Today, I’m happy to welcome our current intern,Hayley Schoeppler, again. You guys may recall that she did a review of Mara, Daughter of the Nile for us in March. Today, she takes a look at Hattie Ever After for us.
Hattie Ever After, Kirby Larson. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2013. 240 pgs. Ages 12+.
Hattie is back–spunky, determined, and effervescent. Her homestead days might be over but her adventurous spirit is still going strong. She is not ready to settle down yet with patience, loving (and long-suffering!) Charlie, and by the end of Chapter 3, Hattie is bound for San Francisco. San Francisco in 1919 is bustling and exciting and suits Hattie very well. There is so much to learn, so much to see, and so many opportunities for a hard-working girl like Hattie. It also has so much to write about, and Hattie hasn’t forgotten her dream of someday being a real reporter. Almost before she realizes it, she has a job working for the Chronicle. True, she’s only a building cleaner, but still Hattie finds plenty of inspiration in her work and lots to relate to her friends in a correspondence that is sprinkled throughout the book. Aside from letters, the rest of the story is told in first person, and it’s hard not to become fond of Hattie and her bubbling enthusiasm.
I paused for a moment, on the edges of the newsroom. That anyone got any work done with all this noise and commotion was nothing short of miraculous. How I loved my small role in this miracle! I fervently believed that one day I would have a larger role. I might never be a Nellie Bly, but wouldn’t it be better to be Hattie Brooks?
Be yourself and pursue your dreams but don’t lose your happiness in the progress: that message is woven through Hattie Ever After. At one point, Hattie tries to explain her outlook in life to Charlie,
It’s sort of about not giving up. But more, it’s about giving yourself –giving myself the chance to see what I’m really made of.” I thought back to the emptiness I’d first felt after leaving Vida. [End of first book] That feeling that something was unfinished. That I was unfinished. “It probably makes no sense to you, but I don’t think I’ll be able to know what I can really do with my life unless I stick it out.
It doesn’t make sense to poor Charlie, and it might not make sense to a younger reader. Why not marry Charlie and live happily ever after? But no, Hattie has to do it her way, and in the end, it all does work out.
Kirby Larson’s hard work and research in bringing San Francisco to life is evident in this well-written historical fiction. My one quibble and a topic worth discussion with readers, comes in Larson’s portrayal of the two young men in Hattie’s life. Charlie is a childhood friend who is dependable, steady, and who knows and loves Hattie. The feeling is mutual, and as Hattie observes fondly, “if he was occupied with a job that tickled his fancy, like working on planes, a body could dress like Helen of Troy, and ride a mare backward, all the while singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ and Charlie would pay no never-mind.” While good friends throughout the book, Charlie tends to fade in and out of the background. Ned meanwhile is a slick and ambitious journalist for the Chronicle who Hattie comes to know. In time, Ned and Hattie make a team, “we found our way to a good working routine, which mostly involved Ned telling me what to do and my doing it” Hattie cheerfully informs the reader. For once, Hattie has met her match, and all seems well, but not for long as readers will learn in an unexpected twist.
While Hattie does live on the eve of the roaring 1920s and the Flapper Era, a time of great change for American women, her free spirit and views regarding relationships seemed almost to be imposed by a 21st century mindset. Not every girl’s quest, apart from God, to find herself will end as happily ever after as Hattie’s. Understand that, and one can enjoy this fun historical fiction novel.
Worldview/Moral Value: 3.75 (out of 5)
Literary Value: 4 (out of 5)
Hayley Schoeppler grew up in a home surrounded by books and dwells amongst a family of book lovers. When she’s not reading, she loves to write, and often writes about books at her blog Cats in Boxes. Hayley’s other hobbies include baking, gardening, horseback riding, cross stitch, and traveling.
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Nice work, Hayley!