May B.

by Caroline Starr Rose

I’ve known it since last night:
It’s been too long to expect them to return.
Something’s happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it’s hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May’s memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she’s determined to find her way home again.

Caroline Starr Rose’s fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Poetry, Novel In Verse, Historical, Fiction, Survival

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Caroline Starr Rose is a middle grade and picture book author whose books have been ALA-ALSC Notable, Junior Library Guild, ABA New Voices, Kids’ Indie Next, Amazon’s Best Books of the Month for Kids, and Bank Street College of Education Best Books selections. In addition, her books have been nominated for almost two dozen state award lists. Caroline was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author for her debut novel, May B. She spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico and taught social studies and English in four different states. Caroline now lives with her family in her hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Reviews

[mytaakeonit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read (it's lyrical!) about a young girl left on her own in very difficult circumstances. I liked the parallels between May's struggle to survive and her struggle to read.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My niece, Malory, and my great-niece, Ivory (age 10) are in a mother-daughter book club. What a great way to instill at a young age a love of books as well as critical thinking about what you're reading. I check in occasionally to see what they're reading and May B. was their most recent pick. It's a story about a 12-year-old pioneer girl who is "farmed out" one August to help a neighboring newlywed couple. One less mouth to feed and a little income for May's family and her father promises it's only till Christmas. I thought I'd read it as a way to check in with them and feel more connected across the 450+ miles between them in Illinois and me in Minnesota.

Plus, I'm a sucker for a pioneer story - I was firmly convinced at Ivory's age that I WAS a pioneer girl in a previous lifetime! But I had my doubts as I looked at the first page. I knew this book for pre-teens was written in free verse, but I didn't quite grasp what that meant until I saw it. Perhaps I was especially delighted by Rose's book because I initially thought I wasn't going to like it. There's a wonderful rhythm to May's story as Rose brings it beautifully to life - her family (Ma, Pa and brother Hiram), her feelings at being sent away for a few months, her fierce desire to read and her struggles to do so, her feelings of inadequacy, her need to survive her new situation, the prairie landscape, the "soddy" where she lives, the food she cooks/eats, her fears at being abandoned, her fears of not being found and her grit and determination to be reunited with her family.

So glad I persisted - a moving story of a young girl facing adversity.

[Zoeisbookhooked · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread and 5⭐️ as always :)

[Nafiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stories in verse therefore I wasn't much surprised when I ended up enjoying May B. a whole lot more than I had expected to. There's this cleanliness about the poetry that makes it easy to read. The thing with writing a story in verse is that you have to be very careful about the details you put and the ones you leave out. Because of the structure, you cannot, as you would in prose form novels, describe things to the minute detail. I felt that May B. very successfully portrayed Mavis and the situation she found herself in while still managing to make her a character that one could empathize with. And relate to. Mavis's desire to read and to eventually teach are particularly poignant especially when the modern reader realizes that the possibility of it occurring is little to one.

I also really liked how the changing climate is given consideration and Mavis's feelings as she realizes that she has been abandoned. All in all, this is a beautiful novel with beautiful, eloquent poetry. If you want a glimpse of a girl defying all odds to survive, you should give May B. a try. I recommend it anyway.

[Liza Nahas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter & I were mesmerized by this book. It is really meant to be read aloud. And, my daughter learned about dyslexia in a most subtle way. We loved the brave patience of May! If you like "mighty girl" books, this is for you!

[Sherrie Petersen]

May B is an unlikely hero: a 12-year-old girl with a learning disability, fending for herself during a harsh prairie winter. In the wrong hands, the story could tend toward melodrama. Or it could just plain be boring. Fortunately, this story is neither.

May's story unfolds in verse. The style works well in this book, emphasizing the stark prairie and the simplicity of of May's every day existence. Author Caroline Starr Rose manages to weave in plenty of historical details, adding another rich layer to the story without bogging down any of the action.

While historical fiction might be a hard sell for some young readers, telling the story in verse makes it a quick read. Reminiscent of the Little House books, without the heft, May B is a wonderful debut from a gifted author.

