Hattie Mae Begins Again (juvenile historical fiction in verse)

     Speaking of important writers I haven't seen anything by lately making a grand return, how about Sharon G. Flake? I cut my blogging teeth on her earlier books. Her Hattie Mae Begins Again combines a relatable character in an engaging plot with rich insights into life in Philadelphia in the 1930s, a time when the Great Migration and the worst depression in this country's history were going on.

"Miss Abigail's School 

     for Exceptional Young Ladies

is for well-to-do girls whose fathers are

lawyers, architects, 

     and engineers

politicians, surgeons, 

painters and doctors of note.

Ma is a plain old schoolteacher. 

Daddy works on a factory floor. 

     I do not belong here with these girls."

     Hattie Mae experiences quite a bit of culture shock when she leaves her rural home to attend a boarding school in Philadelphia. Everything is new and different down to clothing, daily routines and indoor plumbing. And as for her soon to be classmates--

"Everything about them was different. 

Their hair was curled in ringlets

Down to their shoulders. 

     They'd probably die before using rag ties

at night like me."

     The girls are the very privileged daughters of high society Black families, the "talented tenth". They have impeccable backgrounds, cultural experiences, beautifully styled clothes, and familiarity with the boarding school lifestyle. Unfortunately some of them look down their privileged noses at Hattie and delight in making life hard for her, hoping she will give up and drop out...

     ...and there are times she feels like doing just that...

     ...but they've badly underestimated her spunk and determination. Her family has gone all out to equip and prepare her for her new experience. She is desperate to not let them down. One way or another she is going to fit in and make their aspirations for her and her dreams for herself come true. 

     Flake is a proud Philadelphia native with long roots in the city and a lively interest in its rich history. The woman knows how to do research. She brings a quite turbulent time in her hometown's history vividly alive for young readers. I consider Hattie Mae Begins Again to be a most excellent acquisition for public and school libraries. 

On a purrrsonal note, I have some really exciting news. Orono Public Library has issued a summer reading challenge. Being a true book geek, I live for reading challenges. I got to choose a free book to keep from a really good selection. In it was an attractive bookmark. When filled out it will be my entry into a September grand prize drawing. All I have to do is read eight books and complete eight out of eleven challenges. I'll post pictures of the  bookmark tomorrow. This will be so much fun! I sure hope lots of people join me in taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity. 

A great big shout out goes out to the librarians who provide Orono Public Library patrons with a wealth of diverse and engaging programming. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Camp

Eugene does the cooking on this grill.  The solar panels provide electricity for lights and Eugene's TV which we sometimes watch a movie on. 

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Camp

Eugene and Adam built this camp. It's stood up to many years of Maine winters which is no small feat. Unlike many people who shut their camps after summer ends Eugene goes even during the winter. I stay home in the winter. I'm too much a fan of indoor plumbing when night temps are below 🥶 freezing. The porch is where I do a lot of reading. 

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Change of Plans (YA romance)

     It's been a minute since I've seen any new books by Sarah Dessen, one of the consistent bright lights of YA fiction. So I was over the moon when I discovered her Change of Plans. It most definitely lives up to the complexity and emotional depth of her earlier works.

     Right after her high school graduation narrator Finley gets some devastating news: Colin, her adoring and attentive boyfriend of two years drops her long distance (He's on a cruise) with no warning. Needless to say, she's devastated. And she has to deal with the heart break in a quite unfamiliar environment. 

     Finley and her mother have a rather unusual relationship. She lives with her father, stepmother, and half siblings. Her mother had taken off when she was only four. The occasional visits--"a week at Christmas, two in the summer, plus a handful of weekends she always claimed in January"--seem awkward for both of them. Finley doesn't really know the woman who gave birth to her.

      Catherine has requested Finley for the week after graduation. The plan is to spend a celebratory week in New York City. But when Catherine picks her up there's been a change of plans. They're headed out to the old family home to help get it ready to sell.

     Finley is not the only one to be to be shocked. 

     "You realize how incredibly selfish this is, don't you? To ignore us for ages and then decide oh, hey, I do want to sell the house, at the worst possible time?"

     It seems that Finley isn't the only one Catherine has ditched. She's abandoned her whole large family. 

     Now Finley has to adjust to her heartbreak in a strange place where her mother and her kin  are having to adjust to each other while carrying out the emotionally charged task of cleaning out the memory laden family home.

     But wait. There's more drama. 

     Anne, Catherine's niece, is so resentful of her future mother-in-law making all the decisions about her upcoming wedding that she just might call the whole thing off...

     ...and the rotten cherry on top of the shitstorm sundae? Finley discovers a devastating diagnosis her mother has been hiding from them all.

      But Finley is quite resourceful. She's working at the family diner and making friends. She just might be falling for Ben, an unabashedly awkward coworker and gifted musician. 

     Readers who enjoy fabulous but flawed characters in complex relationships and challenging situations will find a lot to like about Change of Plans, a beach read extraordinaire. 

     Hopefully Dessen is working on more simply irresistible narratives.

On a purrrsonal note, my mother-in-law has been in the hospital with pneumonia since Thursday. I frantically searched for a crafts project I could carry in when visiting her because I have basically no tolerance for sitting doing nothing. I can't start a scarf because I can't cast on and I don't remember how to crochet. Finally I picked a relatively easy cross stitch kit which now takes a great deal of concentration but is doable. That's fine motor progress. 

A great big shout out goes out to my mother-in-law, Arlene Hathaway, with best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Pictures from camp

A nearby lake 

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Pictures from camp

I wonder if these stones were part of a wall. 

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Pictures from camp

The road that goes by our camp.

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