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Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance

Book Summary

Reviewed by Pam Gelman

Mable and her sister Viola move to Sellerton, Ontario in 1901 when Viola is hired to work as the local teacher. Mable is to support her sister and help in the classroom with the younger children. They board at a dairy farm and quickly become topics of conversation in town. Some have reservations about a young female teacher. While her sister is pious, Mable is adventuresome and becomes friendly with a suffragette who lives by herself. When she learns of this woman's plan to help the exploited female workers at a local cheese factory, she wants to help, too.

Is It Any Good?

4

Told through a diary, letters, poems, and a character-written story, MABLE RILEY presents a strong, likeable character, and though the story is told in old-fashioned prose, Mable remains very relatable to tweens today. Like many 14-year-old girls, Mable is still learning about herself, her world, and how to face her problems -- all this making for an interesting story for young readers.

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