Bread and Roses, Too by katherine paterson

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

"Bread and Roses,Too" by Katherine Paterson was an overall well written novel. Taking place around the early 1900's, the story followed the two main characters, Jake Beale and Rosa Serutti, through the hardships of their lives during the strikes. Rosa and Jake had met by coincedence (when Rosa asked Jake for help with finding her shoe when she saw him sleeping in a garbage pile), but were thrusted together after all the childeren of Lawrence, Massachusettes were being sent away from the dangers of the striking. Jake saw it as an opportunity to run away from his past and make a fresh start. All Rosa wanted to was to stay with her family, to try to to convince her Mama and sister, Anna not to strike. After being reluctantly sent to the Gerbatti's in Vermont, Rosa was forced to protect her new pretend italian brother,Salvatore(Jake) and live her new temporary life in Vermont, while trying to juggle lying for Jake, school, and worrying about the family she left behind. I enjoyed reading "Bread and Roses, Too" and seeing the characters develop and have a happy ending, but i wish the story had less historical information in the beginning that seemed to never end, and that it had some elements of surprise in it. The ending was very predictable but aren't all happy endings? So i rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars, because of the good plot and development of the characters.

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catlover505

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Although this book takes place during the Industrial Revolution, parts of it are applicable to what is happening in our country today: what does it mean to be American? Who should have what rights?

Alternating points of view, this novel gives the reader a good look at what life was like for those working in factories and their children.

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yaboiyellow

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

A well written novel full of suspense, adventure, and detail. The novel tells the story of a young girl living the ups and downs everyday life offers to those not living in good conditions around the world.

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ichikiba

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

A while back, I had clipped out this title from a review somewhere. I like labor history, so this sounded like a book I’d enjoy. I did, to a degree, but it wasn’t a book that touched very deeply.

Setting: mill workers strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, early 20t century. Main character is an Italian girl, Rosa, whose mother and sister work in the mill. Rosa’s family is desperately poor; they have boarders living with them, and Rosa is the only child they can afford to have in school. Rosa along with other union children is eventually sent away, she to Barry, Vermont, to live with another family in safety. Jack, an orphaned friend of hers, sneaks along, pretending to be her brother. They wind up with a generous Italian family whose father is a stonecutter; Jack winds up being adopted, and Rosa is reunited with her family when the strike ends in a great workers victory.

I’m pretty sure this book must be classified as a Young Adult novel. Plot developments are very clearly telegraphed, the child protagonists, one boy and one girl so all the kids in class have a character to relate to, are fully sympathetic, the ending is fairy-tale pure. A perfect book to read in history class while studying labor history. And it’s not all that long.

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zckfox

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

This was a really good book that took place during the industrial revolution in America. It deals well with child labor and the struggles that families that emigrated to America went through. It would be good to show the stark contrast between what we have now and what they had then. Very moving book and good writing.

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EXYA

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked it especially because it could become very relatable in some parts of the book and when you can relate on a personal level you can enjoy the book so much more. All the while, you are learning about an actual time period in history and learning about the facts during that historical moment and you don't even know because you are so into the book.

Purpose/Use in the classroom:
- I would definitely say that this book should be a read aloud because it could be a social studies lesson on the strike that was going on. When I was in 6th grade my social studies teacher read a chapter to us a day and it was over strikes in the early 1900's. It was a very good book and she always left us on cliff hangers so that we would start to ask questions and start thinking deeper rather than superficial. Doing this helped us think more critically.

Other:
Like I mentioned before this book would be a very good way to start getting the older kids into asking questions while they're reading and thinking more critically during their reading.

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Xknightking

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

صفحه 111:
اما اگر مرده بود, دیگر چه اهمیتی داشت که کجا کار می کرده...

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Elle29

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Bread and Roses, Too had some ups and down...well mostly downs I thought. I personally thought this book was lame and was not interested at one point in this story and I believe it was a huge waste of time. I had lost my book for some time during our readings but still was able to stay up to tempo because it was so predictable. Also the characters were un relatable I thought and were boring. These kind of books really don't interest me and I hope we will read something in the future that doesn't make me want to hurl. through some points of the book it was "okay". I much more enjoyed the time in Vermont more than in Lawrence but I feel being in Rosa's head was like talking to a 7 year old. She I thought was a worry freak and all she wanted to please everyone which honestly annoyed me. I would recommend it to a 5th or 6th grade girl because I believe its more of their kind of book and not an action loving 8th grader. I also thought that Jake would be happy to stay with the Gerbatties. Like really Jake? they just let you into their home, gave you food, and gave you clothes but you still wish to loot them of their safe and run away? I would describe this book as great for a little girl but just awful for a teenage guy who honestly really doesn't care what little Rosa has to say. I believe Jake has a cold mind for wanting to steal from the Gerbatties. Also with Rosa, why would you want to leave if you are getting great care but at home no one is there except your grandma and a freezing little 1 room house in a dangerous city. Overall I didn't like this book and really hope we do read something ALOT more interesting then Bread and Roses, Too.

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Bread and Roses, Too

katherine paterson

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