Lyddie

Rating:
Summary: Lyddie is okay
Review: For me, Lyddie is one of those books I've read a thousand times. Lyddie's determination and hardworking attitude have inspired me to reach my own goals, and her courage has taught me how to face down my own bears in life. She goes through all these stages in the book with the single-minded drive to reunite her family, dealing with hardships and miseries, and she never loses sight of her goal. Interestingly, nobody seems to have commented on Diana, who I think is a pivotal character. Diana is the person I always wanted to be, with her unceasing patience and kindness, and yet she isn't perfect, which makes her all the more realistic. The characters are flesh and blood, the plot is well-researched and believable. Read this book, it rocks!

Rating:
Summary: Lyddie: A book with many important issues...
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A glimpse at life in the old days
Review: Lyddie, by Katherine Patterson, is a novel that every young girl should read. After reading this book, I believe, most students would be more grateful for what they do have. Lyddie is a young girl who must make it on her own, as a factory worker. She learns how to survive and even read through dedication and hard work. Lyddie is also a girl who feels she must help take care of her family. I wish more teenagers would read this book because it makes you admire a young person with such courage and stamina. I wonder how many of us could actually survive in Lyddie's world, after years of convenience!