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148th out of 435 books
—
631 voters
Bread and Roses, Too
2013 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
Rosa’s 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 corru...more
Rosa’s 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 corru...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 4th 2006
by Clarion Books
(first published July 28th 2006)
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This is a lovely story that deals with the Lawrence Massachusetts mill workers' strike in 1912 that is associated with the song "Bread and Roses". I've always found the song very stirring--especially as sung by Judy Collins.
I was surprised to find a novel written from the perspective of two children about this event. I found the viewpoints of Jake and Rosa very believable.
It's a book that isn't just about the strike. It's about the role of education, ethnic identity and the meaning of family.
So...more
I was surprised to find a novel written from the perspective of two children about this event. I found the viewpoints of Jake and Rosa very believable.
It's a book that isn't just about the strike. It's about the role of education, ethnic identity and the meaning of family.
So...more
A while back, I had clipped out this title from a review somewhere. I like labor history, so this sounded like a book I’d enjoy. I did, to a degree, but it wasn’t a book that touched very deeply.
Setting: mill workers strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, early 20t century. Main character is an Italian girl, Rosa, whose mother and sister work in the mill. Rosa’s family is desperately poor; they have boarders living with them, and Rosa is the only child they can afford to have in school. Rosa along...more
Setting: mill workers strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, early 20t century. Main character is an Italian girl, Rosa, whose mother and sister work in the mill. Rosa’s family is desperately poor; they have boarders living with them, and Rosa is the only child they can afford to have in school. Rosa along...more
Bread and Roses too
by Katherine Patterson
I really liked this book because its historical fiction and I love that type of book. Bread and Roses too has a great plot because they change location in the book so they are introduced to new characters and problems.
Bread and Roses too is about the Industrial Revolution in Lawrence. there are two main characters in the book ones named Rosa and the others named Jake at that time there were strikes for fair wages from the workers of the mill. Jake’s fathe...more
by Katherine Patterson
I really liked this book because its historical fiction and I love that type of book. Bread and Roses too has a great plot because they change location in the book so they are introduced to new characters and problems.
Bread and Roses too is about the Industrial Revolution in Lawrence. there are two main characters in the book ones named Rosa and the others named Jake at that time there were strikes for fair wages from the workers of the mill. Jake’s fathe...more
I felt like this was Paterson’s second attempt at writing about the Industrial Revolution. Her first book, Lyddie, was dry and never seemed to end. I found that even though I’ve never read the book, I didn’t want to waste the time and energy hating it. With so many other Paterson books to choose from, I couldn’t bring myself to try to contend with Lyddie and her troubles. Then there is Rosa, a first generation American who must navigate the trials of adolescence while worrying about her family.
R...more
R...more
In 1912, the mill workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts went on a strike that lasted over two months and was marked by a great deal of police brutality, at women and children as well as at men. I have read about this strike before, and was eager to read Paterson’s new children’s novel on the same subject. Immigrants from many nations lived in squalid conditions and worked long hours in the mills; in order to earn enough money to feed their families, many workers had their children working in the m...more
The author's own words sum up this book: "It is the story of the powerless against the mighty, the story of those who do the work while struggling to survive hunger, cold, accident, and disease, and of the self-satisfied owners who bask in luxury and despise the very persons who make their lives of ease possible. In short, it is a story of our own times." I'm grateful to Paterson for her courage and honesty in making that claim. In addition to the wonderful writing, engaging story, and rich char...more
I listened to the ipod version of this book narrated by Lara Raver.
The book is about the mill worker's strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912. Rosa worries about her mother and sister who are part of the strike. Her teacher is telling her that the strikers are anarchists which makes her feelings worse. She meets a boy named Jake who works to make money for his father's alcohol addiction. They form a strained bond.
After the strike has been going on for a few weeks, the parents of the striker...more
The book is about the mill worker's strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912. Rosa worries about her mother and sister who are part of the strike. Her teacher is telling her that the strikers are anarchists which makes her feelings worse. She meets a boy named Jake who works to make money for his father's alcohol addiction. They form a strained bond.
