Counting on Grace: A Novel

Written by Elizabeth Winthrop

Narrated by Lili Gamache

BONUS FEATURES: Exclusive author interview and a profile of Lewis Hine!

1910. Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must leave school and go to work as a “doffers” on their mothers’ looms in the mill. Grace’s mother is the best worker, fast and powerful, and Grace desperately wants to help her. But she’s left handed and doffing is a right-handed job. Grace’s every mistake costs her mother, and the family. She only feels capable on Sundays, when she and Arthur receive special lessons from their teacher. Together they write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in Pownal. A few weeks later a man with a camera shows up. It is the famous reformer Lewis Hine, undercover, collecting evidence for the Child Labor Board. Grace’s brief acquaintance with Hine and the photos he takes of her are a gift that changes her sense of herself, her future, and her family’s future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Mar 13, 2007
• ISBN: 9780739346976

Elizabeth Winthrop

ELIZABETH WINTHROP (www.elizabethwinthrop.com) is the author of over sixty works of fiction for all ages, including Island Justice and In My Mother's House, both available as ebooks. Her short story, The Golden Darters, was selected by Best American Short Stories by Robert Stone and was recently read on SELECTED SHORTS by the renowned actress, Ann Dowd. Under the name Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop, she is the author of the memoir piece, Don't Knock Unless You're Bleeding; Growing Up in Cold War Washington. She has recently finished a memoir entitled Daughter of Spies: Wartime Secrets, Family Lies about her parents' love affair in England during the war and the complications of their marriage in the politically charged atmosphere of 1950s Washington. Her award-winning titles for children include The Castle in the Attic, Counting on Grace, The Red-Hot Rattoons and Dumpy La Rue. The daughter of Stewart Alsop, the political journalist, she divides her time between New York City and the Berkshires. For more information, www.elizabethwinthrop.com

Reviews for Counting on Grace

[rascalstar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book, written for about 8-12-year-olds, is one adults can enjoy as well. It's historical fiction, based on facts and real people. The story and the cover photo of a real girl are both haunting. Grace, who can speak both French and English and can read, is sent to work in a mill in 1910 Vermont. Her mother and sister work there, as do many in her small town. She misses school and her friend Arthur, who also reads well. This is the story of child labor in factories, of Grace's family and others, and events that happen during this time. Grace is a spunky child with a sharp awareness of herself and others. Wonderful book for young readers and adults alike. Well researched.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grace and her French-Canadian family live in a mill town in Vermont.
Grace is looking forward to helping support the family by working as a
doffer with her mother in the fabric mill, but her teacher Miss Lesley
insists that all the kids get their education. She particularly
encourages Grace to study for the Normal School certification test and become a teacher. Instead, Grace joins her family at the mill but finds herself unsuited to the monotony and hard work. During one of her shifts, a photographer visitssss the mill on the ruse of photographing machinery for the "head office." It is actually Lewis Hines of the National Child Labor Committee. He promises Grace and her friend Arthur that he will work on getting them out of the mill. Miss Lesley, too, is active in exposing the abuse of child labor. Grace eventually does escape the mill with her parents' blessing: Miss Lesley has been fired for her anti-mill activity and Grace is teaching temporarily, with hopes for a better future.

[nancynova · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction based on the picture of a young girl in front of a bobbin machine in a New England factory. Grace doesn't want to quit school, but her mother needs her at the factory to be her "doffer" at her thread looms. So at age 12, she's proud to be doing her part to help support the family. But her best friend from school causes his own accident at a machine to get out of factory work...and gets his single Mom and him thrown out of the company housing. The author meticulously researched the life of these children, to bring this story to life.

[daisyacg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

5Q 3PThis is a very historical book and grapples with very hard issues. Without much humor or romance or other light-hearted qualities, some children may not feel comfortable reading about these issues. It is a difficult book to read at times, but offer hope and suggest future opportunities are now available for Grace. The language, the historical facts and setting, in addition to the depth of characters make this of very high quality.

[kthomp25 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grace Forcier's fictional story is based on actual photographs taken of mill children by Lewis Hine. Grace is 12 years old when she begins working at her mother's side, 13 hours a day, 6 day a week. She becomes good friends with Arthur, who is forced out of school and into the mill at age 12 so his mother and he can continue living in mill housing. Even though child labor laws existed, they were not being enforced in Vermont. Parents wanted their children to work and supplied false papers. Arthur wants to leave the mill so badly, he deliberately puts his hand into the machinery. Grace herself has a close call and decides she wants to teach. Pair this book with Lyddie by Katherine Patterson (1840s mill work in Massachusetts), and Growing up in Coal Country, a non-fiction by Bartoletti set in Pennsylvannia late 1880s and early 1900s.

[onedixie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a Vermont Reads book for 2007 a community read. The author is local within 25 miles and part of the group went to meet her. The mill is also within 25 miles this added to the interst of the book. Highly recommend!

[lianedewan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A novel based on a photograph taken a young girl working in a mill in the early 1900's. This a story of a 12 year old girl named Grace who is taken out of school and sent to work in the mill. The horrible conditions that she and her best firend Arthur are working in causes Grace to write a letter about all of the underage workers in their mill. Arthur wants to escape so badly that he takes matters into his own hands.This is a wonderful piece of literature for all ages. It is a real eye opener to the conditions of the mills at this time and the fact that children as young a 8 years old were working the machinery. Classroom Extensions:1) Have students write a report about children's labor laws in the U.S. 2) Do a webquest of an old mill as a class.

[litelady4ajh · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Great Book!! Historical fiction at its best, excellent book for tweens - might make them thankful that child labor is no more (at least in USA).

[yamatos_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Counting on Grace was a great book while showing a little girls view of child labor in ways you could never see it.During 1920, mainly twelve year old Grace Forcier is forced to work in a mill to be able to help her family.Grace and her best friend Arthur, with the help of their teacher, write a letter to the Child Labor Board.

[sandsing7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the best audiobook recordings I've heard. The music really served to support the plot, and the reading itself was wonderfully done. I don't know if I would have enjoyed the book as much without these flourishes.