Pressed into service as a canal woman, 10-year-old Emma finds ways to utilize her artistic gifts. Although it is a better existence than her strenuous job in the English silk mill, she feels guilty over the sister she left behind. Authentic details make this an engaging story–one that reveals the hardships of the mid-1800s when life for the poor in England was unrelentingly cruel. It is also a liberating tale as Emma draws on her inner strength to find her true calling.

Related: England (UK), Europe, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14)

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• ISBN: 9780689822957
• Author: Howard, Ellen
• Published: 1999, Atheneum
• Themes: boat, Child labor, Family, Guilt, painting, Poverty
• Descriptors: England (UK), Europe, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14)
• No. of pages: 160