In 1911, fourteen-year-old Lucy Morelli lives with her parents, older
brother, and several youngers siblings in a crowded apartment in the
Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Lucy dreams of going to
college, but her Italian immigrant family relies heavily on her income
from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to survive. Lucy finds the factory
work boring, but the working conditions are better than many other jobs.
But when Lucy and her best friend, Rosie, head to work one Saturday in
March, everything changes. Fire breaks out in the factory, and the doors
are locked, trapping hundreds of workers inside. Lucy must battle the
flames to save her own life -- and Rosie's. Readers can learn the real
story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, one of the deadliest
industrial disaster's in U.S. history, from the nonfiction backmatter in
this Girls Survive story. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing
prompts are also provided.