Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
Faced with abominable working conditions, unsympathetic owners, and hard-hearted managers, the mill girls of Lowell have had enough. They're going on strike, and they have a secret weapon on their side: a little witchcraft to ensure that no one leaves the picket line. For the young women of Lowell, Massachusetts, freedom means fair wages for fair work, decent room and board, and a chance to escape the cotton mills before lint stops up their lungs. When the Boston owners decide to raise the workers’ rent, the girls go on strike. Their ringleader is Judith Whittier, a newcomer to Lowell but not to class warfare. Judith has already seen one strike fold and she doesn’t intend to see it again. Fortunately Hannah, her best friend in the boardinghouse―and maybe first love?―has a gift for the dying art of witchcraft.
Is The Factory Witches of Lowell appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This historical fantasy novella features labor organizing, brief romantic content between two women, and references to harsh working conditions including lung disease. The witchcraft is used as a tool for social justice rather than for violent purposes.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include class struggle and chronic illness.
Who'll love this
Teen readers interested in labor history, feminist themes, and light sapphic romance will connect with this story of mill workers fighting for their rights.