Reviews

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, Melissa Sweet

jillcd's review against another edition

4.0

Well done! Lots of background information about Clara Lemlich and why she fought back against poor working conditions. I think this would be a good read aloud for grades 3/4 and up to help them understand this era.

rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

5.0

A couple of years ago I found out about the Triangle Shirtwaist Co fire and the labor movement of the time. This book tells the story of Clara Lemlich, one of the leaders of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), one of the organizations responsible for many of the labor laws we benefit from today.

frankisib's review against another edition

5.0

Love this story--a great story and a great tie-in to American history/government.

pinkrain718's review against another edition

4.0

This picture book will provide a wonderful introduction of the labor movement to my middle school students. The accurate details and beautiful illustrations make this book a perfect fit to my curriculum.

ashlyn_f_stel's review against another edition

5.0

I had no idea Clara Lemlich even existed until I saw this on the Overdrive app. This was an inspiring story all young girls (and women) should read!

maidmarianlib's review against another edition

5.0

Love the combination of biography and history here, the depth and texture added to the illustrations with sewn stiches is wonderful.

kellyt_abc's review against another edition

4.0

I really liked the illustrations, particularly the textures of the backgrounds that incorporated different fabrics and stitches. A great story to celebrate women's history month; it's certainly a period in history that I was unfamiliar with so it's good to see it represented in children's non-fiction!

claudiaswisher's review against another edition

5.0

Brave and Mighty. Clara Lemich came to America with nothing and got a job at a shirt factory...she learned English, she witnessed inequity, and she used her voice to speak up. She inspired a strike that improved working conditions for all workers... but the horrendous fire in the Triangle Factory still happened.

The illustrations are superb. Lots of tiny stitches and fabric close-ups with enough detail to see the weaves in the fabric swatches.

LOVED this book, and so glad Clara is now part of the wider conversation about workers' rights.

erine's review against another edition

3.0

Possible topics to discuss: Immigration, Fair Labor Laws, Women's History Month

squeakadillo's review against another edition

4.0

Don't know whether I'll review this for the blog or not, since I don't think it's a serious Newbery contender, but it's obviously a very good book. One quibble, though: they never say how old Clara is, which is a strange omission.