Kirby went to great lengths to research the background of the book, travelling to Montana and talking to relatives of the people who knew Hattie. The descriptions of how hard life was in remote areas back then give us an insight into what life was like at that time. There are also stories of how America coped with the war on the home front. We find out what life was like for the 'Doughboys' when Hattie writes to her old school chum, Charlie, who is a soldier with the American Expeditionary Force in France.
I contacted Kirby to tell her how very much I had enjoyed reading "Hattie Big Sky" and she very kindly sent me a copy of the sequel - "Hattie Ever After" - another 'couldn't put it down' book. This time we follow Hattie to San Francisco, where she finally achieves a long-cherished dream. The book gives some interesting insights into what life was like for women in the years following WW1 when they had entered the workforce in large numbers. Many people expected life to return the way it was before 1914.
"Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson, published by Yearling, New York, 2006 and
"Hattie Ever After" by Kirby Larson, published by Delacorte Press, New York, 2013.
For further information, please see http://www.hattiebigsky.com/
and http://www.kirbylarson.com/hattie-ever-after/
