She arrives in Vida in the middle of winter, and has to rely on her new neighbors and her own strength to survive and make her claim viable. With nothing to lose, Hattie sets off for the Montana prairie. So when a letter arrives, stating that her uncle has left his claim. She’s never lived anywhere that felt like home. Orphan Hattie Brooks has been passed off from one relative to another since she was little. Hattie Big Sky gives us all the classic elements of a Frontier Girl while telling us a totally new story with a compelling character. Who would you give it to? If our blog theme for this week appealed to you add this to your reading list. It’s no secret that surviving the frontier was not for the faint of heart and for a sixteen year old girl to take that on herself, there’s bound to be some Slatebreaking qualities at her core. Hattie is that terrific kind of Slatebreaker who possesses just the right balance of skill, willingness to learn and pluck to survive, stand up for herself and figure out what kind of person she wants to be. The image of Hattie, with her back to us, looking out at that wide expanse of prairie sets just the right tone.ĭoes it Break the Slate? Yes! Goodness yes. There’s no headless girl or fancy dress that would have been useless on the frontier. Currently Available.įace Value: This is a totally respectable historical fiction cover, in that it makes no secret that it is, in fact, set in the past. 'A marvelous story about courage, loyalty, perseverance, and the meaning of home.Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson.

This young pioneer's story is lovingly stitched together from Kirby Larson’s own family history and the sights, sounds, and scents of homesteading life.ĪN AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Despite daily trials, Hattie continues to work her uncle’s claim until an unforeseen tragedy causes her to search her soul for the real meaning of home. For the first time in her life, Hattie feels part of a family, finding the strength to stand up against Traft Martin’s schemes to buy her out and against increasing pressure to be a “loyal” American at a time when anything-or anyone-German is suspect. Her quest to make a home is championed by new neighbors Perilee Mueller, her German husband, and their children. Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather, hard times, a cantankerous cow, and her own hopeless hand at the cookstove. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move all by herself to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle’s homestead claim. This Newbery Honor winning, New York Times bestseller celebrates the true spirit of independence on the American frontier.įor most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another.

Hattie big sky series