Hattie Ever After

Have you ever read a book that just really stuck with you?  Of course I have, but it's not so often the YA book that do that for me.  Kirby Larson's Newbery Honor book, Hattie Big Sky was one of those books for me.  Hattie just wormed her way into my soul from her Montana homestead and took up residence.  I rooted for her and loved her and cried with her when things got difficult.  I didn't expect, however, to ever see her again once I'd finished Hattie Big Sky.  So perhaps you can imagine my excitement when I heard at the ALA conference that Hattie was back, and then they even gave me an advanced reader's copy.  Can I just tell you that I left it sitting on my shelf for more than a month because I didn't want to read it?

And here's why I didn't want to read it.   On the one hand, I was afraid it wouldn't hold up to the original.  Writing a sequel is a tough thing to do, at least in my estimation.  Well, actually, I should say, writing a good sequel.   I was a little worried I wouldn't love Hattie as much in book two.  That Hattie might have changed in ways I wasn't prepared for.  On the other hand, I knew it was going to be so good that I didn't want it to be over too soon.  I wanted to have that experience still waiting for me.  It's kind of a weird thing I have with authors I love.  I know once I start reading that in just a few hours the experience will be finished, and then I'll be waiting again.  I don't want it to go too quickly, so I give myself time to just look at the cover and imagine what might be.

What might be in Hattie Ever After is pure brilliance.  I think I might have actually liked it more than I liked Hattie Big Sky.  The writing in both books is beautiful. But I think that Hattie as a little bit older character has even more appeal for me than she did as a younger woman.  She wasn't a little girl in the first book, but she's more mature in this one, even though she's still quite young by today's standards.  She's looking to discover herself (even at the cost, perhaps, of the relationship with her boyfriend). She's looking to start a career as a reporter, one that's really interesting, and one that requires courage and determination for a young woman at the time.  Seems like a perfect set-up for a girl like Hattie, don't you think?

Kirby Larson does an amazing job of creating a character I can see so very clearly in a town (San Francisco) I can see so very clearly, too. It's as exciting for the reader to live vicariously in San Francisco as it was for Hattie, I think. So many exciting things are happening at that time, and Hattie gets a chance to experience them. In turn, I did, too.

Books like Hattie Big Sky and Hattie Ever After are the reason I love historical fiction and I highly recommend them. Anyone else out there vote for a third book in the series???

Nubs - The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle - Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery, and Maj. Brian Dennis

I am a huge Kirby Larson fan, so when I recently saw she had a another book out, even though it was a picture book and wouldn't probably fit at our library, I had to check it out. It's a very sweet and almost unbelievable story.

Nubs, the dog you see pictured here (see how his ears have been cut off - that's why he's called Nubs), is from Iraq! Major Brian Dennis, a Marine serving over there, found Nubs - or maybe Nubs found him - and the two became friends. But soldiers aren't allowed to have pets, so Major Dennis had to leave Nubs behind when his unit went off on missions. Nubs was always waiting for him when he returned. But the really unbelievable part is this: when the major's unit moved to a camp 70 miles away the dog followed him! It took him two days, and he was in bad shape when he arrived, but he found his friend. Everyone says Marines are loyal, and apparently so are their dogs!

This unexpected and amazing behavior led Major Dennis to adopt the dog, even though he wasn't supposed to. But the military has its rules, and someone found out and told him he had to get rid of the dog. Instead, he started a campaign to raise enough money to fly Nubs to the US where they'd be reunited when he returned. It worked!

The story is told in text, photographs, emails, and dotted line maps showing Nubs's journeys, This is an adorable and inspiring story that animal lovers especially will love. Available at the Multnomah County Library.

And I have more news, too! Kirby Larson has a new YA book coming out soon, and she just emailed me (right while I was typing this review - isn't that kinda crazy?) saying she's sending me a preview copy! Yippee!!! Look for another Kirby Larson review coming your way soon!