The Breaker Boys

"The Breaker Boys" is an adventure into an era of U.S. history about which little is known today. Even people who read a lot of history don't tend to focus on turn-of-the-20th-century society -- much less as seen through the eyes of a young boy. That the author would choose to bring this period to life is quite commendable. The book also delves into the ethnicity of the immigrant "breaker boys," explaining how their families had recently arrived from Europe. The book is a much-needed history lesson. That said, it's an exciting, fast read. It has just enough twists of the plot to be believable while not predictable. It's so worthwhile for teens to read this kind of book that I called the library and asked the children's librarian to consider purchasing the other two.

I assigned The Breaker Boys to my 8th grade history students during a unit on the Industrial Revolution. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but the kids loved it. It's a coming of age story that the kids can relate to, and it's a historical novel that helps them understand life during the Industrial Revolution. We appreciated how the reader gets to see both sides of the story (the coal mine owners' side and the workers' side), rather than having the common assumption reinforced that workers then were just victimized by mine owners. The book was accessible for all of my students, probably because it interested them, and appealing even to my strongest readers. Teachers, give this one a try. You will not be disappointed.

It's 1897, and everyone is happy because summer vacation is close. Well, not everyone. Twelve-year-old Nathan Tanner just got expelled from boarding school because of his temper and bad behavior. He has no friends and doesn't get along well with his family. While riding his bicycle one day, he meets the Breaker Boys, who do dangerous work in the coal mines for his father, a coal mine operator. Nathan starts hanging out with the Breaker Boys every day and becomes very good friends with them, especially Johnny. However, Nathan must hide the fact that he's the boss's son. As Johnny and Nathan grow closer, Nathan learns that, because of unfair wages and treatment, some of the mine workers are forming unions and going on strike. Because of this, tensions rise in Nathan's family. Will he take his family's side on the issue and help them, or will he betray them to help his friend? In her first novel, GUERRILLA SEASON, Pat Hughes traveled back in time to show readers how different life was because of war, how children's lives were affected by war and why they were forced to become adults so early. THE BREAKER BOYS, which is a fascinating second novel from Hughes, is no different. --- Reviewed by Ashley Hartlaub

Loved it! Pat Hughes has done it again by putting the reader right in the middle of the action. This writers deft ability to make the characters as well as the setting come to life seems to put the reader right there in coal country. You become one of the family. Not just the wealthy Tanner family, but Johnny's family as well. Johnny's family are poor Polish immigrants who work in the mine that the Tanner family owns. Rich or poor this story is about family, friendship, and the trials and tribulations of a young man. Nate Tanner is angry with his family and befriends the young mine workers known as "The Breaker Boys," especially Johnny. Only Nate has a secret. And when Nate finds that Johnny and the other mine workers are planning a strike against his family, this troubled young man must contemplate whom to side with, his family or his friends. I couldn't put it down! Everything from the clomping of the horses hooves pulling the Tanner family Brougham through town, to the conflict at the Lattimer Mines on September 10, 1897, keeps you right in the middle of Pennsylvania coal country ! Another job well done! Thanks Pat Hughes for another riveting novel!

The Breaker Boys does a lot of things well. It gives us a glimpse of child labor in coal mining country, but it refuses to do so with grim drudgery. The boys of the story are still boys -- mischievious, rowdy, and passionate. It's a story about friendship -- the transforming power of friendship and the pain of it, as well. It's a coming of age story as the unpleasant son of well-to-do mine owners comes to understand both the immigrant mine workers and his own family of mine owners. Pat Hughes refuses to take the easy road where the workers are all good and the owners are evil. As a result, The Breaker Boys is a complex novel that will endure -- a story of family, duty, and maturity -- and an excellent addition to historical fiction of the time period.