Coram Boy

Otis Gardiner and his simple-minded son, Meshak, are peddlers around the countryside of England. But, to add to their income, they dispose of unwanted babies and children for young women who have nowhere else to turn, selling some into slavery, and killing others.

One of these babies is the unwanted baby of Alexander Ashbrook, but Meshak can't bear to drown this baby as he has done to others. Instead, he takes this baby to a safe place where he can watch the child grow.

I was immediately intrigued by the idea behind this story; I'd never heard that there were people who did such things. But the story didn't work as well for me as I'd hoped. The people came across as stereotypically good and bad, and I felt like I never got to see much of the humanity of those who were depicted as bad. The action through much of the story felt slow to me, with long conversations and descriptions that did nothing to advance the plot. Overall, I liked the idea of the story better than I liked the actual story.

A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.