Review-The Hired Girl, by Laura Amy Schlitz

The Hired Girl
Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press
Publication month: September 2015
978-0-7636-7818-0
$17.99/$23.99 Canada
400 pages
Age 12+




                                                                  Review by Wisteria©

The heroine of this coming of age novel is a feisty, headstrong, inherently impulsive powerhouse-a memorable character destined to be a classic. The Hired Girl, set in the year 1911 on a Pennsylvania farm is historical fiction.  However, the author has a storyteller's magical gift to transport the readers  into the mind  of Joan Scraggs and her experiences through her daily diary. Joan, fourteen, lives with her three brothers and evil tempered father.  After her mom dies, Joan is forced to assume her mom's arduous chores, exhaustive and thankless. She seeks solace in her passion for reading. The few books she owns have been read again and again.  Her father is determined to end her educational goals and the close relationship she has with her favorite teacher. Joan is very quick witted and eager to learn. Yet, when her teacher tries to persuade her father that Joan should stay in school she is rebuked.  Later, her father spews words of vitreous hatred at his daughter. Sadly, it just confirms what she has felt all along.  Unloved and shackled to a hard life on the farm she makes plans to flee.  As hateful as her father is, she recalls her mom's love and support.  Fortunately, her mother left a rainy day treasure in the ruffles of her favorite doll. With her mother's gift and and timely luck Joan secures a job as the hired girl, with a Jewish family.  Although she leads her employers to believe she is eighteen, assumes the name Janet, she settles into this new life.  It is through her diary that the reader will come to empathize and love Janet (Joan).   Her struggles with her own faith, love, women's roles, Anti-semitism and the social class prejudice prevalent are believable. The author captures not only the flavor of this period in history, but she allows the reader to experience Joan's her inner most thoughts, as only a diary will allow.  Laura Amy Schlitz is a gifted storyteller, one of my favorite young adult/tween writers. This one is now on my list to be order for my school's media center. The Hired Girl, with multiple themes and character study possibilities, is the perfect novel for classroom libraries, literature study and read aloud.  Yet it will stand out as a well loved free choice read for young and adult readers. Highly recommended. ~Wisteria Leigh

View all my review on Goodreads

Disclosure: An uncorrected proof was sent to me with a request for an unbiased review.  This review is my honest opinion.

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2015]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Three Contest Winners

Here are the winners for the three contests recently hosted on my blog. So sorry for the delay in posting the winners. It has been unusually busy trying to get ready for school this year. I also had to present a workshop on the first day to teachers that I had not planned on, so my apologies.

Congratulations to the winners!!!

Shadow of the Wind--Debbie Two of a Kind

Hansel and Gretel--Jill-Rhapsody in Books

Interrupting Chicken-Dianne-Bibliophile By the Sea

I will be emailing the winners for their snail mail addresses.

Thanks to Penguin Books for the copies of Shadow of the Wind and Hansel and Gretel. Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copy of Interrupting Chicken. Thank you to everyone who participated.

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].

Candlewick Blog Tour Giveaway-Interrupting Chicken with David Ezra Stein

Candlewick Press Blog Tour with David Ezra Stein - Book Giveaway Contest

I am delighted to be a part of this blog tour featuring Interrupting Chicken, by David Ezra Stein. I shared this wonderful book with you a few weeks ago,(review) and now have exciting news! Candlewick Press has graciously donated two copies for a book giveaway of this charming book. You will love this book: the pictures the characters and the story.

When you read with children enthusiasm often wins over patience, as demonstrated by Little Chicken. Isn't this cover the best?



Easy to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post with you coded email address. You have until August 31st to enter. :)

2) Tweet about the contest and share the link. +2 chances

3) Blog or include this in your sidebar. +2chances

4) Add your name to my follower list on my sidebar. +2 chances

Note: Participants must reside in the United States or Canada for this giveaway.

Synopsis from the publisher:
It’s time for the little red chicken’s bedtime story --and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is HANSEL AND GRETEL or LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD or even CHICKEN LITTLE, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? Energetically illustrated with glowing colors --and offering humorous story-within-a-story views --this all-too-familiar tale is sure to amuse (and hold the attention of ) spirited little chicks.

A favorite joke inspires this charming tale, in which a little chicken’s habit of interrupting bedtime stories is gleefully turned on its head.

Blog Tour Events:

Aug. 9 – Picture Book Review, http://picturebookreview.com/

Aug. 10 - Katie's Literature Lounge, http://katiesliteraturelounge.blogspot.com/

Aug. 11 – Readaholic, http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

Aug. 12 - Two Writing Teachers, http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com

Aug. 13 - Not Just for Kids, http://notjustforkids.blogspot.com/

Aug. 14 - Milk and Cookies, Comfort Reading . . ., http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/

Aug. 15 - Bookworm's Dinner, http://bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com/

Aug. 16 - Where the Best Books Are, http://wherethebestbooksare.blogspot.com/

Aug. 17 – KidsLit review, http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/

Good Luck to everyone!

Thank you again to Candlewick Press and Laura Rivas, for my copy and the two giveaway copies of Interrupting Chicken.

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].