114 pages 3 hours read

Jerry Spinelli

Milkweed

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2003

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Chapters 28-30

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 28 Summary

Summer in the ghetto brings flocks of crows and flies that cling to dead bodies on the street. There are no longer any horses to draw the wagons, so men now pull them through the streets, throwing corpses onto the back for removal. People in the ghetto die from either sickness or hunger, and though Misha has little control over the former, he continues to steal food to feed both his family and the orphans. Misha believes this to be his duty.

Janina follows Misha regularly out of the ghetto to steal food. The children frequently raid the hotel, along with the homes of the wealthy. At one home, a young boy wakes up to their raid and the children eat food and whisper together. Originally, Mr. Milgrom does not know that Janina has been following Misha out of the ghetto. However, when the children are missing through another nighttime lineup ordered by the Jackboots, Mr. Milgrom punishes Janina and Misha by squeezing their ears, telling them that they need to stop smuggling.

Misha does not stop smuggling, though he tries to get Janina to stop following him.