Hattie Big Sky

Kirby Larson

Book summary:

Sixteen-year-old Hattie Inez Brooks receives a letter from her late uncle Chester, whom she never knew, saying that he left his homestead claim to her. Deciding that she would rather be a farmer than a maid, Hattie travels to Vida, Montana, to prove her uncle’s claim.

Farm life is much harder than Hattie expected, but luckily for her, she has a few kind neighbors who are willing to help out, including Perilee Mueller, her husband Karl who happens to be German, and their three wonderful children.

Meanwhile, war is happening across the sea in Europe, and Hattie’s best friend Charlie is busy fighting the Kaiser’s men. Perilee’s husband, just because he’s German, is faced with hate and prejudice. The fact that Hattie is friends with a German sets her against many people. Can Hattie push past this unfriendliness in order to prove her claim and find the true meaning of home?

Year published: 2006

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Illustrator: none

Religion/ belief system: Christian

Profanity and violence: mentions a man who drunkenly hit his wife, mentions war

Drinking, drugs, smoking: cigarettes, drunk

Romance: very slight crushes

Genre: historical

Miscellaneous: mentions birthing a baby (doesn’t go into detail)

Series: not series, but has a sequel

Word Count: 283

Thoughts: Somebody tell me why I love historical fiction so much. Please! I’ve discovered that I love reading about pioneer life, and this book fits directly into that category. This story is beautifully written, and it broke my heart and mended it at the same time.