I found Hattie Big Sky on a list of Janssen's favorite books (see the list of her book index here) and picked it up at the library simply based on the catchy title (I would submit that readers absolutely judge books by the cover...and the title and the author, etc.) This book was so intriguing, delightful, heartbreaking and enjoyable; I can absolutely understand why it merited a Newbery Honor.Hattie is a young (16-year-old) girl who was orphaned early in life and has been tossed from relative to relative for as long as she can remember. While living with distant relatives that she calls aunt and uncle, she receives a letter from a Perilee in Montana. Perilee has sent a letter from Hattie's now deceased uncle inviting her to Montana, to take over his plot of 320 acres and his house if she's interested. Without much thought she packs her single bag, boards the train with her cat (a delightful character) and heads out to Montana, where she finds her "house" is a clapboard 9' x 12' shack in the midst of very difficult terrain.
Over the next year you'll watch anxiously as Hattie works to "prove up" her plot of land, building a whole lot of fence and planting her crops for the harvest. Along the way she becomes genuine friends with characters she did not initially anticipate loving and she learns a lot about what makes a person truly good.
I really enjoyed learning more about homesteading, farming (which I have not learned a lick about through life experiences) and WWI (which I am deeply grateful for not living through). My heart hurt with Hattie as she struggled through difficulties and I was so excited for every little victory she achieved along the way. A worthwhile read.
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