On July 7, 1903, Mother Jones started a protest march that led adults and children from Philadelphia to New York City in order to call for an end to child labor in the United States. This fictionalized account of the march focuses on two children, Aiden and Gussie, who work in a cotton mill and join the march. Through their eyes the logistics of the 16-day march unfold, as does a sense of the powerful woman who spent the latter part of her life fighting for the rights of ordinary workers. The children also contrast the wonder of new experiences on the march with their daily lives in the mill. Pencil and watercolor illustrations provide a strong sense of the era. (Ages 7–10)

A moving, fictionalized account of a march that raised awareness about child labor. Eight-year-old Aidan and his friend Gussie have joined the picket line at the cotton mill to demand the chance to go to school instead of work. But when famous labor reformer Mother Jones arrives, she has an even bolder idea than a strike. She wants to lead them on a march from Pennsylvania all the way to President Theodore Roosevelt’s summer home in Oyster Bay, New York! This inspiring tale is a tribute to the extraordinary spirit of Mother Jones, and a testament to the power of standing up for what’s right, no matter how old you are.