| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that though May Amelia is a girl, this book has boy appeal too; six brothers and a male cousin share in her adventures. The drawings add to the book's appeal.
May Amelia hates to be told, "Behave like a proper young lady." She works on the farm as hard as any boy. Her birthday wish is for a little sister, but when baby Amy dies, she goes "grief mad" and runs away. Based on tales from her own family, author Jennifer L. Holm creates a believable heroine in a realistic historical setting.
This historical novel captures the harsh and lonely life of a girl living in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century. The author builds excitement and suspense into each chapter: Chased by an angry mother bear and a cougar and nearly swept away by logs sent downriver from a logging camp, May Amelia seems to remain alive only by virtue of a string of luck. And readers learn that some things don't change in a hundred years: Brothers and sisters argue, parents set rules, and children run away.
To write this story, Holm delved into her family history: Her great-grandfather was one of the first Finnish-American settlers in the Nasel River Valley, but it was her grand-aunt's diary that inspired the title character.
Families can talk about the differences -- and similarities -- between daily life 100 years ago and today. What do you imagine life would be like without modern inventions like television, computers, and telephones?
| Author: | Jennifer L. Holm |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Family Life |
| Publisher: | HarperTrophy |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1999 |
| Number of pages: | 251 |
| Hardcover price: | $0.00 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
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