2013 Book 6: Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel FieldReason for Reading: This book won the Newbery Medal in 1930 and has been sitting on my shelf for years.
Review
While sitting idly one evening in her antique shop, Hitty, a 6-inch-long doll carved out of Mountain Ash wood, decides to write her memoirs. She begins her narration with her birth into the brave new world of 1830's Maine. Her little girl drags her on many adventures beginning first with their village and ending in a far-off land...where she finds a new owner. Follow Hitty's adventures over a hundred years as she changes hands and lands and occupations. This is an adorable little classic of historical fiction for 8-9 year-old girls. The story is sweet and generally easy to read (though some of the historical references went over my head, and the book succumbed to the racial stereotyping common for books written around the turn of the century). I'm glad I finally picked this one up.
Challenge Count: This book is included in my children's/YA literature list in the Classics Club (my progress). It counts for my fourth book in this month's Classic Children's Literature Challenge. Rachel Field is my third new author this year (my progress). I'm going to count it in the Paranormal Reading Challenge as "other - self-aware toys" (my progress). It takes place in turn-of-the-century US, so it's my second book for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge (my progress). In the Genre Variety Reading Challenge, I'm considering it "children's historical fiction" (my progress). For Back to the Classics, it counts as category D: Children's Classic (my progress). This is my fourth book Off the Shelf (my progress).
For some reason, perhaps because I was never into dolls, this title never appealed to me when I was little. It just sounded dull. But your review makes it sound very sweet and adorable. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteIt was very sweet, though I, too, wasn't very drawn to it as a child. But since my aunt had tried to give me a copy of it soooo many times throughout the years, I thought I'd finally pull it out. I probably appreciated it more now than I would have as a child.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this one but glad it was enjoyable. I finished reading Little Women for the Back to the Classics Challenge. Here's my review of Little Women for the Back to the Classics Challenge if you'd like to stop by.
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty cute. I haven't read Little Women yet, but I really should. :)
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