After the strike has been going on for a few weeks, the parents of the striker...more
Carefully crafted tale about two children caught up in the Lawrence, MA mill workers' strike of 1912, based on fact. The girl is Rosa, from a struggling Italian immigrant family. The other is Jake, a native-born who has learned to steal and lie to survive. The children are sent to Barre, VT to stay with sympathetic families during the turbulent strike, where each one learns a life lesson about themselves.
I loved the two characters and how they represented two victims of the workers' strike. We c...more
I loved the two characters and how they represented two victims of the workers' strike. We c...more
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date of Publication: 2006
Genre: Historical Drama
Reading Level: ages 9-12
Theme: courage
Curricula Use: you could use this to teach about the occurances in 1912.
Social Issue: Diversity, Italian, American
Text and pictures: This is a chapter book. THere are no pictures. The only picture is on the front cover. The cover is very alluring. The cover has color and it grabs your attention.
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Summary: Rosa's family takes part in a factory strike. Rosa does not know f...more
This is a great book. It takes place during the strikes in wool mills in Massachusetts. The main character is a young Italian immagrant named Rosa, who lives with her mother, sister, and little brother. Her mother sends her to Burre, Vermont on a train with other children, to live with a foster family during the strike.
Required Reading: Amazing book!
For my IP&T class: This is an awesome book! I would use it in the classroom during history to suplement readings on the mill strikes that happened during this time. The book is great because these events of the time are seen through the eyes of two young children, both from very different backgrounds. I believe it would give the kids a better idea of what happened during the mill strikes,& how difficult it was to live.It is my hope that this book would hel...more
For my IP&T class: This is an awesome book! I would use it in the classroom during history to suplement readings on the mill strikes that happened during this time. The book is great because these events of the time are seen through the eyes of two young children, both from very different backgrounds. I believe it would give the kids a better idea of what happened during the mill strikes,& how difficult it was to live.It is my hope that this book would hel...more
If you enjoy historical fiction, this book is really good! The two main characters are Jake and Rosa, children who live in Lawrence, MA, during the historical period of the bread and roses mill strikes.
At first I thought this was a book of different short stories because of the chapter titles such as "Shoe Girl" and "The Best Student" and "The Beautiful Mrs. Gurley Flynn" that sounded unrelated. However, each chapter provided more insight into the lives of the main characters and the trials the...more
At first I thought this was a book of different short stories because of the chapter titles such as "Shoe Girl" and "The Best Student" and "The Beautiful Mrs. Gurley Flynn" that sounded unrelated. However, each chapter provided more insight into the lives of the main characters and the trials the...more
Having Italian anscetors who immigrated during the period of this book, I imagine their life was very similar to Jakes and Rosa's. My great-grandmother, a first generation strong Italian-American young girl was put to work in a New York sweat-shop to help support her family before she had the opportunity to finish elementary school. I applaud Katherine Peterson for writing a tale depicting these brave Americans who struggled to survive and provide us with the rights that we have today. 1912 wasn...more
Many people who know union history have heard of the Bread and Roses strike, and may be aware of the urban legend stating that the name is derived from a photo where a woman in Lawrence, MA is holding a picket sign that says "We want bread, yes, and roses too..."
This book tells the fictional story of the family, and mainly the children, of the woman holding that sign. Paterson weaves accurate history into this fictional account by documenting the strike, those that were framed, the Wobblies role...more
This book tells the fictional story of the family, and mainly the children, of the woman holding that sign. Paterson weaves accurate history into this fictional account by documenting the strike, those that were framed, the Wobblies role...more
I loved this book because it had suspence mystery and a touch of saddness all mixed into one. Another reason I loved this book is because of the way the author dicribed how people felt back during the great strik. I also loved it because rosa trusted many people that many others didn't care about. There are lots of cool discribings, saddness that made me want to cry and much more you can find it all out if you read this book.
I think this book had potential. It goes through 2 POVs: Jake and Rosa. Jake's life is harder and more interesting. I don't always agree with his choices and I think his character could've been developed more, but I liked the story better when it focused on him. Rosa was whiney and had little character development. The little change at the end isn't enough. I wanted her to get a backbone, but she never did. She wept right until the very end. I've heard authors should make us feel the tears inste...more
I thought this was a really wonderful book that I enjoyed reading a lot, however there were a few details that stopped me from giving it five stars.
