The Books to Parks project links widely-recognized works of children’s and young adult literature to the natural, cultural, and historical resources protected by the US government. By connecting young people to parks via literature, Books to Parks encourages youth to develop appreciation for and stewardship of NPS sites. Also, the project encourages critical engagement with literature, providing readers with carefully curated resources that facilitate deep contextualization of texts.
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 1: Lyddie: Chapter 01 - The Bear
Thirteen-year-old Lyddie Worthen lives on a small farm in Vermont with her mother, younger brother Charlie, and two younger sisters, Rachel and Agnes. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 2: Lyddie: Chapter 02 - Kindly Friends
As Lyddie and Charlie are preparing to leave the farm, they decide to sell their young calf. They hope to eventually save enough money to clear the family’s debt and return home. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 3: Lyddie: Chapter 03 - Cutler's Tavern
When she arrives at the tavern, Lyddie stands outside and thinks about the direction her life has taken. Her thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of a stagecoach. Passengers, including a well-dressed white man and woman, exit the coach. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 4: Lyddie: Chapter 04 - Frog in the Butter Churn
Lyddie is determined to gain the respect of the staff and is able to do so when she becomes friends with Triphena, the cook at Cutler’s Tavern. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 5: Lyddie: Chapter 05 - Going Home
When Mistress Cutler takes a trip to Boston to sell her maple products, Lyddie and the rest of the tavern staff are left with some free time. Triphena, who says she’s in charge in the mistress’ absence, gives Lyddie permission to visit home for the night. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 6: Lyddie: Chapter 06 - Ezekial
The Black man in Lyddie’s cabin introduces himself as Ezekial. He had been enslaved in the South and is making his way to Canada. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 7: Lyddie: Chapter 07 - South to Freedom
Before Lyddie leaves for the Lowell mills, Triphena gives her a new pair of boots and five dollars to pay for a stagecoach ride. Lyddie soon finds her feet tired and sore and realizes walking all the way to Lowell isn’t possible. She stops at a tavern and works for the tavern owner in exchange for a room until the stagecoach arrives. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 8: Lyddie: Chapter 08 - Number 5, Concord Corporation
Lyddie wakes up the next day to the life of a mill girl. It is very noisy in the boardinghouse and in Lyddie’s attic room, which she shares with five other girls. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 9: Lyddie: Chapter 09 - The Weaving Room
When Lyddie arrives in the weave room, she is overcome by the noise and the constant movement of the machines. The noise of the looms is so deafening that she can’t hear a word her new overseer says. One of the older girls, Diana, comes to Lyddie’s rescue and teaches her how to operate the loom, and the two of them become friends. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 10: Lyddie: Chapter 10 - Oliver
The next day is Lyddie’s first full day as a mill worker. Diana tells her that the two of them will be working three looms together. Within a few minutes, Lyddie is overwhelmed by the noise and the dust in the air. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 11: Lyddie: Chapter 11 - The Admirable Choice
When Lyddie returns to work, she finds the noise of the looms and the debris in the air doesn’t bother her as much because she is looking forward to hearing more of Oliver Twist in the evening. Lyddie feels that though she hasn’t grown used to mill work, she has at least found a way to escape her work through the story. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 12: Lyddie: Chapter 12 - I Will Not be a Slave
Lyddie quickly becomes one of the mill’s top workers. She is given more looms to tend and is making more money than ever. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 13: Lyddie: Chapter 13 - Speed Up
Lyddie begins to worry about the petition for a ten-hour workday. Shorter days would mean less money. She wishes her friends could understand about the family debt and why she works so hard. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 14: Lyddie: Chapter 14 - Ills and Petitions
Lyddie soon feels better and returns to work, although she isn’t fully healed. She is determined not to let anything stop her from paying her family's debt. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 15: Lyddie: Chapter 15 - Rachel
Uncle Judah and Aunt Clarissa have sent Lyddie’s mother to an asylum because they could no longer care for her. They plan to sell the family farm to pay for her care. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 16: Lyddie: Chapter 16 - Fever
Lyddie reluctantly withdraws money from her bank account to pay Mrs. Bedlow for Rachel’s housing. Brigid tells Lyddie that she can’t focus because her mother is very sick. Lyddie takes all the change she has in her pocket and thrusts it at Brigid, telling her to get a doctor. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 17: Lyddie: Chapter 17 - Doffer
Two weeks later, the doctor still won’t allow Lyddie to work. She is left with a lot of time to think, and she wonders why she hasn’t heard from Charlie. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 18: Lyddie: Chapter 18 - Charlie at Last
Charlie looks different when he arrives at the boardinghouse. Charlie comes to share the news that he has been taken on as a full apprentice by Mr. Phinney. He tells Lyddie that he is ready to take Rachel back with him. At first, Lyddie doesn’t want to let Rachel go, but she knows she must get her sister out of Lowell. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 19: Lyddie: Chapter 19 - Diana
Lyddie feels lonely. She tries to distract herself by thinking about work. She learns that the weavers at a nearby mill had signed a pledge in protest of demands that they work four looms each for less pay. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 20: Lyddie: Chapter 20 - B is for Brigid
Many of the girls have left and not come back. This has left some of the looms idle. New girls, mostly young Irish immigrants, get hired. However, there are still unattended looms, and the entire floor is much quieter than it used to be. Lyddie begins teaching Brigid how to read. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 21: Lyddie: Chapter 21 - Turpitude
A man from the agent’s office arrives. He asks Lyddie to follow him to the office. Lyddie is informed that Mr. Marsden has reported her as a troublemaker. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 22: Lyddie: Chapter 22 - Farewell
Lyddie wants to understand why she was fired from the mills, so she purchases a dictionary and looks up “turpitude.” Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 23: Lyddie: Chapter 23 - Vermont, November 1846
With no place else to go, Lyddie heads to her family’s old farm, even though it has been sold. It looks exactly as she remembers it. Although she realizes that someday, Luke could be someone she might love, she has made up her mind to go west first. She wants to go to college and become her own, free woman, as she understands it. Read more
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Lowell National Historical Park
Article 24: Lyddie: Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement page for the Lyddie Books to Parks project Read more