Hattie Big Sky

Hattie Big Sky

Author	Kirby Larson
Language	English
Genre	Chapter book
Publisher	Yearling Books
Publication date	2006
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	289 pages
ISBN	978-0385735957

Hattie Big Sky is a children's historical novel by Kirby Larson, published in 2006. In 2007 the book was named a Newbery Honor book and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Hattie Big Sky was also an Illinois Rebecca Caudill Award nominee.

Plot

The novel is set during World War I. Hattie Brooks, a sixteen-year-old orphan who has tired of being shuttled between relatives she hardly knows, receives a letter from an uncle who has recently died. He leaves her all of his land, and Hattie travels to his farm in Montana to start life as a homesteader. She has less than a year to prove herself capable of taking care of the land. In the book we learn about Hattie through her letters to her friend Charlie who is at war, and to her Uncle Holt. One difficulty Hattie faces is being called upon, as a loyal American, to shun her kind neighbors because of their German descent.

Critical reception

According to Sharon Morrison in School Library Journal: "Larson's vivid descriptions of the harshness of the work and the extreme climates, and the strength that comes from true friendship, create a masterful picture of the homesteading experience and the people who persevered." Morrison also said "it was a heartwarming yet poignant story about homesteading in early-20th-century Montana." Kathleen Odean in Booklist praised Larson: "Writing in figurative language that draws on nature and domestic detail to infuse her story with the sounds, smells, and sights of the prairie, she created a richly textured novel full of memorable characters." Sally Miculek in Booklist describes the story as being "historical fiction at its best."

External links

• Hattie Big Sky website
• MotherDaughterBookClub.com interview with Kirby Larson