Lyddie is full of determination. Her parents die, and when she hears of mill jobs in Lowell, Massachusetts, she heads there with the goal to earn money to reunite her family. She learns to read, but she also learns the horrors that accompany the dawn to dusk work in dust and lint filled factories. When a friend becomes ill, she must decide to speak up and risk her job and her dreams or stay quiet. This book reminds me of my great-grandmother who was a weaver on a loom and had the same kind of determination. It helped me understand her better. I loved this book and give it to everyone I can. ( )

Historical fiction book about a girl in Vermont whose parents disappear. She goes to Lowell, MA to get a job at a mill and experiences what many child laborers experienced at that time. ( )

Lydia (Lyddie) Worthen and her family live on a small farm sans their father in 1843 Vermont. Their mother is mentally unstable and as such, Lyddie and Charlie, the two oldest children, take care of the farming and the cooking. Eventually, their mother leaves the farm with the two youngest children and sends Lyddie and Charlie to work in a tavern and mill to pay off family debts. The pay is very poor at Cutler’s Tavern, and soon, Lyddie starts a new life as a higher paid “factory girl” in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Although Lyddie earns more money in her new position, life in Lowell is not an easy one for any of the girls that work in the mill factories. For instance, they work very long shifts in bad conditions without long breaks in between. While working in the mills, Lyddie learns lessons about life. For example, she learns that working hard brings a great sense of self-accomplishment. Likewise, she also learns that people must stand up for their rights whether it is young mill workers demanding ten hour days with better working conditions or young women standing up to sexual harassment. Most importantly, Lyddie learns to trust herself and believe in her strengths.

Lyddie by Katherine Paterson is an uplifting novel that gives power to young women and their voices. It is also a great historical account of how mill life was in 1840s America. Having been listed on many "Best" lists including the ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Lyddie by Katherine Paterson is an exceptional piece of literature. ( )

Lyddie has to leave home to make her living, working in appalling conditions in a garment factory early in the 20th century. Lyddie becomes involved with a movement to improve the workers conditions, recognising that only by working together,improvements can be achieved ( )

Lyddie's family's farm has been in trouble for years, and the problems have only gotten worse since her father left, but she struggles to keep it together. Her mother, however, has given up, and she realizes that her only hope for making money to pay off the farm's debt is to get a job working in the Lowell mills. She is a hard worker and has no trouble making a lot of money, but she begins to discover that the work hurts other girls in the mills. When she finally loses the farm, she has to come up with a new plan for her life, but the mills have exposed her to new people and experiences. It is the life around the mill that teaches her how to become herself. ( )