Hattie Big Sky

Bibliography

Larson, Kirby. 2006. Hattie Big Sky. New York, NY: Delacorte Press ISBN 978-0-375-84641-0

Plot Summary

Hattie Brooks has lived the majority of her sixteen years hopping from relative to relative since the death of her parents. When her deceased Uncle Chester wills her his homestead claim in Montana, Hattie jumps at the offer to "prove up" her land and herself. 

Critical Analysis

Larson cleverly enfolds history into the entertaining, at times heart-wrenching novel Hattie Big Sky. On the surface it seems to be the story of a brave sixteen year old girl in 1917, but wartime history and land struggles that many homesteaders faced are incorporated into the plot in a way that deepens the reader's relationship with Hattie while at the same time setting the scene in a historically accurate way. Hattie Big Sky allows for more than just character and plot discussion. It provides an outlet for the reader to experience the difficulties of "proving up" land claims, living off of war rations, and being bullied by ignorant "patriots" all through the eyes of a easy-to-relate-to, good humored sixteen year old girl.     

Review Excerpts

2007 Newbery Honor Book

“Larson creates a masterful picture of the homesteading experience and the people who persevered.”–School Library Journal

Connections

*Read one or more of the "Related Titles" provided in the back of Hattie Big Sky.

*Hold a Book Discussion Group using the "Questions for Discussion" in Hattie Big Sky. Have each participant bring their own question to add to the discussion.

*Learn more about WWI food rations and try "Perilee's Wartime Spice Cake" recipe or "Hattie's Lighter-than-Lead Biscuits. Discuss other wartime rations and how the war affected those both on the battlefront and back home.