Hattie Big Sky

American author Kirby Larson’s 2006 Newbery Honor-winning children’s novel, Hattie Big Sky, takes place during World War I, following sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks as she moves to a farm in Montana and adjusts to life as a homesteader. Hattie’s story is told through a series of letters to her Uncle Holt and friend, Charlie, while he is abroad at war. Though the plot takes place during her sixteenth year, Hattie’s story constantly draws on her memories of being a transient cared for by different family members. Hattie ultimately comes to find community and purpose in Montana, developing a self-reliant identity out of her many struggles.

The novel begins in 1917. Hattie has long been without her parents, who died before she reached schooling age. Since then, she has depended on extended family for food, shelter, and nurturing, and has never known a secure home. When she is thirteen, she moves into the care of a distant cousin and his wife, Uncle Holt and Aunt Ivy. Aunt Ivy spurns Hattie’s presence, viewing her as an unnecessary burden whose rightful place is yet to be found. When she learns that a nearby boarding house needs a hand, she tries to send Hattie, though she is mere months from completing her schooling. Uncle Holt, who is a much more compassionate person, gives Hattie the choice of whether or not to go. To help her make the right choice, Hattie writes letters to her friend, Charlie Hawley, who has just left for the war.

Before she comes to a decision, Uncle Holt gives her two letters addressed from somewhere in Montana. One is from a woman she has never met, Perilee Johnson Mueller. It states that the other letter is intended to be opened by Hattie upon the death of her uncle, and pledges the support of herself and her husband, Karl. The second letter is from Hattie’s only biological uncle, Chester. Chester relates that he has developed a terminal illness and intends to leave Hattie his 320-acre farm in Montana, should she want it. The only condition of the inheritance is that she must adequately perform the homestead’s duties. He expresses hope that Hattie will accept his offer and that she turns out to have the same hardy constitution as her mother, his sister, once had.



Elated at the news that she has a way out of living at the boarding house, Hattie answers Perilee’s letter simply with, “I will come.” She travels from Uncle Holt’s home in Iowa to Montana, where she finds the house. The homestead is also home to a cow named Violet and a horse, Plug. Over the next year, Hattie rigorously learns the duties of homesteading. Having had no established expectations before traveling to Montana, she quickly finds her life completely changed. As she grows more comfortable on the farm, she feels a new sense of belonging. She commits to proving her rightful ownership of Uncle Chester’s land by planting and harvesting forty of the farm’s 320 acres. To do so, she constructs a large fence and pays a sum of thirty-eight dollars to legally accept the land.

Though Hattie is afraid that she might fail, she ultimately excels at taking care of the farm. Her letters to Uncle Holt and Charlie detail her endeavors to learn how to feed and nurture livestock, perform essential domestic duties, and survive the brutal Montana winters. Though the farm is located in a wild and remote area, Hattie gradually meets other farmers and makes friends. By the end of her first year on the homestead, she is able to celebrate the fruits of her self-reliance: at last, she feels at home, and she has learned how strong she really is. Hattie Big Sky portrays Hattie’s coming of age as a process of discovering capabilities and virtues that she inherited from her lost family, suggesting that they continue to live through her.