May Amelia is one of my personal favorite book characters because she is bold, and not afraid to stand out and be herself. Sometimes she feels like nobody but her favorite brother, Wilbert, understands her. Sometimes things turn out badly, but that doesn't stop May from being herself and dreaming big! I hope you will read this book because it is so inspirational. It will encourage you to stand tall for what you believe!
Our Only May Amelia (Newbery Honor Book, 2000)
By Jennifer L. Holm
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 4 - 8 | R | 4.8 | 46545 |
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....
00-01 Utah Book Award (Gr. 3-6) and 00-01 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Bk Award Masterlist
Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council, 2000 Newbery Honor Book, and 2000 Notable Children's Books (ALA)
Publisher: Demco Media
ISBN-13: 9780606213714
ISBN-10: 0606213716
Published on 2/1/2002
Binding: Paperback
Book Reviews (3)
This book was full of adventure. May Amelia, the main character, is growing up surrounded by boys. May Amelia is daring, bold, and not afraid of getting into trouble. She fits in with her brothers, until her grandmother comes and wants to change everything. Will her Grandmother change her or will she still be allowed to be like her brothers? Read this book to find out.
![Shannon Rubin](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 12 12"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I chose this book for the class because we have been learning about Washington State's history and the effects of change on people and cultures. May Amelia's family are immigrants from Finland and they have brought their cultural perspective to their new life in the Northwest. They must make adjustments to live successfully in this new territory among the indigenous Chinook and the immigrant Chinese to name a few. May Amelia, herself, wrestles with the traditions of her culture and her desire to take risks and live the adventurous life of her brothers. I loved the characters in this book and the unique writing writing style of Jennifer Holm.