I felt like the main character, Rosa, was a weak character. She cried a lot and when she wasn't crying she was moaning over the strike and how she was scared for her mother and sister. It would've been better if there was a little moaning and crying (to show that the main character had some compassion) but not as much as it did.
The way the book was...more
I felt like the main character, Rosa, was a weak character. She cried a lot and when she wasn't crying she was moaning over the strike and how she was scared for her mother and sister. It would've been better if there was a little moaning and crying (to show that the main character had some compassion) but not as much as it did.
The way the book was...more
This was a very good YA historical novel. It tells about the Lawrence Strike of 1912. Factories cut the work week back two hours, depriving already hungry and cold families of a couple of badly needed loaves of bread.
We see both sides of the fence so to speak. Rosa is against the strike even tho her mother and sister are a part of it. Her teacher is partly to blame for Rosa's doubts. Also, Rosa is worried that her mother will get hurt or worse, murdered because the strike does get out hand a fe...more
We see both sides of the fence so to speak. Rosa is against the strike even tho her mother and sister are a part of it. Her teacher is partly to blame for Rosa's doubts. Also, Rosa is worried that her mother will get hurt or worse, murdered because the strike does get out hand a fe...more
2 likes · like · see review
Rosa and Jake are two children growing up in Lawrence, Ma during the bread and roses mill strikes. Rosa's immigrant family works in the mills and is barely surviving. Jake's mother is dead and his father, an alcoholic beats him regularly. Jake has to lie and steal to survive. Jake and Rosa wind up living in Barre, Vt during the strike. Rosa misses her family terribly, but for Jake it is a chance at a new life. Rosa and Jake are great characters and Patterson really makes this story come alive. Y...more
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date of Publication: 2006
Genre: Historical Drama
Reading Level: ages 9-12
Theme:
Curricula Use: teach children about the Strike of 1912.
teach children how to deal with difficulty in life
Social Issue: Italian-American culture, Diversity, Religion
Text & Pictures: This is a chapter book so the only picture is the cover. The text allows for the reader to make a clear visual picture of the story.
Summary: When Rosa's family decides to follow along...more
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date of Publication: 2006
Genre: Historical Drama
Reading Level: ages 9-12
Theme:
Curricula Use: teach children about the Strike of 1912.
teach children how to deal with difficulty in life
Social Issue: Italian-American culture, Diversity, Religion
Text & Pictures: This is a chapter book so the only picture is the cover. The text allows for the reader to make a clear visual picture of the story.
Summary: When Rosa's family decides to follow along...more
Paterson compellingly presents the story of the Lawrence mill strike of 1912 through the point of view of two affected children, Rosa and Jake. Adding the second protagonist provides more perspective on living conditions and tension between classes as well as ethnicities, and there is a turning point in the story where the main protagonist becomes the secondary protagonist and vice versa. Although Jake appears early on throughout the novel, Rosa’s inner turmoil over the strike propels the first...more
The bosses didn't break the Bread and Roses strike because thousands of immigrant women kept the strike strong. Workers in New York, Philly, and Barre VT took the strikers' children temporarily to kept them safe so that concern for the children's well-being didn't weaken the strikers' resolve. When nurses in Vermont tried to unionize in the 1990s, the bosses told us we would never succeed because we live in a state that is very conservative toward collective bargaining. Katherine Paterson's heav...more
Genre- Chapter Book
Reading Level- 4-6
Topic and Theme- Cultural diversity, historical significance, perseverance, immigration
Curricula Use- Independent or guided reading
Literary elements: Conflict developed through circumstances and relationships between character, characters developed through dialogue and personal relationships
Social- Historically significant; tells the story of a factory strike led by immigrant workers
Summary- A work of historical fiction centering on the mill strike of 1912, "...more
Reading Level- 4-6
Topic and Theme- Cultural diversity, historical significance, perseverance, immigration
Curricula Use- Independent or guided reading
Literary elements: Conflict developed through circumstances and relationships between character, characters developed through dialogue and personal relationships
Social- Historically significant; tells the story of a factory strike led by immigrant workers
Summary- A work of historical fiction centering on the mill strike of 1912, "...more
I liked this book, it was a pretty quick read and a good story. Since I am from Lawrence, MA, born and raised, I've always found the Bread and Roses strike interesting. I've always wondered why there hasn't been a movie. This novel is fiction but it's based on fact. I found the historical information in this book to be accurate and the description of the city, mills and other locations to be spot on. I recognized most of the names and places. The author did her research.
