Synopses & Reviews
2013 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
Rosas mother is singing again, for the first time since Papa died in an accident in the mills. But instead of filling their cramped tenement apartment with Italian lullabies, Mamma is out on the streets singing union songs, and Rosa is terrified that her mother and older sister, Anna, are endangering their lives by marching against the corrupt mill owners. After all, didnt Miss Finch tell the class that the strikers are nothing but rabble-rousers—an uneducated, violent mob? Suppose Mamma and Anna are jailed or, worse, killed? What will happen to Rosa and little Ricci? When Rosa is sent to Vermont with other children to live with strangers until the strike is over, she fears she will never see her family again. Then, on the train, a boy begs her to pretend that he is her brother. Alone and far from home, she agrees to protect him . . . even though she suspects that he is hiding some terrible secret. From a beloved, award-winning author, here is a moving story based on real events surrounding an infamous 1912 strike.
Review
A beautifully written novel that puts a human face on history... Paterson at her best-- and that's saying a lot.
Kirkus Reviews, Starred
The immigrant labor struggle is stirring and dramatic.
Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
Synopsis
Newbery-author Katherine Paterson's tale of the 1912 mill workers' strike -- in paperback!
Rosas mother is singing againunion songs. Shes joined the strike against the corrupt mill owners. Rosa is terrified. What if Mamma is jailed or, worse, killed?
Jakes dad threatened to kill him if he joined the strike. For Jake, that is reason enough to do so.
Then Rosa, Jake, and the other children living in the middle of the strike are offered a very special opportunity: To live in Vermont until the strike is over. For Rosa, being away from her family is worse than seeing them in harms way. For Jake, its a chance to start over. For both of them, its a time of growing up.
Synopsis
A two-time Newbery Medalist and National Book Award winner pens a tale of the 1912 mill workers' strike, told through the point of view of the children living through the historical events.
About the Author
Katherine Paterson's international fame rests not only on her widely acclaimed novels but also on her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. A two-time winner of the Newbery Medal (Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved) and the National Book Award (The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Master Puppeteer), she has received many accolades for her body of work, including the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, given by her home state of Vermont. She was also named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.Ms. Paterson is vice president of the National Children's Book