When officials bring the lunatic to the poor farm in Vermont and lock him in a cage, Jip is the only one who befriends the shaggy old man. An abandoned child who has no memory of his life before coming to the farm, Jip has a gentle knack for calming all frightened creatures. Months later, a dark-clad stranger comes to the poor farm, asking about Jip. The boy recoils from him as he would from a snake. In the stranger's shadow, the lives of Jip and his caged friend soon become joined in a desperate flight from the boy's perilous heritage. Set in 1855, and based on careful research and historical characters, Jip is a gripping and unforgettable story of racial injustice. Katherine Paterson has won two Newbery Awards and two National Book Awards. It's no wonder that her novels, like Bridge to Terabithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins, receive worldwide acclaim and have been translated into 20 languages. Each is filled with Paterson's trademark sensitivity and grace.
