She may be a miracle, but she’s no Proper Young Lady! It isn’t easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899, but it’s particularly hard when you are the only girl ever born in the new settlement. With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can’t seem to abide her family’s insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady. Not when there’s fishing to be done, sheep to be herded, and real live murderers to be captured! May is sure she could manage better if only there were at least one other girl living along the banks of the Nasel River. And now that Mama’s going to have a baby, maybe there’s hope. . . .
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"What a delightful read! I grew to like the main character, May Amelia, so quickly. Even though she gets into so much mischief, she is kind and vulnerable (oh, that awful Grandmother Patience!) and makes you wish you could jump right into the book and be the female friend she could use, being the only girl in a family of seven boys. The author provides a great mix of adventures and relationship developments to make the story a page-turner even for adults. Pam, let me know if you get your hands on the new sequel, I would love to read it!"
— Denise (4 out of 5 stars)
" This book was great to read as a middle schooler. I had two older brothers and could relate to Amelia being the only girl. Shows that girls can do the same thing boys can. Inspirational! "
— Emily, 2/9/2014" May Amelia, an accident prone, but loveable little sister to six older brothers, tells what it is like to grow up on a farm in remote Southern Washington. The Washington State history interwoven throughout the plot was especially interesting as were the members of May Amelia's extended family. "
— Julie, 2/7/2014" I wanted to like this book as I had heard the author speak at a conference, but it never really won me over. For one the book is in the voice of a 12 year old; hence the narrator isn't very articulate and this works against the story at times. A daring move by the author but she doesn't completely pull it off. "
— Ron, 2/4/2014" i read this a long time ago, but i remember that it was a little strange... if you know what i mean. :) "
— Emmy, 1/30/2014" Enjoyable historical fiction of Finnish family in 1900 Oregon. "
— Lori, 1/22/2014" I had trouble getting into this book. The title of the book did not say "read me" and the lack of quotation marks for dialogue, the run-on sentences, and funny capitalizations within many sentences was annoying. Having said all that it was a good historical novel of Finnish immigrant girl living in south west Washington state along the Nasal River (now called the Naselle River) in the early 1900's. I did find the author's note about the real events that inspired the book interesting. "
— Crystal, 1/15/2014" I like Jennifer Holm for YA historical fiction. I like the ones set in the NW!! "
— Collette, 1/15/2014" I thoroughly enjoyed this book... funny, heart-breaking and poignantly realistic. Historical fiction is my genre of choice, apparently. "
— Jenny, 12/18/2013" This is such a heart-warming book! May Amelia is a strong female character who just tugs at your heart strings. "
— Krista, 12/1/2013" The lack of quotation marks may throw some younger readers off as they read this historical fiction novel, but it's worth the effort. May Amelia is a strong, thoughtful character. Readers of all ages will root for her! "
— Kathleen, 10/20/2013" Loved it! Great characters and a great historical picture. It was an engaging story with many moral lessons. "
— Steve, 9/6/2013Jennifer L. Holm is the author of the 1999 Newberry Honor book, Our Only May Amelia. In addition to writing novels for young adults, she produces television commercials and lives in Brooklyn.