The Gate in the Wall - by Ellen Howard (Paperback)

About the Book

Pressed into service as a canal woman, ten-year-old Emma finds ways to utilize her artistic gifts. Although it is a better existence than her strenuous job in the English silk mill, she feels guilty over the sister she left behind. Authentic details make this an engaging story--one that reveals the hardships of the mid-1800s when life for the poor in England was unrelentingly cruel. It is also a liberating tale as Emma draws on her inner strength to find her true calling.

Book Synopsis

Ellen Howard pens a charming young adult novel revealing the hardships of life for poor, ten-year-old Emma in mid-1800s England.

When ten-year-old Emma is late by one minute to her job at the silk mill where she works ten hours a day, she is locked out. Even though none of it is her fault, she is certain her pay will be docked and her brother-in-law, Ben, will beat her when she gets home. With no idea what to do, she sinks to the ground and cries.

Until, through her tears, she sees a gate in a wall that she has never spotted before. Hesitantly, she pushes the gates open, putting off her return home. As she passes through the gate, she spots a strangely beautiful boat floating in a canal.

With nothing but hope, the gate brings Emma into an entirely new life as she finds a way to utilize her artistic gifts as a canal woman.

About the Author

Ellen Howard is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers.