Counting on Grace

I recently finished the novel, Counting on Grace, by Elizabeth Winthrop. This book takes place in a Vermont mill town, in the early 1900's. During this time, child labor was very common, so in this book the 12 year old main character, Grace, and her friend, Arthur, are forced to leave school to work in the mill as doffers. Counting on Grace is a realistic book about the hardships during 1910 and how these young children have to work long hours for their families, instead of learning and attending school. Grace struggles, since her job is a left-handed job while she is right-handed, and every mistake costs her family. After she writes a letter to the Child Labor Board, a under-cover famous reformer takes pictures of the children at work for evidence for the Child Labor Board. Elizabeth Winthrop includes vivid descriptions of the mill and how Grace deals with the pressure that is planted upon her at a young age. keeps the reader interested. I recommend this book because it was very good and it keeps the reader interested.