• Title: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

• Author: Karen Cushman

• Publisher: Clarion Books

• Publication Year: 1996

• ISBN‑13: 9780064406840

• Page Count: 208 pages

• Genre: Historical Fiction (California Gold Rush)

• Age Range: 10–14

• Awards: Parents’ Choice Gold Award; ALA Best Book for Young Adults

✨ Content Summary (2–5 sentences)

Set in 1849, The Ballad of Lucy Whipple follows California Morning Whipple, a book‑loving girl dragged from Massachusetts to a rough mining town during the Gold Rush. She renames herself Lucy and vows to escape back East, but life in the ramshackle settlement of Lucky Diggins forces her to confront hardship, loss, community, and unexpected resilience. Through fires, illness, loneliness, and frontier chaos, Lucy discovers her own strength and begins to redefine what “home” means. Cushman blends humor, grit, and historical detail to create a vivid portrait of frontier girlhood.

📘 Street University Classification Fields

Tier Classification

Academic Corridor → Literary Analysis Tier (Complex character development, historical context, and thematic depth.)

Shelf Code

AC‑LA‑CUSHMAN‑LUCYWHIPPLE‑96

Corridor Alignment

• Academic Corridor → Historical Fiction & Literary Analysis

• Civic Identity Corridor → American History & Cultural Literacy

• Field‑Study Corridor → Frontier Life & Migration Systems

Node Placement

• Node A‑5: Advanced Literary Analysis

• Node C‑3: Cultural Identity & American Frontier

• Node FS‑1: Human Settlement & Migration Patterns