Lynn Rutan (Booklist, Sep. 15, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 2))
Many children may have heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911, which killed 146 workers and ultimately spurred workplace safety reforms. But they may not know about the strike that occurred 13 months before. Haddix brings both events to life through the alternating voices of three young girls. Bella, 15, is newly emigrated from Italy; fiery Yetta, who fled Russian pogroms, is fiercely devoted to the union effort; Jane is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The girls meet on picket lines where fashionable women have gathered to support the garment workers’ cause. The characters are stock, and the historical information at first feels forced. These problems ease, however, as the story progresses: the various voices become more distinct, and the depiction of the factory and living conditions becomes appallingly vivid. A framing device, though somewhat heavy-handed, adds suspense and will keep readers turning the pages to discover which of the girls survives. An excellent author’s note provides additional historical information. Grades 5-8

Julia Beiker (Children's Literature)
Uprising is an historical fiction novel that depicts the life of three young ladies and how the real life event of the 1909-10 shirtwaist strike affected them. Only one of the three girls will survive and live on as an example of how industry lives off the greed of a few and the sweat of many. Our sweet Bella lands in America with ideas of living a better life then she had in Italy where her family still resides. She must give and give to her selfish landlords, especially when her cousin disappears and leaves her alone in this strange and vicious country. Next we meet Letta, a Jewish girl who comes from Russia. She lives with her worldlier sister, Rahel. These two girls help to set the shirtwaist strike into motion, while our last character Jane knows nothing but privilege--until her world collides with Bella and Letta. These three characters change as this plot driven novel explodes into the harsh realities of being a single, unprotected female in a male dominant society, where life is never fair and being jobless happens daily. Why would three young girls think that they can change their day to day living--much less our history? They do believe that. I applaud Margaret Peterson Haddix for taking a significant piece of history and giving us an original and heartfelt book that kept me reading through the night. I had to know which girl survived the fire. The twists and turns did not stop until the last page. I also found the “Author’s Note” fascinating. 2007, Simon and Schuster Books, $16.99. Ages 14 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 17))
Three young women from different backgrounds experience the New York City Triangle Shirtwaist strike and fire of 1911. The story is told in flashbacks, which recount the treatment of hands in sweatshops culminating in the deaths of so many. Two of the workers are Bella, a young immigrant from the poverty of Southern Italy whose family was starving, and Jewish Yetta, from Russia after a pogrom. The rich young protected Jane becomes involved with the other two when a friend mentions that college girls (Jane is not in college because her father does not believe in educating women) will be walking the strike line with the workers. Here she becomes acquainted with the sewing machine girls. Thus, the reader has three viewpoints of the times, conditions and events as they coalesce in a story told by an omniscient narrator. Because of its length, the book requires a reader who can stick with it. Author's note and list of works consulted give a fair summary of the Triangle fire and the condition of laborers, immigrants and life in the tenements. 2007, Simon & Schuster, 352p, $16.99. Category: Historical fiction. Ages 12 up. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Melissa Lemke (Kutztown Book Review, Fall 2008)
Bella, Yetta, and Jane are very different girls who make unlikely friends, but share a tragedy. Bella comes to New York from Italy to send money back to her starving family. Yetta, a Jewish immigrant lives with her sister and is very involved in creating a union for better working conditions. Jane is from a well-off family, but ran away when she realized that her factory-owning father has done some bad things in the past in the name of profit. These three girls meet through a shirtwaist factory and eventually room together. When the factory they work in catches fire only one makes it out alive. The characters come alive as the variation in points of view of the story made each character more real in her portrayal. The story is very realistic about the working conditions in the early 1900’s and the safety conditions that weren’t considered. While each girl is very different in background, they all ban together to try to improve their place in life and the bravery they show is inspiring. I recommend this novel for anyone interested in factory life or immigration during the early 1900’s or someone looking for a good and sad mystery. Category: Historical Fiction. 2007, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $16.99. Ages 11 to 16.

Catherine M. Andronik (Library Media Connection, January 2008)
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was one of the greatest workplace disasters in history, especially poignant because it caused the deaths of so many young women. What many are not aware of, however, is that the fire took place close on the heels of a strike in which many of these young women took part and in the midst of the suffragist movement. This book follows the stories of three girls: the rebellious Yetta, a recent Jewish emigrant from Russian Poland; Bella, who came to America in the vain hope of earning enough money to save the lives of her starving family in Italy; and privileged Jane, whose wealth cannot buy freedom. The reader knows from the beginning that only one of the girls survives the fire; this knowledge makes the hopes and dreams for the future the young women express throughout their intertwined stories even more moving. The framing device-one of the Triangle owner's daughters interviewing the survivor years later-makes sense structurally, but seems awkward within the narrative. An afterword gives additional information about the fire and directs readers interested in further research. Haddix is a masterful storyteller and succeeds in putting a human face on a historical tragedy. Recommended. 2007, Simon & Schuster, 352pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 11 up.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, December 2007 (Vol. 61, No. 4).)
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory strike of 1911 and the subsequent fire are recreated here through the fictional experiences of three young women of very different backgrounds—Russian Jewish immigrant Yetta, a peppery idealist out to change the world; Italian immigrant Bella, cheated by her landlord but convinced that America is the place of dreams; and Jane, restless daughter of an iron-fisted businessman. A framing story, in which a Triangle fire survivor is interviewed by the daughter of a company owner years after the tragedy, alerts readers immediately that two of the three protagonists are doomed, and that foreknowledge effectively draws readers into deeper empathy with the trio as their situations converge and they form their unlikely friendship. The protagonists’ varying perspectives allow readers not just to witness but also to evaluate the wide range of agendas that temporarily made competing immigrant groups, suffragists, labor activists, and the privileged “mink brigade” such strange bedfellows. The lengthy author note and partial list of sources attest to the fact that Haddix takes her historical research seriously. Disaster-story devotees will, of course, be drawn to the fire like moths to—well, you know, but they may also carry away an appreciation of women’s role in the early days of organized labor Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Simon, 346p., $16.99. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2008)
Haddix depicts the early-twentieth-century labor struggle through the eyes of three girls from very different backgrounds whose lives intersect at New York's infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The story culminates in the tragic factory fire that claimed the lives of hundreds of workers. The action is compelling despite an absence of language barriers that stretches credulity. An author's note is appended. Category: Older Fiction. 2007, Simon, 330pp, 16.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Robyn Guedel (VOYA, June 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 2))
Bella and Yetta are young immigrants working at New York City's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the early 1900s. They must work long hours for little pay. Both are trying to save money to send back to their families in their native countries. Yetta, who is from Russia, starts a crusade to form a union to protest the unsafe factory conditions. Once the strike begins, the picketers are beaten, arrested, and endure the harsh winter conditions to fight for their cause. Jane, a wealthy young lady, gets involved in the strike and ends up alienating herself from her rich father, but becomes very close friends with Bella and Yetta. In 1911, a tragic fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory kills more than one hundred workers caused by a cigarette that gets in some scrap fabric. It is evident that Haddix has done an extensive amount of historical research for her novel. The images of the factory and its poor conditions are very detailed. Although the setting of the book takes place a long time ago, many situations are relevant to today's society. The characters are relatable and provide a good historic perspective for teens. Haddix also provides an extensive list of further readings on the topic that will be invaluable to students in their research. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Simon & Schuster, 352p.; Further Reading., $16.99. Ages 12 to 18.