Star and a half to two stars. I hate to say it, but the first half of the book needed to be cut. It was boring and did nothing for the plot! Raisa doesn't start working at Triangle factory until then, either. There are hunks of exposition through speech. Those could have easily been action passages and narrative if the first half the book had been cut. There's tons of cliches. Various characters are unnecessary and several subplots too. Somehow, the stakes never felt high. This wasn't because I was reading it a second time, though. I read it all the way through to learn how much I remembered, and was surprised at how little I had indeed remembered. It was so refreshing to have a Jewish narrator-protagonist! And an author with knowledge of Judaism. I was so pleased every time it showed up on the page. ( )

A young girl from Poland travels to NYC, struggles to survive, and experiences the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911. This book focuses on the immigrant experience, labor abuses, and the oppressive treatment of women. Author’s Note.

It's 1910, and thirteen-year-old Raisa has just traveled alone from a small Polish shtetl all the way to New York City. It's overwhelming, awe-inspiring, and even dangerous, especially when she discovers that her sister has disappeared and she must now fend for herself. She finds work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sewing bodices on the popular shirtwaists. Raisa makes friends and even-dare she admit it?- falls in love. But then 1911 dawns, and one March day a spark ignites in the factory. One of the city's most harrowing tragedies unfolds, and Raisa's life is forever changed

If you know about the Triangle Shirt Factory Fire, then you know its sad tale. This book presents a less oppressive, and yet even more emotional, look as it told through the eyes of one of the girls working there. ( )

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire has inspired several YA novels. They never fail to disappoint. ( )