[Heaven Adore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good, but I still have mixed feelings about it. Full RTC.

[Sps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review for work:

Oh boy, a verse historical fiction novel, always the most popular item in any library! Kidding aside, it’s hard for me to see this book going out too much, unless it’s for the reluctant reader who has to write a report on a historical fiction book over 200 pages long. Because the verse leaves so much white space, the text density here is more like a Frog and Toad book, yet it comes to a cool 225 pages in the ARC.

This book had too many themes swirling in the mix: gender disparity, prairie identity, reaching the horizon, loneliness on the prairie as a metaphor for reading difficulties, texts-within-the-text paralleling May’s emotions, May’s nickname, May’s desire to become a teacher, flashbacks to her previous teachers, flashbacks to her dares with her brother…about half of those things could be cut out with no loss to the book. Some may find the presence of all that self-consciously literary stuff distinguished; I found it cluttered. On the plus side, it’s a girl’s survival story, with details about how she gets by alone in a sod house in winter, and a sympathetic portrayal of a girl with dyslexia. Overall I would say that the negatives and positives even out to make it an additional purchase. Given that Kirkus gave it a starred review, (which isn’t peanuts) some libraries may want it.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't give a synopsis because others have done that already. What I will say is that this is one amazing book. Seriously. The language is so sparse, yet the visuals are so great. The emotion palatable. The character fully developed. I very much enjoyed MAY B. Will recommend highly to others—including reluctant readers.

[Ivory · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, Caroline Rose Starr, was named Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author for this book, May B. She lives in New Mexico with her husband and two sons. She spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico. Caroline even wrote poetry as a child. The whole book is written in poetry.

This story is about a girl named is Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. May is twelve years old. She lives with her Ma, Pa, and brother in a soddy in the Kansas Prairie. To help her family get money, she is forced to go live with a pair of strangers named Mr. and Mrs. Oblinger who live fifteen miles away from home until Christmas. But when the Oblinger’s disappear suddenly, May gets stuck alone in a blizzard.

I enjoyed the book but feel there is something missing in the story, and “May B.” you can figure it out for me. The storyline is very interesting, and the fact that the whole book is written in poetry is notable. I give this book, May B., five stars because it is adventurous and unique.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction in verse is hard to carry off and ultimately I compare everything to Out of the Dust which is most unfair on my part. I think Rose's job was even more difficult because so much of her book deals with one character alone - but what a strong character May is. May's fight for survival alone on the prairie is fascinating enough, but the flashbacks into her learning difficulties when she was at school make the character even more relatable and intriguing. I think Rose definitely will appeal to the Little House crowd that she is reaching for and I do believe this one is award-worthy.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

"Here,
in short-grass country,
I understand infinity."

Since this book was written in free verse, it was a relatively quick read. I think I had fairly high expectations since the author is a big fan of Laura Ignalls Wilder, but the focus ended up being more on May's difficulty reading and her troubles in school. The beginning was quite strong and I was eager to read more. Unfortunately, I thought the story lagged toward the middle and became quite melodramatic.

"Some days I sit in the rocker,
the quilt about me though it's hot outside.
I shun the sunlight,
groan to think of the water I must fetch,
the steps I'll have to take,
the work that's needed
just to exist.

Wouldn't it be better
to
forget
to
care?

Wouldn't it be easier
to stay in the hazy place where dreams come,
to simply fade away?"

Toward the end, May finally realizes she has to stop relying on everyone else and find the strength within herself to conquer her fears.

"So many things
I know about myself
I've learned from others.
Without someone else to listen,
to judge,
to tell me what to do,
and to choose
who I am,
do I get to decide for myself?"

The ending was better than I was expecting. I was glad the author didn't shy away from the sometimes bleak situations that could occur on the Kansas prairie in the 1870s.

