Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Grace is a twelve-year-old girl working full-time in a cotton mill in Vermont in the early 1900s. Her French Canadian family immigrated to the U.S. for its opportunities, but with abysmal wages and unethical employers and shopkeepers who prey on the poor, the family has no alternative but to send their children to work. Grace’s teacher is furious that “her” children have their futures so limited and reports the mill to the National Child Labor Committee, which results in Lewis Hine arriving to document the plight of the children. This is a compelling story and steeped in important history children should be aware of. The back matter is complete and very interesting reading. 2006, Random House, $15.95 and $17.99. Ages 10 to 14.

Greg M. Romaneck (Children's Literature)
It is 1910 and Grace is a twelve-year-old working in a textile mill in Vermont. Although Grace and her friend Arthur are both excellent students, the need for more family income calls them away from their studies to work in the mill. At the mill Grace must work as a "doffer" tending to the bobbins, threads, and machinery that her mother runs. In the midst of this dangerous work Grace and Arthur continue their studies on Sundays with Miss Lesley, a teacher who has high expectations for them. When Louis Hines comes to the mill to take pictures of the child workers as part of an investigation into labor law violations Grace is selected to have her image struck. In time Grace comes to realize that the narrow confines of the mill are not enough to satisfy either herself or her friend. In the end, difficult choices and hard experiences help to teach Grace that life is full of oppressions and opportunities, each of which marks and shapes a life. In Counting On Grace readers will encounter not only Grace but also a fictionalized account of the world that workers lived in during the pre-union industrialized period in American history. Told with a cunning eye for detail and authenticity, Elizabeth Winthrop's historical novel provides a striking glimpse into the material and psychological world of a young mill worker. Counting On Grace is a novel that combines a moving story, believable characters, and a hearty dose of social awareness. This is a fine book and one that will linger in the memories of its readers. 2006, Wendy Lamb Books, $15.95 and $17.99. Ages 10 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 2))
Twelve-year-old Grace is proud to be one of the best readers at school, but she's pulled out to be a doffer at the mill, her parents happy to have the extra money coming in. Then Miss Lesley, her teacher, conspires to contact the National Child Labor Committee about the hiring of underage children in the mills. Lewis Hine, the now-famous photographer for the NCLC, arrives to document conditions and ends up befriending Miss Lesley, Grace and her friend Arthur. Inspired by a Hine photograph of a young Vermont mill girl, Winthrop has woven a fine story to complement Hine's visual document. She vividly portrays mill life and four characters who resist its deadening effects. Readers familiar with Katherine Paterson's Lyddie (1991) will see a kindred spirit in Grace Forcier. Solid research and lively writing make this a fine historical novel, a perfect companion to Russell Freedman's Kids at Work (1994). (about Lewis Hine, the story behind the photograph, bibliography) 2006, Wendy Lamb/Random, 144p, $15.95. Category: Historical fiction. Ages 8 to 12. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Bush, Reviewer (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2006 (Vol. 59, No. 7))
Twelve-year-old Grace Forcier has always known she will join her family at their work in a Vermont cotton mill, and although her teacher, Miss Lesley, struggles to keep her and gifted classmate Arthur in school, Grace is just as happy to be bringing in an income. Arthur, however, resists millwork, even though he realizes he must help his widowed mother at the looms and that their company housing depends on every able-bodied person in the household taking employment at the mill. He and Miss Lesley draw Grace into their scheme to report underage laborers to the National Child Labor Committee, and in response to their letter, Lewis Hine is sent to document abuses via photos and testimony. Results don’t come fast enough for Arthur, though, and he purposely mangles his fingers in a loom to escape working and return to the classroom. Even that’s not enough; after he heals, the company expects him to push a broom. Winthrop refuses to downplay the consequences of resisting company policy in an early twentieth-century industrial town--Miss Lesley is fired and Arthur and his mother forced to move on. There’s a shred of hope for Grace, though: she takes a temporary position as substitute teacher with the blessing of her parents, who now realize education is the best longterm strategy for their daughter. Closing notes discuss the Hine photograph of millworker Addie Cird that served as inspiration for this story. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Lamb, 144p, $18.99 and $16.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006)
Inspired by a photograph of a young girl working in a textile mill taken by child labor reformer Lewis Hine, Winthrop's story relates the struggles of immigrant workers as they attempt to make a living in the mill towns of New England. Winthrop manufactures a moving tale with authentic characters and an engaging narrative. Historical notes are included. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2006, Random/Lamb, 233pp, 15.99, 17.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Tanya Tullos (The Lorgnette-Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 19, No. 3))
Although twelve-year-old Grace and her friends are allowed to go to a small schoolroom, they know that when the mill needs workers, they will be called away from their studies. Grace and Arthur have dreams about better lives. Grace wants to be a teacher. Her courage, energy, and spunk make her a partner with a photographer who spotlights the small children against the huge machinery. While their families depend on the pennies they earn, the children are often in danger, especially left-handed Grace. Arthur is hurt and leaves town, but Grace gets out of the mill with the help of her very first student. This story is beautifully written. The horrors of the children working in the mills are real. The desperate lives of the adults and the sorrow over recent deaths are poignant. The interweaving of the real Lewis Hine and the real Grace Forcier with the historical fiction is masterfully done. Grace is the real heroine and exemplifies the virtues of friendship, loyalty, and self-determination. For more of Lewis Hine’s work, check out endpapers on Hopkinson’s Sky Boys about the building of the Empire State Building. The September 2006 Smithsonian magazine has an article about the real Grace and what actually happened to her. This title makes a good companion to Lyddie, also about young people who worked in the mills in New England. It is a great tool for further research for those students studying the 1910s and child labor laws. For students who only know Elizabeth Winthrop through her fictional, The Castle in the Attic, this story will provide a whole new side of the talented author. Fiction. Grades 5 and up. 2006, Wendy Lamb Books, 232p., $15.95. Ages 10 to 15.

Christina Fairman (VOYA, April 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 1))
Twelve-year-old Grace Forcier narrates this novel about life at a rural Vermont cotton mill in 1910. Bright and independent, Grace is proud of her ability to read and write in English, a rare talent within her poor French-Canadian community. Money overcomes education, however, when Grace is told that she must leave school to begin work at the mill with the other children, some as young as ten. Suspense builds when famed photographer Lewis Hine arrives to take surreptitious photos of the mill for the National Child Labor Committee. This intriguing twist, which is based on true events, offers hope that justice might prevail. The strength of this book lies with its endearing portrait of Grace, who learns by the end of the story that she has a chance to break free from the desperation that has trapped her family in a cycle of illiteracy and poverty. Readers will appreciate the fine attention to historical detail and Winthrop's first-rate prose. An additional feature is a postscript in which Winthrop describes how she found information on a girl who actually worked at the cotton mill portrayed in her novel. The book's only weakness is a lack of resolution for the visit by Lewis Hine. Did the labor committee prosecute the mill owners? Will Grace be forced to return to the mill? A sequel may be necessary to tie up loose ends. Nevertheless this novel is a worthwhile purchase for libraries and schools. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 144p., $16.95 and PLB $18.99. Ages 11 to 15.