Rosie in New York City: Gotcha! (Paperback)

by Carol Matas (Author) "ROSIE!" "What?" "Here comes a swell!..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Orchard Street, Cooper Union

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-In this first book in a trilogy, Rosie's father invests in the nickelodeon business and her mother becomes ill, so the 11-year-old fills in at a shirtwaist factory in order to support the family. She quickly-perhaps too quickly-makes the transition from carefree schoolgirl to oppressed factory worker, and participates in the 1909-1910 strike. In the end, Papa moves the family to Chicago, and Rosie, while sad to leave her friends, looks forward to new adventures. The story is told from the child's perspective, and Matas provides good background on the working conditions and hardships faced by the strikers, including the girl's arrest and appearance in court. Weaknesses in the novel include a clairvoyant neighbor who does not help to move the story along and asides about religion; some Yiddish words are not defined. Still, readers will enjoy this appealing, spirited protagonist, and will be watching for the second installment to see how she adjusts to her new life.
Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Matas opens a projected trilogy that sends a young immigrant and her family on a journey from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, exploring what life was like in those places during the early twentieth century. In this episode, Rosie secretly leaves her Lower East Side world of school and games to take her ill mother's place at the shirtwaist factory. After a brief, but horrifying, taste of the working conditions there, she joins strikers--only to be assaulted, arrested, and thrown into jail. Her parents discover that she has dropped out of school, which sparks a discussion about making choices; the strike succeeds; Mama's enforced rest allows her to recover; and Papa's new movie houses pay off so well that the family is able to open a chain of nickelodeons in Chicago. The plot struggles beneath its informational agenda and lacks the documentation of Kathryn Lasky's similarly set Dreams in the Golden Country (1998), but the story will leave readers outraged by the exploitation of women and children in the workplace and looking ahead to Rosie's further experiences. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689857144
• ISBN-13: 978-0689857140
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,802,185 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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