The characters were likab...more
The characters were likab...more
Bread and Roses, Too, written by Newbery author Katherine Paterson, is historical fiction set in the early 1900s. The deplorable conditions suffered by mill workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts (including children) lead to union activity and a dangerous strike. This is a beautiful story of courage and dignity and the struggle of immigrant workers uniting to bring unfair labor practices to an end. Paterson paints a vivid picture of the strike, how it affects the families involved (especially the ch...more
While the writing was a bit simplistic, Paterson relly brought the strikers and families of the 1912 mill-strike in Lawrence, Mass. to life, as well as the immigrant culture of Barre, Vermont, where some of the strikers' children were sent to get them out of danger and keep them fed. The Wobblies' support of their Lawrence brethren was breathtaking - other struggling families sent what was for them a lot of money to Lawrence to pay for soup kitchens at least once a day. For some strikers, this w...more
This is a gritty but sweet story based on a historic labor struggle in New England. Alas, the topic remains timely--sweatshops & heartless corporate profiteering--but Paterson shows how the brave resistance of a union, reinforced by the practical solidarity of union members in other places, can bring real change.
I love Paterson's work, & I'm so glad a novel like this is available for children. This novel doesn't get my highest rating, though, because I found the characters less complex &...more
I love Paterson's work, & I'm so glad a novel like this is available for children. This novel doesn't get my highest rating, though, because I found the characters less complex &...more
Mar 23, 2010
Elaine
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
youth,
historical-fiction
Jake at 13, use to work in the mills but now there is a strike going on. His father who doesn't work, takes Jake's money to buy booze and beats Jake. Jake is fed up with the beatings and lives where he can. Most of the time, on the streets but also at the shoe girl's house and sometimes in one of the two local Catholic churches where he takes coins from the money box. He's tried more than once to go back to work but gets stopped by the strikers.
Rosa lives with her mother, sister, brother and bo...more
Rosa lives with her mother, sister, brother and bo...more
1 like · like · see review
I enjoyed this historical fiction for young readers, recommended by my daughter, who chose to write about it for a school assignment. Interestingly, she focused on the Italian-American and Roman Catholic background of one of the main characters, rather than on the book's recounting of the early 20th century Labor movement.
(N.B., I was frustrated by a tantalizing typo within the final paragraphs of this hardcover edition: a 3-line paragraph was included twice, and about the same number of lines o...more
(N.B., I was frustrated by a tantalizing typo within the final paragraphs of this hardcover edition: a 3-line paragraph was included twice, and about the same number of lines o...more
Bread and Roses, Too is about a girl named Rosa and a boy Jake, two different people who met once in an alley where Jake slept. They live in a place where many people are going on strike because of the little pay they recieve at the Mills.
Rosa is a good school girl without a father, who knows better, but is caught up in the strikes. Her mother and sister go along with the crowds of people striking. Jake, a boy who lives on the street, works at the mills, and gets beaten by his alcoholic father,...more
Rosa is a good school girl without a father, who knows better, but is caught up in the strikes. Her mother and sister go along with the crowds of people striking. Jake, a boy who lives on the street, works at the mills, and gets beaten by his alcoholic father,...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unions and Strikes in 1912 | 2 | 7 | Jul 26, 2011 11:59am |
From author's website:
People are always asking me questions I don't have answers for. One is, "When did you first know that you wanted to become a writer?" The fact is that I never wanted to be a writer, at least not when I was a child, or even a young woman. Today I want very much to be a writer. But when I was ten, I wanted to be either a movie star or a missionary. When I was twenty, I wanted t...more
More about Katherine Paterson...
People are always asking me questions I don't have answers for. One is, "When did you first know that you wanted to become a writer?" The fact is that I never wanted to be a writer, at least not when I was a child, or even a young woman. Today I want very much to be a writer. But when I was ten, I wanted to be either a movie star or a missionary. When I was twenty, I wanted t...more
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Mar 16, 2011 09:13am