Redesigning Emma

A young adult historical novel from award winning author Diane Owens Prettyman in which a nineteenth century Manhattan milliner discovers the different aspects of the city--the rich, the poor, the gangs, the insane asylums. Fourteen-year-old newsboy Kid Blink is a regular at Emma's Fine Hats. When he goes missing, shop owner Emma Ludwig travels down to Five Points to find him, only to discover the atrocities of child labor and his living conditions. She also learns Kid is leading efforts to strike against the newspaper barons. In the days that follow, a violent strike ensues, Kid is endangered, and Emma becomes entangled with two men--one a gang leader in part responsible for the shameful treatment of the newsboys and another who wants to take her West.
Weaving romance and history with the dreams of one determined lady, this novel provides a vivid snapshot of New York City as it launches into the twentieth century.