Reviewed by: Sarah
Review: In the December of 1918, sixteen year-old Hattie Inez Brooks, has just made the biggest decision of her life. She has accepted her deceased uncle’s wish for her to move onto his homestead near Vida, Montana. Hattie has always been Hattie-Here-and-There, bouncing from relative to relative, because she was orphaned at a young age. She sees this new homesteading opportunity as a place for her to truly belong to somewhere, somewhere where she doesn’t feel like a third wheel. In January, Hattie sets out for Vida, to begin her new life. There, she meets Perilee and her husband Karl, who become her biggest helpers in her new life of homesteading. They are kind, peaceful people who are always quick to help Hattie in her times of need. Even though Hattie’s first year of homesteading is sometimes heartbreaking, she finds loving friends and family with Perilee Mueller and her other caring neighbors. Hattie Big Sky is a book with heart, full of the joy of homesteading ,as well as the back-breaking work that comes along with it. Though, it also tells of German racism in WWI, a time when anyone or anything German was looked down upon. Mostly, however, it is a book about friends being there and never thinking twice about giving their time to help you.
Overall Rating: 5 (Awesome)