Growing Up in Coal Country
An account of work and childhood chronicles the horrific circumstances in which children labored and lived in the coal mining towns of northeastern Pennsylvania during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Stimulated by hearing the personal stories of her husband's grandparents, the author began to record many oral histories. She read old mining records, visited museums and studied old photographs. She reports how women and children worked at home, how children's schooling and health suffered, and how the cycle was repeated from generation to generation. Bartoletti's masterfully developed narrative allows her human subjects to speak for themselves. The varied array of memorable black-and-white photos documents their experience. ©1996 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 10 and older
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
19th Century
20th Century
Child Labor
History (Nonfiction)
U.S. History
Work and Labor
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin
Publish Year: 1996
Pages: 127
ISBN: 0395778476
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 331 Bartoletti