Bread and Roses, Too - by Katherine Paterson (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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 corrupt mill owners. After all, didn't 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 Quotes

"A beautifully written novel that puts a human face on history...Paterson at her best--and that's saying a lot." Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"Stirring and dramatic." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review

"Paterson has skillfully...created vivid settings, clearly drawn characters, and a strong sense of...hardship and injustice." School Library Journal, Starred

"[Paterson] remains a smooth storyteller, and this is an informative exploration of a key moment in U.S. labor history." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books --