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always a bit skeptical of verse novels. You'd think that my appreciation for books by Sharon Creech would have me convinced by now, but I always pick them up with the same wary question in my mind: "Ooookay, is this actually any good or is this a gimmick?" I think a lot of us approach poetry with, if not fear, then a sense of drudgery. It is going to be too drippy? Will it be too dense? Lured by Christopher Silas Neal's beautiful cover illustration and type and interested to read a non-Laura prairie story, I started May B. with my usual amount of cynicism and was immediately forced to withdraw it. This is poetry done right. The story is exciting and historically interesting (Little House fans will be all about it and have some prior knowledge of prairie life), our heroine is brave but self-doubting, and most importantly, the writing is emotionally raw and memorable. The blankness of the pages reminds me that Caroline Starr Rose's word usage is seriously economical, yet I'm utterly satisfied. The ability to be concise, by my mind, is a trait of some of the truest talents; Think Winnie-the-Pooh, think Coraline, think anything Lois Lowry has ever written. It's the ability to state things plainly yet wonderfully. It's knowing how to use your words. Sparingly but powerfully.

The story is interesting enough on it's own. May B., 12 years old, is being sent away to live with another family for half the year to help earn money until her Pa comes back for her around Christmas time. She's close to her family, especially her brother Hiram, and an eager and intelligent, though struggling, student, and she does. NOT. want to go. She hates to leave home, and is afraid of what missing school will mean for her in the long run.

"You're helping out, May," Pa says. I'm helping everyone
except myself.

Her sense of disappointment is only deepened upon meeting the family she's set to work for; the wife, a young city thing who has nothing but venom for prairie life is angry and unpleasant. Her husband is kind enough, though that doesn't matter much when his disgruntled wife runs off and he chases after her… leaving May completely alone. On the prairie. With no rifle. Limited food. A blizzard coming. And absolutely no idea how to get home.

I've never seen water spread straight to the horizon;
these endless grasslands are sea enough for me. This soddy's like an island far from any shoreline. My home is out there
somewhere.
To me,
a world away.

At first we're impressed by May's (and, in general, the hardworking, skilled know-how of children of by-gone eras) ability to fend for herself; she prepares food, she's smart about protecting her bread starter, she mends the floor boards of the leaky sod hut, she even keeps up with her studies. In short, she does what I, repeatedly while reading this reminded myself, could not. But as winter weather creeps in, her food supply dwindles, and the cold literally barricades her in, May's can-do spirit starts to dissipate; she's physically sapped, and most heartbreakingly, she becomes completely discouraged by her reading difficulties -- "The words on paper / don't match the sounds I make"-- dyslexia, though of course, there is no name for her learning impairment at the time. Descriptions of the prairie and tiny soddy, and the physical dangers that surround her (starvation, wolves, etc) are written alongside May's inner monologue, where she alternately recalls happier times at home, mentally punishes her father and the Oblingers for leaving (a favorite line: "I hope Mrs. Oblinger fell of that horse and is still wandering the prairie. Mr. Oblinger / better be dead." Ha.), fondly recalls an encouraging and patient former teacher, and relives the embarrassment of being labeled stupid and placed with the youngest children in class because of her inability to read aloud. May's need to read slowly and separate words reinforces the use of poetry. Much of the novel reads straight through like any book, but there are moments when the reader is clearly meant to read more carfeully as well, and concentrate on the words. Pretty clever.

and grass,
always grass,
in different shades and textures
like the braids in a rag rug.
Miss Sanders told us that lines never end, and numbers go on forever.
Here,
in short-grass country,
I understand infinity.

Armed with only a broom to defend herself, May eventually hits her breaking point and decides to find her way home or die trying.

It's a shame May B. won't be released until January. It's also a shame I'm not a bookseller anymore. Because I would have this book wrapped and sitting under many a girls' tree this Christmas. Sure to be a hit with any Little House fans (of which I'm a very half-hearted one, if that's more of a sell for you). The popularity of Wendy McClure's The Wilder Life, makes me think this would make a great gift for many adult "bonnet-heads" as well. A recommendation, certainly, for middle grade readers in search of historical fiction, as well as survival story lovers.

