Review: HATTIE BIG SKY by Kirby Larson

1. BIOGRAPHY

Larson, Kirby. 2007. Hattie Big Sky. Read by Kirsten Potter. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780739351231. Text ISBN 0385903324.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Will Hattie ever find a home? Orphaned Hattie Inez Brooks has spent her life shifted from relative to relative after the death of her parents, until an uncle she has never met dies and leaves her a homestead claim in Montana. Hattie leaves the home with her “shirt-tail relatives” where she has never felt like she fit in, and moves to Montana. As Hattie struggles against the hardships of the harsh Montana winter, she encounters friends who become like the family she has always wanted. She also faces the reality of WW1 on the home front when her friends and neighbors are regarded with suspicion due to the anti-German sentiment of the time. Hattie expresses her feelings about her new life and experiences in letters to her school-chum serving overseas, her Uncle Holt, and articles she writes for the Arlington News. As she reflects back on her year as a homesteader, Hattie realizes that though she is on the move again, she has found herself at home in her own skin and in the hearts of her friends.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The unabridged audio CD format is aptly narrated by Kirsten Potter in this 7 CD set , and has excellent quality of sound in its enthralling narrative. The language in the story is true to the time period and makes one think of the way a proper young lady would speak in 1918. Although vocabulary might be challenging to some readers, due to words such as bodice and valise which are not commonly used any more, it too, is true to the time period. Potter’s voice makes the believable characters come to life as she uses different Western accents to differentiate between them. This captivating story records not only Hattie’s physical journey from Iowa to Montana, but also her internal journey from an uncertain girl who doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere to someone who is strong enough to make it on her own. Young adults for whom this book is intended can relate to this feeling of finding their own place in the world.

In the author’s note at the end of the audio book, Kirby Larson shares that she named the lead character of this book after her great-grandmother, Hattie Inez Brooks Wright, who actually did homestead by herself in eastern Montana as a young girl. While the letters and newspaper articles which open each chapter were not written by Larson’s great-grandmother, they were based upon dozens of actual journal and diary entries Larson read as she researched. The anti-German sentiment during the war is also true to the time-period and the scenarios relating this in the book are also based upon actual events. Letters to and from Hattie’s school chum Charlie, (a soldier overseas), paint an accurate picture of the difficult living conditions faced by both the Montana homesteaders and soldiers overseas.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Newberry Honor Book

BOOKLIST review: “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.”

KIRKUS reviews: 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.

AUDIOFILE review: “With considerable humor, Kirsten Potter employs a variety of old-fashioned Western accents to differentiate the cast of colorful characters. Potter excels at conveying the emotions that run high as Hattie faces the challenges of homestead life, including the bigotry of neighbors against the German-American friends who have helped her in every way.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Each chapter of this story opens as letters to a friend serving in the war, her Uncle Holt, or as a newspaper article. Encourage students to write about their own daily experiences in letters to soldiers overseas, relatives, or in a diary.

This novel would be an excellent read-aloud to supplement a Social Studies unit on World War I.

Other Historical Novels set during war-time:

Larson, Kirby.  The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941 (Dear America Series). ISBN 0545224187

Larson, Kirby. The Friendship Doll ISBN-10: 0385737459

Salisbury, Graham. Under the Blood-Red Sun ISBN 9780553494877