Lyddie - Softcover

Paterson, Katherine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140349812 ISBN 13: 9780140349818

Publisher: Puffin, 1993

Synopsis

A powerful work of historical ficiton from multi-award-winning author Katherine Paterson

When Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family's farm debts, Lyddie is determined to find a way to reunite her family once again. Hearing about all the money a girl can make working at the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, she makes her way there, only to find that her dreams of returning home may never come true.

Includes an all-new discussion guide!

About this title

About the Author:

Katherine Patersonis the renowned author of many classic childrens books, including Bridge to Terabithia; The Great Gilly Hopkins; Lyddie; Jacob Have I Loved; Come Sing, Jimmy Jo; and The Master Puppeteer, among many others. Her work has won two Newbery Medals and a Newbery Honor, two National Book Awards, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She also served a term as the National Ambassador for Childrens Literature. Katherine lives in Vermont.

From Publishers Weekly:

In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm, 10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself. Paterson ( The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks ) clearly depicts the effects of poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization period. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0140349812
• ISBN 13: 9780140349818
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 182