Lyddie (Puffin Modern Classics) [Library Binding]

Katherine Paterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2008 | Series: Puffin Modern Classics

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Impoverished Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen is determined to gain her independence by becoming a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm, 10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself. Paterson ( The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks ) clearly depicts the effects of poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization period. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Rich in historical detail . . . a superb story of grit, determination, and personal growth. (The Horn Book, starred review)

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 183 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439516251
• ISBN-13: 978-1439516256
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Katherine Paterson has twice won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. She received the 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Medal as well as the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the body of her work. An active promoter of reading and literacy, she lives with her husband, John, in Barre, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Visit Katherine Paterson on her web site at www.terabithia.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyddie, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lyddie (Puffin Books) (Paperback)

I am a fifth grader in Massachusets and I read the book Lyddieby Katherine Paterson. I thought that it was a good book. This bookis about a girl naned Lyddie whose dad goes West to look for wealth. Her mom sends her and her brother off to be indentured. A little while later, Lyddie is dismissed because she went on a vacation. Then, she goes off to work at a mill in Lowell. Lyddie tries to make enough money to bring family back together but while she works at the mill a series of events change her life forever. I would recommend this book for anyone ten or older who is studing the Industrial Revloution.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lyddie: A book with many important issues..., June 27, 2003

By 

Renee McWilliams (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lyddie (Puffin Books) (Paperback)

When I first read Lyddie, I just thought it was a good story about a teenaged girl who was determined to have money to own the family farm and reunite her family. However, after some reflection, I realize that this book was more than that. It focuses upon working conditions, women's rights, sexual harrassment, illiteracy...important issues for today as well as the 1840 world of Lyddie. Lyddie is a young girl who is forced to grow up in order to support herself and one day have enough money for her family. She must go to the mill jobs in Lowell, Massachusetts to make the money. The working conditions are horrible, but Lyddie becomes the most productive worker there because she is driven to make money. She is, in today's terms, sexually harrassed by the overseer, but she still presses on. At one point, her need for money and security is so great that she won't even sign a petition for better working conditions, even though some of her friends are getting sick. Also, an issue in this book is an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, which caused a lot of humiliation for women in the world of 1840. One of Lyddie's acquaintances is pregnant, but luckily finds someone to take her in as a servant.
Another important issue in this book is the need to be able to read. When Lyddie first arrives in Lowell, she can't read. But she listens to her roommates read Oliver Twist, and she is fascinated by the story and wants to learn how to read. It is "strategy" on the part of Patterson that they are reading this particular novel. Oliver Twist is about an orphan who must work, which is similar to Lyddie's predicament. In fact, I have heard Lyddie been called an "Oliver Twist for girls."
I highly recommend this book for young adults. It would work well for social science classes that are studying the 1800s or the working conditions throughout history. It is interesting to read, but it also contains issues that are relevant to today's world...and to today's teenagers. Most importantly, I think this book stresses the importance of determination, perseverance, and the need to take a stand for what is right. I believe these are qualities all people need to read about!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyddie, April 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lyddie (Puffin Books) (Paperback)

I loved this book. It's about a 13 year old girl who is the true knot of the family, keeping everything tied together. But when a bear comes into their harsh cabin in the Vermont hills, Lyddie's mother thinks its a sign of the devil and takes the little children to her sister's farm. Lyddie and her brother try to keep the farm together, but then they are hired out by their unstable mother to pay the debts against their father before he left. When Lyddie is fired from her job her mother sent her too, she goes to Lowell to find work. She then sees her account start to grow and thinks she can keep the family together. If you'll read this book, you'll find the ending.