Alison Reads

In 1917, 16-year-old Hattie inherits her uncle’s land claim in eastern Montana. She moves there and lives alone in a shack working to prove up her claim by planting 40 acres of flax and wheat and fencing in her 320 acres of land. She writes letters to a boy friend who is fighting in France, and get to know her neighbors. She encounters prejudice against anyone with German blood, as well as the flu epidemic of 1918. Based on the author’s great-grandmother’s experiences, this is a good book about self-reliance, friendship, and heartache. A 2007 Newbery honor book. For grades 6 and up.