Fire at the Triangle Factory, by Holly Littlefield. This story is based on the true accounts of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire of 1911. Two 14 year old friends, one Jewish and one Catholic, are sewing machine operators at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City. They depend on that friendship when the Triangle factory goes up in flames and leaves them trapped on the ninth floor. Perfect for grades 3-5.

Littlefield, Holly. (1996) Fire at the Triangle Factory. Illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
This book details the major fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company that took place on March 25, 1911 in which 146 people died. The events seems to be portrayed accurately although the two main characters that narrate the story are fictional. There is no evidence of stereotyping but one of the main characters, Minnie, is Jewish and Tessa, the other main character, is an Italian Catholic and this made their friendship difficult which was consistent with the time period. The details of the story allowed for clear mental images but this version also had illustrations that were very good in portraying the story. There are illustrations on each page of the story and although very simple, help the reader develop better mental images. The plot is credible within the historical time period because the two girls, Minnie and Tessa, who are only 14 years old, work very long hours in this shirt factory for very little pay and in very dangerous conditions. This was very common in this time period and the story details how their friendship, although forbidden by Minnie's dad, was what helped them survive the great fire that killed so many workers. The author did a good job of using the facts of the story to build a story around the two fictional characters that helped make the events of this day seem very real. ( )

Fire at the Triangle Factory was a story about of a young girl that worked illeagly at a sewing factory. Her family was poor and could not afford to let her attend school, only work. She became friends with a catholic girl she had met from work. Her family would never allow them to be friends because she was Jewish. The factory caught on fire but the girls escaped out safely. In the end the father found out about her friendship and accepted because she saved the girls life.

This story made me realize you shouldn't judge people from where they come from. Friends stick together and help each other no matter the situation. It also made me see that times were so hard that childdren had to work instead of attend school.

The story would be a good discussion for a history class. It would be good to point out how children had to work but would rather go to school.