Zellie Blake: Massachusetts, 1834 (American Diaries) - Softcover

Duey, Kathleen

3.5

34 ratings by Goodreads

9780689844058: Zellie Blake: Massachusetts, 1834 (American Diaries)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0689844050 ISBN 13: 9780689844058

Publisher: Aladdin, 2002

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

While working long hours at the mill, orphan Zellie Blake, who is desperately trying to care for her little brother, unexpectedly finds hope in an unlikely friendship that brings about the start of a new life--one filled with love and family. Original.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Kathleen Duey's works include the middle grade series American Diaries and Survival, and the well-reviewed chapter book series The Unicorn's Secret, with a companion series, The Faeries' Promise, launching in Summer 2010 on the Aladdin list. She lives in Fallbrook, California.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6-Zellie, orphaned and homeless, goes to Lowell to seek work. Unable to get a job in one of the mills because she is African American, she finds work as a domestic at one of the boarding houses for the mill girls. The book opens and closes with short entries from her diary, and in between chronicles her crisis of conscience. Mrs. Gird has asked Zellie to spy on the boarders, as they are preparing to walk off the job in an attempt to stop a threatened reduction in their wages. Zellie's sympathies are with the girls, but she desperately needs her job, and has no references that would help her find work elsewhere. Remembering the things she has learned from her grandmother, she finds her own way through the conflicting sides to a safe haven and a real home. Descriptions of daily life and chores and of the newly industrialized city of Lowell provide a sense of time and place without overwhelming readers. The plot moves along briskly, and the coincidences that occasionally drive it are believable. Zellie is a 12-year-old with spirit and intelligence, and though there is little development of other characters, the people she interacts with are more than stereotypes. Entertaining historical fiction.
Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library, MA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.