289 p. ; 22 cm

Includes bibliographical references (p. 289)

012 & up

Accelerated Reader/Renaissance Learning MG 4.4 10

After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself and encounters some unexpected problems related to the war being fought in Europe. Alone in the world, teen-aged Hattie is driven to prove up on her uncle's homesteading claim. For years, sixteen-year-old Hattie's been shuttled between relatives. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she courageously leaves Iowa to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim near Vida, Montana. With a stubborn stick-to-itiveness, Hattie faces frost, drought and blizzards. Despite many hardships, Hattie forges ahead, sharing her adventures with her friends--especially Charlie, fighting in France--through letters and articles for her hometown paper. Her backbreaking quest for a home is lightened by her neighbors, the Muellers. But she feels threatened by pressure to be a "Loyal" American, forbidding friendships with folks of German descent. Despite everything, Hattie's determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home

A Junior Library Guild selection

Self-reliance -- Juvenile fiction

Frontier and pioneer life -- Juvenile fiction

Orphans -- Juvenile fiction

Montana -- History -- 20th century -- Juvenile fiction

World War, 1914-1918 -- United States -- Juvenile fiction

0385733135 (trade)

9780385733137 (trade)

0385903324 (reinforced)

9780385903325 (reinforced)

9780440239413 (Delacorte Press : pbk.)