Personal Reflection
The story of Grace, a fictional twelve year old working in a textile mill in Vermont, is one that needs to be heard. This story is based on real events in history and inspired by the poignant photographic work of Lewis Hine. The book not only addresses the realities of an upsetting aspect of our nation's history, it covers topics from death to motherhood to desperation.
The first emotional event in the story was when Grace's Pepe dies. He is hit by a train that he was trying to board in desperation and a soundless mind. Pepe wants nothing more than to go back to Canada and remove his family from that mill town. This was interpreted as a tragic accident by my peers, and that could very well be how it is intended - but it read like a suicide to me. Pepe's last moments with Grace were glaringly sentient. It seemed to me that when he says "Tell your mother it was time for me to go, tell her goodbye" there is much more significance in that message than Grace realizes. How many times to we miss the weight that seemingly simple statements hold?
As I reflect on the book, there is one more event that I can not shake from my mind. Arthur's self-induced injury. Arthur - a twelve year old boy - is so lost and despairing in his life at the mill that he takes his fate into his own hands. He intentionally gets himself caught in the gears of the spinning machines and loses two of the fingers on his strong hand. Arthur's determination to remove himself from his misery was apparent throughout the story, and I as a reader, was constantly tense. I spent much time worrying about what his plan might be and if he would have patience enough and trust Mr. Hine enough to wait. He did not. The reality is, this was reality. A boy not yet big enough to reach the top cabinet made the decision to put himself through excruciating pain in an effort to be free of mill work. And whats worse - his efforts would most likely be in vain, "There is always some sort of work to be done in a mill."
You cannot read this book without reading the afterword, the story of Addie. Elizabeth Winthrop details her journey to discover the true story behind the young girl in Lewis Hine's photo (the one that was used as the cover art). This three page section left the greatest impact on me, perhaps because it is a recount of true events, perhaps because I read it on the coattails of Grace's story - for whatever reason, I know the haunting story of the little girl in the textile mills will stay with me forever.
Professional Reflection
This is a book that I would recommend for fifth graders with a more comprehensive vocabulary and practiced decoding skills. There are some times where french phrases are used and the language, while manageable, contains some domain-specific vocabulary. I would most definitely be appropriate for sixth and seventh graders. As a historical fiction novel, Counting on Grace provides an ideal springboard for a history, social studies, or English lesson. Students could write letters to Mr. Hine as Grace does, research child labor and primary testimonies from people who experienced it, or discuss why child labor was allowed to go on for as long as it did. Students could engage in an art project where they pick a topic that they feel needs exposing, and unmask it in some way. The variety of ways in which this book could be used as an education tool, recommend it as a staple in any classroom library.
