This book is a Newbery Honor winner and a New York times bestseller, but I had not heard of it before I ran across it accidentally while browsing the audio book section at my local library. I was so glad I did! My whole family enjoyed it, I found myself getting caught up in the story, taking the long way home more than once to hear a little more. This is not always the case with the audio books I get for my children to listen too.
The story is set in the time period of World War 1 and is about a 16 year old orphan named Hattie who bounces from one relative to the next, never really having a sense of home or belonging. She refers to herself many times through out the book as “Hattie Here and There”, catchy, but also a little sad because the reader gets a sense she wants to be Hattie Who Has Home. When she gets the notice that she has been bequeathed land for homesteading in Montana by a relative, she decides to take the opportunity. It is not a difficult choice for her as she is unhappy in her current circumstance. She feels anxious and unsure about it, as she should, she has no real experience with homesteading or being on her own.
She is faced with many obstacles and she shows a certain kind of determination and fortitude that are just not present in many heros of novels for young people today. However, to me, it makes complete sense and it to me believable because life was much more difficult in earlier times than it is today without many of the machines that exist to simplify things. Truthfully, Hattie’s life, although she faces many difficulties, was probably not as difficult as many who lived during those times. Pioneers lived an incredibly challenging life. Our great, great, great grandmothers and grandfathers were simply made from different stuff than we are today, I think that is something that we can all agree on. In the beginning of the story Hattie is a young woman who does not really know how to define herself, throughout the book she is forced to dig deep and find strength she did not know she had. She gains confidence and acceptance of herself.
All of my children are girls, and they loved the book and it kept them engaged. As a mother, I loved that the female protagonist possessed integrity and grit, these are traits I wish for my own daughters. That they would be hard working and have strength of character. This book gave a window into an earlier era. If you enjoy historical fiction and strong female chararcters I would highly recommend this book. It is now one of my families favorites. Purchase the paperback or audiobook on Amazon by clicking on the text links or the images below. These are affiliate links. After you read it let me know what you think!
