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, 9/6/2013" My mom checked this out over the summer and I got ahold of it and read it. To my suprise I really liked it. There's parts that make you smile and laugh and there's others that make you cry. "Our Only May Amelia" is a really good book. "
— Jill, 9/6/2013" Awsome book. "
— Rina, 8/30/2013" This is a book that students who like The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate will also like. It's written like it and has a similar storyline. I liked the way it's written and enjoyed the story. A good middle grade book. "
— Andrea, 8/2/2013" I read this book when I was a child and loved it. It captures your imagination and soothes your soul. "
— Brooke, 7/14/2013" Read this in second grade and bawled my eyes out. I swore I would never love any book more than this one. "
— Erin, 12/21/2012" A well-drawn portrait of a Finnish girl living in Washington state in the 1800s. Great characterization, but not necessarily a compelling plot. "
— Libby, 8/31/2012" Considering this is a children's book, this book covered some tough subjects and didn't sugar-coat them. I liked that! The stories are based on a true account from journal entries. It's funny, sad a very real. "
— Wendy, 7/14/2012" this book is sooooo good "
— Grace, 3/31/2012" Well paced and plotted Newberry Honor book. I really liked the voice and setting. "
— Carrieuoregon, 12/26/2011" Although this was an easy read, it was such a fun book, I feel in love with the witty, adventurous May Amelia my biggest complaint about this book, is that I wanted more, I didn't want it to end. "
— Melanie, 10/21/2011" Story about a tomboy girl. Funny and entertaining! A must! "
— Korrin, 7/3/2011" Green Valley Book Fair find. Very simple book but I did enjoy it and it gave me a picture of that time and place in history that I did not have. An entertaining and educational read for kids. "
— Kim, 5/28/2011" One of my favorite historical fiction novels for 5th grade girls. "
— Andrea, 4/22/2011" this is offichaally my favrite book it is a fantastic book!!!!! you alll should read it especally girls "
— Sydnie, 4/12/2011" This book about the only daughter in a large family of Finnish immigrants is so much fun to read. It explores a lot of the history of Washington state, which is fun, but the great thing about it is the characters. Holm manages to make each of the brothers come alive. I really loved it. "
— Melanie, 3/29/2011" A well-done historical story based on real people pioneering in Washington State. "
— Lee, 3/28/2011" Sweet and classic. With the annoying trait of capitalizing phrases for emphasis. "
— Lee, 3/28/2011" So fun and entertaining to read! Loved how she was such a trouble maker, but still loved. Loved the chapters with the evil grandmother in it, they were so amusing! "
— Abby, 3/24/2011" This was a very quick and easy read. It is a historical novel, from the youth section. "
— Jennifer, 3/8/2011" I read this some years ago but I liked it a lot, it has a nice feel to it and the setting is charming. "
— Kathleen, 2/12/2011" A sweet story set in a time and place not often written about. "
— Laura, 2/9/2011" Good book for young readers. It wasn't as good as other pioneer stories but still fun. "
— Rachel, 1/24/2011Jennifer 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.