Hattie Big Sky

Bibliography:

Larson, Kirby. 2006. Hattie Big Sky. New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN: 0-385-73313-5

Summary:

Previously Hattie Here-and-There, bounced between family members without a home to call her own, Hattie Brooks gathers the courage to begin a life of her own out in the wilds of Montana. She braves harsh weather, disease, social instability and hard times pushing on because of her relentless attitude as well as a little help from her supportive neighbors. Fighting against the clock, Hattie bets it all on the farm, striving to become a homesteader while realizing the true meaning of family and home.

Analysis:

Written from a first-person point of view through letters, newsclippings and narrative, author Kirby Larson introduces readers to her own family's history during the first World War. Mixing factual events like her great-grandmother's honyocker adventure with fictional characters, Larson provides readers with an intriguing look into the homesteading days and the culture during a war-time era. 

Hattie's innocence, determination and sweet demeanor create a likeable  character who incites readers to cheer for her. Reader's enjoy the easy comedy Larson writes into the story, laughing with Rooster Jim's description of Hattie's circular plowing as well as Hattie's attempts at cooking. Larson's language creates an extremely readable text that evokes reader's emotions; they laugh, cry, feel triumph, anger, pain, love and happiness right along with Hattie.


Reviews:

"What dreams would lead a 16-year-old to leave her safe home in Arlington, Iowa, and take a chance on a homestead claim in Montana? Hattie Brooks, an orphan, is tired of being shuttled between relatives, tired of being Hattie Here-and-There and the feeling of being the “one odd sock behind.” So when Uncle Chester leaves her his Montana homestead claim, she jumps at the chance for independence. It’s 1918, so this is homesteading in the days of Model Ts rather than covered wagons, a time of world war, Spanish influenza and anti-German sentiment turning nasty in small-town America. Hattie’s first-person narrative is a deft mix of her own accounts of managing her claim, letters to and from her friend Charlie, who is off at war, newspaper columns she writes and even a couple of recipes. Based on a bit of Larson’s family history, this is not so much a happily-ever-after story as a next-year-will-be-better tale, with Hattie’s new-found definition of home. This fine offering may well inspire readers to find out more about their own family histories." - Kirkus Reviews, 2006

"Larson relates a heartwarming yet poignant story about homesteading in early-20th-century Montana. Until the age of 16, orphan Hattie Brooks lived with whichever relative needed extra household help. Then she receives a letter telling her of an inheritance from her Uncle Chester, whom she had never met. Hattie is to receive his land claim, the house and its contents, one horse, and one cow. When she arrives from Iowa, she learns that she has 10 months to cultivate 40 acres and set 480 rods of fence, or lose the claim. While the story relates the hardships of frontier life and how Hattie "proved up" to the challenge, it also tells of World War I bigotry and discrimination toward German Americans. Hattie's sense of humor, determination, and optimism come through in her letters to her friend Charlie, who is serving in the military in France, and through letters to her Uncle Holt, which are published in his hometown newspaper. 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. Hattie's courage and fortitude are a tribute to them." - School Library Journal (from www.kirbylarson.com)

 "In this engaging historical novel set in 1918, 16-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks leaves Iowa and travels to a Montana homestead inherited from her uncle. In the beautiful but harsh setting, she has less than a year to fence and cultivate the land in order to keep it. Neighbors who welcome Hattie help heal the hurt she has suffered from years of feeling unwanted. Chapters open with short articles that Hattie writes for an Iowa newspaper or her lively letters to a friend and possible beau who is in the military in France. The authentic first-person narrative, full of hope and anxiety, effectively portrays Hattie's struggles as a young woman with limited options, a homesteader facing terrible odds, and a loyal citizen confused about the war and the local anti-German bias that endangers her new friends. Larson, whose great-grandmother homesteaded alone in Montana, read dozens of homesteaders' journals and based scenes in the book on real events. 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 creates a richly textured novel full of memorable characters." - Booklist (from www.kirbylarson.com)

Awards:


2007 Newbery Honor Book
2006 Montana Book Award


Connections:

• Explore Hattie Big Sky website, listening to podcasts and reading blogs from author Kirby Larson
• Research honyockers and the homesteading movement of the early 1900s
• Group discussion of social attitudes during wartime, comparing past with the present (i.e. changing sauerkraut to "liberty cabbage" vs. french fries to "freedom fries"