Hattie Ever After, written by Kirby Larson (Book Review)

Post date: Mar 29, 2017 11:40:54 AM

By: Elizabeth Briggs, Staff Writer

Posted March 29th, 2017

This story is historical fiction and takes place in 1919, shortly after World War II has ended. As the second in a sequel, the book continues with the adventures of a 17-year-old orphan as she takes on the large city of San Francisco. Hattie, now free of debt, can leave her uncle’s homestead, which leaves her wondering where she will go. Hattie makes her way through the city traveling with a circus and following her dream of becoming a reporter. Along the way she faces homesickness and the constant nagging by her friends, begging her to come home. She meets a friend, Ned, who helps Hattie work her way up in the ranks at the Chronicle newspaper. The only problem someone may have with this book is the fact that it isn’t very fast-paced, so it can take a while to actually get into. However, Hattie does do some pretty large things later in the book.

Hattie, once reaching San Francisco, is able get a job cleaning the Chronicle building. She works night shifts saving up the few pennies and dimes she can get. Eventually, Hattie has enough to pay for a ticket home, but she doesn’t know if she really wants to go home at this point. In the hopes of getting a real job, she stays in the city. The side story within the main plot of becoming a reporter, is that of Hattie’s search for her lost aunt. She finds her after a search through addresses, and learns her aunt is very rich and kind. Little did she know, there is a lot more going on than Hattie thought.

Hattie Ever After includes messages of finding a career and the future. Hattie is taught throughout the book that your job and/or career doesn’t define you, but you should still follow your dreams and try to achieve them. She learns that some things in life take a lot of hard work, but that just makes them so much more worth it in the end. This book shows the effort it takes to go from the bottom to the top in a very competitive field. The story teaches something everyone should learn in life at one point, leading it to be a very relatable book.