Sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks sees an unexpected inheritance of her uncle's homestead claim in Montana as a chance to stake out a life for herself after being sent from distant relative to distant relative following the death of her parents. The requirements to own the claim seem overwhelming: build and fence and cultivate 40 acres within the ten months remaining plus pay the final fees. With the help of neighbors and against the background of World War One, Hattie sets out with determination and a feisty spirit to do what needs to be done to own her own piece of land and sky. The strength of this story is the clear-headed and sometimes poetic narrative as well as the intricate weaving of plot themes: letters to an uncle and a "friend" fighting abroad, the wartime mistrust and fear of sedition and Hattie's courage to stand up against it, and the strength of Hattie's character.
Grades 5-9
Sunday, February 4, 2007
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2 comments:
This is the kind of book I could have lost myself in when I was a fifth or sixth grader. The most important thing about it is its unflinching look at how war can skew people's perspective about "different" populations. The World War I abuse and mistreatment of German immigrants is vividly portrayed here. Parallels to paranoia over Arab immigrants in our current war are inescapable. Hattie is a wonderful, if too good to be true, character. I hope there are lots of girls who will love this story.
Hattie is such a feminine character but has such pluck and drive. I was so pleased with the stories conclusion, not happy, not expected but so hopeful; truly in the spirit of the homesteaders.
The author's comments were also added a lot of insight. The story is inspired by the author's own grandmother and many of the events are insired by news stories of very similar events. Such strong historical connections.
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