At the start of Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1901), children were treated the same as adults. By 1901 this had changed. People thought childhood was a special time and children should be treated differently. This book investigates the lives of Victorian children, especially those employed on the land, in factories and mines, and as chimney sweeps. It introduces people who worked to improve children's lives, and shows how schools were set up and became free for all children.