From Publishers Weekly
----------------------
Caldecott Medalist McCully (Mirette on the High
Wire) spins an engrossing, fact-based tale with feminism and fair
labor practices at its heart. Ten-year-old Rebecca supplements
her family's meager income by toiling as a "bobbin girl" in 1830s
New England. She is one of the thousands of girls and women who
endure 131/2-hour days in the stuffy textile mills of Lowell,
Mass., the City of Spindles. Rebecca sees first-hand the courage
of her co-workers, who all share a dream of building a better
life with the money they earn. She also observes the illnesses,
injuries and anxiety caused by the harsh conditions and callous
mill owners. When a decrease in wages is announced, the mill
girls rally to stage a "turn out" (strike) and protest their
predicament. McCully deftly weaves feminist themes into her
spirited text, and her meaty author's note places her story in
context. Her characters speak of self-reliance and education;
they read and attend lectures whenever possible. The courage and
ambition these role models inspire in Rebecca are palpable.
Rough-edged watercolors, frequently awash in gray light, convey
the often oppressive mood of an industrial town of the time. The
shawled and bonneted women and an abundance of other period
details add further historical depth. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
From School Library Journal
---------------------------
Grade 2-4?This tale of child labor, early efforts to
organize against unfair employers, and human courage is based on
the true story of Harriet Hanson Robinson, whose mother ran a
mill boardinghouse in 19th-century Lowell, MA. It tells of
Rebecca Putney, a 10-year-old bobbin girl who follows the lead of
an older firebrand and walks out of the textile mill in protest
of a pay cut. The house provides the context to move the plot
because it's there that the women talk about their goals and
conditions. McCully's straightforward narrative is told in the
third person with substantial dialogue. The artwork, realistic
watercolors, supports the narrative but does little to move the
story forward. Though crowd scenes offer rtunities for drama,
the composition is somewhat static. Not all of the human figures
are well-rendered. Some spreads are compelling, as in the
after-dinner hours when the women sit around the fire, one
wearily soaking her feet. Another striking scene shows one
woman's collapse in the hazy spinning room. Despite Rebecca's
central position in the narrative, she is primarily an observer
and reporter and never really comes to life. Though this entry
offers a valuable slice of history and will be useful for
curriculum support, it lacks vitality of its own.?Carolyn Noah,
Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
From Booklist ( /gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801 )
----------------------------------------------------
Gr. 3^-5, younger for reading aloud. When her
mother's income from the boardinghouse no longer covers their
expenses, 10-year-old Rebecca helps out by working as a bobbin
girl at the local textile mill. The young women who board with
Mrs. Putney endure the mill's bad air, loud machinery, high
injury rate, and low wages in the hope of improving their lot,
but when the mill owners threaten to lower their wages, the mill
workers stage a "turnout," refusing to work. Although the protest
fails, young Rebecca is proud of doing the right thing and vows
to carry on the struggle. A Lowell, Massachusetts, textile mill
in the 1830s may be an unlikely setting for a picture book, even
one for older readers, but McCully weaves historical facts and
fictional characters into an intriguing story. The author's note
details the background, incidents, and people who inspired the
book. Beautifully composed watercolor paintings give a vivid
impression of America in the 1830s and bring the period to life.
A useful book for history units. Carolyn Phelan
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
From Kirkus Reviews
-------------------
Rebecca Putney, ``Bobbin Girl,'' gazes out from the
cover of this exceptional work and draws readers into the
fascinating lives of the young women who were part of the unique
social and industrial milieu of the mills in 19th-century Lowell,
Massachusetts. Rebecca, ten, works at the mill to help her
mother's finances. The excitement of employment--of young,
independent women living, working, and learning together--is
effectively contrasted with the need, ultimately, to strike.
Judith, an older girl whom Rebecca admires, inspires the work
stoppage; Rebecca decides for herself whether she, too, will
struggle for better working conditions. Exquisite watercolors are
perfectly integrated into the text, extending it and amplifying
it. Many marvelous spreads--workers filing into the imposing
factory, girls gathered in a boardinghouse parlor, an outdoor
rally, and, especially, a tumble of girls rushing down stairs and
out of the factory into the light--beckon readers into another
era. A careful author's note offers background; this is a perfect
classroom companion to Katherine Paterson's Lyddie (1991). Some
will say McCully (The Pirate Queen, 1995, etc.) has surpassed
herself. (Picture book. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus
Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
About the Author
----------------
Emily Arnold McCully was born in Galesburg,
Illinois, and grew up "a daredevil child," always climbing trees
or buildings. She made it to college intact, however, and
received her B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. in art
history from Columbia University.
Emily McCully's artwork has been included in the International
Biennale at Bratislava, and she has won a Christopher Award for
Picnic, one of the many picture books that she has both written
and illustrated.
Writing also for adults, Ms. McCully has received grants from the
National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the
Arts. Her book, A Craving was nominated for an American Book
Award.
The idea for Mirette on the High Wire began as a biography of
real-life daredevil Blondin. But the author changed her mind to
accomodate the tree-climbing child and risk-taking adult she was
and is.
copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All
rights reserved.
Emily Arnold McCully was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and grew up
"a daredevil child," always climbing trees or buildings. She made
it to college intact, however, and received her B.A. from Brown
University and an M.A. in art history from Columbia University.
Emily McCully's artwork has been included in the International
Biennale at Bratislava, and she has won a Christopher Award for
Picnic, one of the many picture books that she has both written
and illustrated.
Writing also for adults, Ms. McCully has received grants from the
National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the
Arts. Her book, A Craving was nominated for an American Book
Award.
The idea for Mirette on the High Wire began as a biography of
real-life daredevil Blondin. But the author changed her mind to
accomodate the tree-climbing child and risk-taking adult she was
and is.
copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All
rights reserved.
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )