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Post by Mary on Apr 13, 2006 20:28:49 GMT -5
Set in the early 1900’s, this book tells the story of a 12 year girl in Vermont. It is a fine historical novel which speaks clearly to issues of child labor and the efforts of the National Child Labor Committee to stop underage children from working in the cotton mill. I was particularly impressed with the growth & development of the main character and how seamlessly the issues of illiteracy and innumeracy are tied in with the cycle of poverty. There are lots of issues for good discussion in this book. I think it belongs on the Mock Newbery list.
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Post by Booker on May 18, 2006 14:12:06 GMT -5
I agree that this book is full of discussable issues. But...I generally love historical fiction and this just felt "okay". I had a question in the beginning about Winthrop's use of language and whether it was appropriate for the time, which continued to bother me throughout the read. I tend to be a bad reader that way, one little thing colors the entire book.
I did find Grace's character quite believable and compelling. I suppose I did enjoy it more than I am admitting because after reading the author's notes at the end, I began my own genealogical quest to find more info. about the girl in the picture.
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