Wednesday, February 27, 2019

World at War: Hattie Big Sky

Hattie Big Sky. Kirby Larson. 2006. 289 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:
December 19, 1917
Arlington, Iowa

Dear Charlie,
Miss Simpson starts every day with a reminder to pray for you--and all the other boys who enlisted. Well, I say we should pray for the Kaiser--he's going to need those prayers once he meets you!
Premise/plot: Hattie Brooks, our heroine, has recently inherited her uncle's claim in Montana. She'll have a little under a year to finish proving her claim. It will require much of her--mentally, physically, emotionally. She's just sixteen--there are grown men, rugged men, who end up failing. Farming isn't ever easy. But some of the biggest challenges she'll face aren't from the land or the country itself. The people. America is at war and the people at home are feeling it. Hattie's closest neighbors--closest friends--are Germans. The community--with a few exceptions--has turned against them and against those that show their support. But Hattie isn't one to abandon her friends. Hattie proves herself to be an incredible woman even if not an incredible farmer.

My thoughts: I first read this one in February 2007. I loved it then. I loved it now. I think I may have loved it even more the second time. It is a compelling, heart-felt story.


© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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