Here are a couple of books I have used:
Lise Spangenthal
NBCT
Phoenix, AZ
Bread and Roses, Too- Katherine Patterson
Grade 5-8-Paterson has drawn upon the facts of the famous 1912 Bread and
Roses strike in the mills of Lawrence, MA, and the sympathetic response of
the citizens of Barre, VT, to tell the story of two children enmeshed in
complex events. Rosa Seruttis mother and older sister work in the mills and
are joining the protest against unfair labor practices. Jake Beale works
there to keep himself and his alcoholic father alive. As the strike turns
ugly, arrangements are made for children to leave Lawrence temporarily, and
Rosa is sent to an elderly couple, the Gerbatis, in Barre. After a
terrifying incident in which he finds his father dead, Jake sneaks onto the
train, mistaking its destination as New York City. He convinces Rosa to say
he is her older brother and to persuade the Gerbatis to keep him, too.
Illiterate Sal begs off going to school, working instead in Mr. Gerbatis
stonecutting business where, despite fair treatment, the temptation to steal
overwhelms him. Caught in the act, he learns that the forbidding man is
really a compassionate soul who gives him the chance he needs to make a new
life for himself. Paterson has skillfully woven true events and real
historical figures into the fictional story and created vivid settings,
clearly drawn characters, and a strong sense of the hardship and injustice
faced by the mostly immigrant mill workers. Ethnic rivalries and prejudices
play an important role, and the alternating points of view of Rosa and Jake
allow for a broader picture and add tension and balance.-Marie Orlando,
Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Lyddie Katherine PAtterson
From Publishers Weekly
In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm,
10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as
servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with
relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees
to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough
income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life
continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but
Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in
books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold
to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain
independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's
hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself.
Paterson ( The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks ) clearly depicts the effects of
poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers
enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted,
this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization
period. Ages 10-14.
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