Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

I loved Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. It is one of those books that made me laugh and cry and despite the struggles of the Hattie had such a hopeful message at the end. I can see why it was a Newbery Honor Book last year. It deserves the honor!

During World War I, 16-year-old Hattie is an orphan who has been passed around from family member to family member never really finding a place to call home. In 1917 things are looking pretty bleak. Her best friend Charlie has gone off to France to fight in the war and her aunt wants her to get a job working at a local boarding house, but Hattie wants more. And things start looking up when she receives a letter from Uncle Chester in Montana. The letter includes Uncle Chester's will leaving Hattie his 320 acre claim near Vida, Montana. All Hattie has to do is move to Montana and prove up the claim by planting crops and building fencc.

This book tells of the hardships of homesteading and trying to make a living from a plot of land. These hardships ring true here in Kansas as farmers even today struggle against the environment to grow crops and make a life. But it easy to see comparisons between the treeless plains of Montana and the wonderful prairies on Kansas and how hard it must have been for the homesteaders here in our state.

But this book takes the story deeper. Not only is Hattie homesteading, she is also dealing with the struggles of the first World War. Many of Hattie's neighbors are German immigrants and I was surprised by the discrimination they faced since we were fighting the Germans in the war. The way people were treated was terrible. It is sad to think about that part of our past. And I am sure that some of that is going on today with the wars we are fighting the Middle East and the distrust of people of Middle Eastern dissent.

This is a wonderfully realistic book, not so much with a happy ending as a message that "next year will be better." Hattie definitely uncovers the meaning of family and home.