Kids on Strike

Kids on Strike is a nonfiction account that documents the actions of child workers during the Industrial Revolution. Because many of her sources are drawn from newspaper photographs and articles from the time period, the book is formatted as a series of headlines and and almost-newspaper format. From children working in coal mines to New York paper hawkers (the well-known “Newsies”), Bartoletti illustrates how they organized, what they protested, and the outcome of their strikes. The clear, easy-to-read format and makes this appropriate for middle grade or even upper elementary students, and the photographs are particularly stunning and effective.