tied to the men who claim her as daughter or wife. Within such a scheme, what room is there for self-definition? Gloria Whelan's "Homeless Bird" offers a hopeful and moving answer to the question. In this graceful and evocative novel set in present-day India, the design of a young women's fate, boldly outlined by circumstances beyond her control, is completed by her will and desire."

Some journalists had a few critiques to make. The Christian Science Monitor wrote "Gloria Whelan's novel of a doomed but resourceful young Indian women lacks richness and originality, but the story is emotionally compelling." They also said "if Whelan's had included more authentic details about modern-day India, readers would have gained more than a stereotypical look at a young Indian girl's life." The Christian Science Monitor noted that Gloria Whelan's Homless Bird had a view "more influenced by National Geographic than real contact with the country."

Awards and nominations
Gloria Whelan's Homeless Bird won the National Book Award for children's literature in November 2000.