Bibliographic Information:
Paterson, K. (1991). Lyddie. New York: Lodestar Books.
Readability Level: 5.0
Audience Level: Grades 5-8
Suggested Delivery: independent or group read
Summary: "In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm, 10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself. Paterson ( The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks ) clearly depicts the effects of poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization period." -Amazon.com
Paterson, K. (1991). Lyddie. New York: Lodestar Books.
Readability Level: 5.0
Audience Level: Grades 5-8
Suggested Delivery: independent or group read
Summary: "In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm, 10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself. Paterson ( The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks ) clearly depicts the effects of poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization period." -Amazon.com
Curriculum Connections:
Taken from Holt, Rinehart, Winston and Macmillian McGraw-Hill
Taken from Holt, Rinehart, Winston and Macmillian McGraw-Hill
- Encourage your students to explore the experiences of American girls and women by reading both fiction and nonfiction books. Ask your students to read Lyddie and at least one other historical account. Have them compare and contrast the settings, the main protagonists and their experiences. Then, ask your students to role-play dramatic situations/historical moments from the books, i.e. Lyddie's refusal to sign the petition, or Lyddie's dismissal from the factory. Discuss with your students the choices they made while role-playing. How might they have handled the situation, and why? How are things different today for women?
- Investigating the Historical Background - One of the first things young readers might want to talk about in regard to this novel is “Did things like this really happen?” That question could lead to an investigation of several features of the novel’s historical setting: •Working conditions in New England textile mills•Educational opportunities available to women inthe 1840s•Employment opportunities for women in the 1840s•The impact of women’s activism on the abolitionof slavery
- Extending the Novel - Proficient readers might want to compare Lyddie tothe novel that has such a profound effect on Lyddie:Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist.•How are the main characters similar?•To what extent are they different?•What about the settings? How does VictorianEngland compare to industrial New England?•In what ways did events in Oliver Twist influence Lyddie?