This is such a wonderful book that teaches children about the suffrage movement. I read it to my niece and she loved it. And I enjoyed it as well.

A fun and timely read offering a kid's-eye view of significant figures in women's history. I'd definitely recommend this for a historical fiction project or as a fun read for kids who love self-reliant, plucky heroines.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.
I think young girls have a tough time imagining what life was like for women in the past. Novelizations like Starting form Seneca Falls show them what it was like.

The integration of historical figures into a story line that is plausible, and interesting to young readers (reading about orphans crosses the generations doesn't it?) makes this story suspenseful, informative, and inspirational. Love!

A good book for young readers to learn the history of the fight women had for generations, to have the rights that all people deserve.

E ARC provided by Netgalley



Bridie and her mother have come to the US after losing her father and brothers in the Irish Potato Famine, and have ended in the poorhouse after her father's new husband drank all of their wages from the woolen mills. After her mother's death, Bridie is sent to live with the Kigley's to work on their farm. Once there, she doesn't mind the hard work, but hates that every time the daughter, Lavinia, messes up, she is beaten for it. She decides to run away, and meet Rose, an African-American girl whose mother is dead and whose father is a sailor from whom she has not heard in a long time. She boards with a canal boat captain, and occasionally works for Mrs. Stanton. She introduces Bridie to her, and luckily, Mrs. Stanton is in need of some help. Since she is interested in women's rights, she pays Bridie (who goes by Phoebe to elude the Kigleys) the handsome sum of $1 a week, which is unheard of in 1848. Mrs. Stanton and her friends are working on putting together a women's convention in Seneca Falls, and Bridie settles in to help. She also goes to school, as does Rose. Luckily, the teacher is sympathetic to Rose's situation, and even spends a few extra minutes after school to go over the more advanced math Rose is covering. When Lavinia and Mrs. Kigley show up at Mrs. Stanton's house, trying to escape Mr. Kigley's beatings, Bridie doesn't want to help them, but knows it is the right thing to do. After the convention, Mrs. Stanton arranges to get Mrs. Kigley to Rochester on the train, but Lavinia is left behind. Using their smarts, Bridie and Rose set off along the canal with Lavinia to keep ahead of Mr. Kigley. Once in the new town, both girls find occupations they wish to pursue.

Strengths: Yes! I have looked and looked for historical fiction about the women's movement, and there is very little! Framing this from the point of view of Bridie, whose life is so difficult, was an excellent choice, and how much fun is it to meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her friends and family this way! Rose is also an intriguing character, and brings up a lot of interesting questions about the state of African-Americans in the North during this time period. My favorite part is the girls' journey along the Erie canal. The canals were fascinating, and yet there is little about them as well. I love historical fiction, and this one really brightened my day!
Weaknesses: I wish the cover looked a little older. My 8th graders aren't going to want to pick this up.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing this and would love to see more women's history novels by Schwabach. Still have her The Hope Chest (2009), which circulates well.

I have been looking for books that will help the students understand how important the women's rights movement was and still is. This book pointed out some little known facts that helped me be more ably help them understand this time in history. Although I have read stories of orphans and immigration, this story does not linger on the sadness faced by our brave orphan. It is more about what she is going to do now. I enjoyed reading this book with its inside look at the conference and Elizabeth Cady Stanton's homelife. I especially like that they point out how independent and brave she was. I also like that they pointed out how unusual it was at that time that, although she was married, she and her husband both fought for causes that they believed in.

Starting from Seneca Falls is an engaging book that will introduce middle grade readers to major leaders in the human rights movement that stood to write to the declaration of Sentiments in the late 1840's. Set in upstate New York, readers will meet a plucky young Irish Orphan who refuses to let the world keep down because she is a girl. Readers will be introduced to important historical figures including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglas, and Lucretia Mott. I had a hard time putting this book down and couldn't wait to delve into further research as the last page ended. Karen Schwabach did a great job researching and spinning a story that included immigration, women's rights, the abolitionist movement, and westward expansion.