Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909

K-Gr 3—Ukrainian immigrant Clara Lemlich began working at a textile factory a mere two weeks after arriving in New York, working 11 hours a day, six days a week, for a pittance. Frustrated by the working conditions she and so many others—some as young as 12 years old—faced, Clara put herself in peril by leading picket lines and organizing strikes. In 1909, at the age of 23, she incited the famous Uprising of the Twenty Thousand, which ultimately led to concessions by factory owners and the creation of workers' unions across the United States. In this simple picture book biography, Markel makes the plight of brave Clara and many others like her accessible to a young audience. The recording itself is straightforward; the only adornment to Lesa Lockford's smooth, authoritative voicing is merry Klezmer music that fades out as the narration begins. There are no page turn signals or pauses long enough to allow small fingers to turn the page quickly enough to keep up with the narration. If following along with the book, nonreaders or beginning readers will struggle. The book's text and end notes about the garment industry are read aloud by Lockford. This is a compelling story simplified for a young audience but translated to audio with an older audience in mind.—Jennifer Verbrugge, Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville, MN