A children's chapter book that takes place during WWI. At sixteen Hattie is an orphan that has been shuttled here and there so much she calls herself Hattie-Here-and-There. When she inherits land from an uncle in Montana, off she goes to become a homesteader all by herself but strong resolve. The story follows her through the first year of the homesteading life. A Newberry winner, I loved this story about a strong and determined young woman. ( )

Sixteen-year-old Hattie inherits a homestead in Montana. There's only one catch: she has to "prove" her claim. That means outsmarting a bad-tempered cow named "Violet", digging holes for fence posts to fence in an area as big as 40 football fields, and surviving the freezing winter, muddy spring, and sizzling summer. All while living in a rackety tiny shed that her uncle put up to serve as a house.

While Hattie is fighting the good fight against all of these challenges, World War I is changing people's opinions about their German neighbors. Standing up for her new friends takes a completely different kind of courage.

Note for sensitive readers: This story has a childbirth scene and there is a death in the family. ( )

This novel totally hit the spot for me, and the sewing/self-sufficiency/flu pandemic content made it perfect to listen to while making masks for my teen for camp. (She's the same age as Hattie, and it's difficult imagining her trying to prove a claim in Montana in 1918.) ( )

I really enjoyed this book, its a bit slow to start but totally won over my heart in the end :) I highly recommend ( )