Hattie Big Sky

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com To me, the main criteria for a good book is a cast of great characters, and this book definitely has that. Hattie is a very mature 16-year-old. She is an orphan who has been raised by first one relative and then another, and now she finds that she has inherited a homestead from an uncle that she never really knew. Her best friend has just...more

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com To me, the main criteria for a good book is a cast of great characters, and this book definitely has that. Hattie is a very mature 16-year-old. She is an orphan who has been raised by first one relative and then another, and now she finds that she has inherited a homestead from an uncle that she never really knew. Her best friend has just joined the army to go fight the Kaiser in Germany at the outbreak of World War I. Hattie boards a train with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, to claim her new home in Montana. When she arrives, she discovers that she will be required to finish "proving up" on the homestead...build an enormous amount of fence, and plant eighty of the three-hundred-and-twenty acres in wheat and flax, and she only has eight months left to accomplish this. The house is a one-room cabin that is barely habitable, and winter has Montana in its grip. Her livestock consists of a very congenial horse, and a contentious cow. Hattie is a very resourceful girl, but life is difficult. Most of her new neighbors become fast friends, but some desperately want to claim her land for their own. Her dear friends, the Mullers, suffer bad treatment because of their German heritage and the War. This is a fast-paced story of adventure with friendship, heartbreak, and joy. The believable characters will remain with you long after you have read the book, and the handsome villain isn't all bad. The suspense in this very entertaining book builds to a surprising climax that I didn't anticipate. Larson adds a couple of interesting-looking recipes in the back of the book that I'm anxious to try out, along with a bibliography of other great reading about the American West and homesteading.   hide

It was a pleasant read, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

At the beginning of this summer when I started keeping a journal of the books I read, the ending of books was really important, however after reading this book and the history/about the author, that totally changed for me. Books don't need to have my favorite ending to be good. I did not know there was so much anti-German propaganda in North America during WWI, especially since the US was all...more

At the beginning of this summer when I started keeping a journal of the books I read, the ending of books was really important, however after reading this book and the history/about the author, that totally changed for me. Books don't need to have my favorite ending to be good. I did not know there was so much anti-German propaganda in North America during WWI, especially since the US was all about the whole 'isolationist' deal. I also did not know people could die of the flu. finished Aug 23, 2007    hide

Plot Summary: After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself and encounters some unexpected problems related to the war being fought in Europe. (from cataloging) Evaluation: I loved this story, but I am not sure how many children would relate to it, especially those unfamiliar with the...more

Plot Summary: After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself and encounters some unexpected problems related to the war being fought in Europe. (from cataloging) Evaluation: I loved this story, but I am not sure how many children would relate to it, especially those unfamiliar with the Midwest. It struck me as quite similar to Caddie Woodlawn, which has pretty much stood the test of time, so maybe this will too. At any rate, it would be a good addition to a library collection. The writing is well done and engaging, the plot is clear and interesting, and the characters are wonderful. I even almost cried at the end. One thing I appreciated about the story was that Hattie was up against insurmountable problems, and they did indeed turn out to be insurmountable, but the story still ended on a hopeful note. Social justice issues were also handled well within the plot and could be easily transferred to social issues of today. The history part of the book was quite well done and would be engaging for young readers, especially if they had not previously thought about living in a cabin with no plumbing in the dead of a Montana winter. Possible Uses with Children: You could do a lot with the setting in this book. It is so prevalent that it is almost a character, and probably was an almost human entity to Hattie who alternately loved and hated her Montana land, struggled to understand it, and was eventually moved to a new stage of life by it. The main interested readers will probably be upper elementary and middle school girls. The plot is quite girl-centered, and although Hattie is 16, the book is easily accessible for girls 10 or 11 and up.   hide

Great story! I thought the anti-German WWI sentiments were all too relevant today. I had a lot of fun reading this story.