For ten years sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie has been shuffled around from one family to another, never having a real sense of home. When her uncle passes away and leaves her his Montana homestead claim, Hattie takes the opportunity to make a home of her own. As Hattie struggles to prove up on the claim, she finds a family in her new friends.
With a backdrop of World War I, Hattie not only deals with the trials and tribulations of being a young and female homesteader, but also the evils of the faraway war. With a childhood friend fighting in Europe, she feels a strong sense of patriotic duty; however, with a German native as a neighbor (and also close friend), she is also angered by the anti-German sentiment displayed by locals.
Likes
The descriptions of Hattie’s world are vivid and vibrant. Characters are well developed and complex.
There are correlations to today’s world (insert anti-Muslim in place of anti-German).
The book reminded me a lot of the Little House on the Prairie books, but written for an older audience.
Other:
2007 Newbery Honor
I mostly listened to the audio version of this book. It was wonderfully done. My only issues were due to the discs skipping, causing me to miss a bit and having to check out the print version to catch up.
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