Book Title: Factory Girl
Author Name: Barbara Greenwood
Reviewed by TFK Kid Reporter: Natalie Rosseau
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of pages: 136
What's the basic storyline?
This book is set in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It tells the story of 12-year-old Emily Watson, who is forced to work when her father goes out West to find gold. Emily faces the dangers and harsh conditions of factory jobs. This book is both exciting and heart-wrenching.
What will you learn from reading this book?
You will learn about the horrors of child labor. The author mixes history with fiction and her descriptions gave me vivid pictures of children living in the 19th century.
Would you recommend this book to kids? Why or why not?
I would recommend this book to kids because readers can learn so much about the lives of child laborers. What surprised me most is that child labor continues today in some developing countries, such as India, Pakistan and Indonesia. This book motivated me to help these children and change the world.
What's not-so-great about the book?
The thing that is disappointing about this book is that the author did not add the names of organizations that help save children from child labor. Barbara Greenwood leaves it to the reader to further inform themselves. Save The Children, Fair Trade USA, and RugMark are three organizations committed to ending child labor.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate this book? Explain.
This book is a 9.5 because it alerts readers to the problem of child labor. I hope that kids around the world will work to end this awful practice.
