Hattie Big Sky

Can an orphan ever find a true home?

For most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to move all by herself to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle’s homestead claim.

Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather and hard times with help from her new neighbors. For the first time in her life, Hattie feels part of a family, finding the strength to stand up against Traft Martin’s schemes to buy her out and against increasing pressure to be a “loyal” American at a time when anything—or anyone—German is suspect. Despite daily trials, Hattie continues to work her uncle’s claim until an unforeseen tragedy causes her to search her soul for the real meaning of home.

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Awards

  • 2007 Newbery Honor Award
  • Montana Book Award
  • American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults
  • American Library Association Notables book
  • National Council of Social Studies and Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

Finalist for:

  • California Young Readers Medal
  • Cybils Award
  • Washington State Book Award
  • Young Readers Choice Award nominations:
  • California Young Readers Medal
  • Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
  • Kansas William Allen White Award
  • Kentucky Bluegrass Award
  • Maine Student Book Award
  • Missouri Gateways Readers Award
  • Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
  • Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award
  • Virginia Readers’ Choice Award

Other accolades:

  • Book Sense Children’s Pick
  • School Library Journal Best Book
  • Book Links Lasting Connections
  • Booklist Editors’ Choice
  • Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year
  • New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age
  • Booklist starred review
  • School Library Journal starred review
  • Junior Library Guild selection
  • Barnes and Noble Discover Title
  • Borders New Voices Title

Resources

Hattie Big Sky

Can an orphan ever find a true home?

For most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to move all by herself to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle’s homestead claim.

Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather and hard times with help from her new neighbors. For the first time in her life, Hattie feels part of a family, finding the strength to stand up against Traft Martin’s schemes to buy her out and against increasing pressure to be a “loyal” American at a time when anything—or anyone—German is suspect. Despite daily trials, Hattie continues to work her uncle’s claim until an unforeseen tragedy causes her to search her soul for the real meaning of home.

Indiebound Bookshop Barnes & Noble

Reviews

“.  . . 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 an uncle she’d never met. Hattie is to receive his land claim, the house and its contents. . . 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

“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. 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. 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

“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. 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