Winthrop, Elizabeth. Counting on Grace. New York City: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006. 215 pages. (Historic Fiction)Grace is a doffer, working a right-handed job… but she’s is left-handed. The slowest doffer in her family, she costs her family money they need to pay off bills. The one day in the week Grace has to look forward to is Sunday. After Mass she and her friend Arthur walk to the schoolhouse to take private lessons with their teacher, Miss Lesley. Arthur grows restless with his time spent in the factory, so he hatches a plan to escape to Massachusetts, where they won’t let underage workers in their mills. Grace knows she can’t join him, and she can’t imagine helping to close down the mill, either. The mill is the only work they know, the only work they’re good at. Without the mill, or even just without Grace in the mill, her family wouldn’t be able to pay the bills, or to stay in their house. But when Lewis Hine, a photographer and children’s rights worker, comes along with a camera, Grace will have to choose which path to take: a life in the mill or to work to change her life.
I usually don’t like historical fiction books, but this book was great. I had previously started it a couple of years ago and hadn’t finished it. But this year we were discussing Immigration, factory work, and child labor in SS and I remembered this book. The fascinating thing about this book is that it was based on a picture of a ten year old girl named Addie Laird from a mill in Vermont. The picture was taken by Lewis Hine, and was the inspiration for this book. Although the facts in this book are historically accurate, it is still an adventure that I encourage you to explore. The plot is heartbreaking at times and cheerful at others… and it has a very satisfying ending.
Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96
