Haddix's Uprising

I always love stories of turn-of-the-(last)century immigrants, and this coverage of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory strike and fire was ably done. We follow the lives of three girls: Bella, whose family sends her to America to earn money; Yetta, who with her sister has come from Russian to escape the persecution and poverty; and Jane, whose wealthy father does not want her to become involved in Suffrage or the rights of workers.

This book was rich in details of every day life at the time, and did have some twists. It is interesting that Jane leaves home, is taken in by Bella and Yetta, and becomes a governess to the factory boss's children, but it seems unlikely. The rest of the story goes along nicely, although the beginning and ending, which center around one of Jane's charges 15 years or so after the fire, are more confusing than they needed to be.

It surprises me that people still don't know about this historical era, so it is good to have another book about it. Mary Jane Auch also has Ashes of Roses, which I liked.

Read D'Lacey's Icefire, which is not about squirrels. The dragons come into play much more, but there are polar bears. Also, we are given a setting in Massachusetts, which I still don't believe, and which distracted me. I will wait a while to read the third book, and maybe by then I will be over my confusion, and then I might like the book better.