I loved this. It's extremely entertaining, it's memorable, it's emotionally relatable, and even educational! 2012 isn't even upon us and I've already got this on my list of 2013 Newbery hopefuls. Thank you to Net Galley for making this ARC available to me.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story told in verse follows Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B., as she is being sent to live with the Oblinger family due to her family’s poverty. She is dropped off by her Pa in August, with a promise that he would return for her in December. Taking place is what I assume is 1900s Kansas, things do no go as planned with this new family, leaving May all alone. As winter approaches, she must fight to survive and endure the fridge conditions. Coupled with her present time line are flashbacks to her time in school, where despite her dyslexia she learned to read and has aspirations of becoming a teacher.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me back to my childhood favorite, Little House on the Prairie. I didn't know that this book would be a novel in verse, which isn't really my thing. But the topic of the book, life in the American West, during the Westward Expansion era, is one of my all time favorites. The action in this book started right away. I was glad that the protagonist is the heroine of her own story, despite the fact that she was still a child. My only complaint is that I wish there were additional characters for the majority of the book but I suppose the lack of additional characters was the point of the story.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is touching story written in verse about a young girl that finds herself all alone living on the prairie. May is sent to live with a man and his new wife to help the two of them get settled. However, when she is left all alone she must fend for herself. I loved Little House on the Prairie when I was younger and this reminded me of that quite a bit. However, I felt that it dragged in the middle and I wanted more from story than what I got. I do think that this would bring up great discussions with children and make them wonder more about this time in history.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very well done and very compelling. It shows the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive even in the most desperate of circumstances.

I personally still can't shake off the claustrophobia that I felt during those blizzard scenes when poor May B. was trapped.... basically buried alive. (Shudder).

[Tami · Rating 1 out of 5]

May B. is the story of twelve-year-old May Betterly. May lives with her parents and older brother, Hiram, in a sparsely populated area of Kansas in the late nineteenth century. (Readers of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books will recognize the setting, as it is very similar to those described in those books of the prairies in Minnesota and Wisconsin.)

The book is written in free verse, which makes it a much faster read than any of Wilder's books. In Part One May has discovered she is to live for five months or so with a neighboring newly-wed couple to help keep house and do other chores, for which her family will be paid. She is understandably angry and unwilling to go. She is not only afraid of living in an unfamiliar place with strangers, but realizes that this may be the end of her opportunity to attend school. Although May has a learning disability (dyslexia), she is smart and hungry for the knowledge and insight that she has already tasted in school so far. Though she struggles with reading due to her disability, May dreams of becoming a teacher.

What is a financial necessity for her parents feels like banishment and betrayal to young May. This is beautifully portrayed in the first part of the book. Unfortunately, the exquisite original hold of the book is lost after that.

When May's new living arrangements take a bizarre turn and she is forced to cope with the brutal elements of the prairie on her own the story loses its focus. It wanders back and forth from May's musings about her learning difficulties and resulting humiliation at school to the need for her to pursue heat and food on her own. The book isn't realistic in any details of May's "survival." The reader sees May depressed, curled up in a ball for warmth, ruminating on her difficulties and occasionally walking outside, until a blizzard snows her in completely.

How does she not succumb to starvation and hypothermia? The book never gives any indication that she has coped with these basic survival problems. Both May's physical hardships and the mental and emotional struggles could be believeable, but neither are dealt with to any degree of satisfaction.

In Part Three the plot is awkwardly forced into a cliche ending that makes no sense when joined with what comes before it. It is beyond unrealistic; it is confusing and not thought out clearly. The author wants to make a grandiose statement about overcoming your own personal challenges and being true to who you are but it rings hollow because there was no authentic voice or story behind it.

This book is particularly disappointing because the first third is so good. In the end, however, it is a lot of words with no plot, characters or substance to back them up.

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up from NetGalley.com because I love verse novels and historical fiction. I've done graduate work with nontraditional text structures in childrens' and YA literature, so I gravitated right to it.

May B. is charming and a fast read. Rose's inspiration in the works of Laura Ingalls Wilder is clear. I couldn't help but feel that this was Wilder's The Long Winter with a more contemporary focus.

May B. is a twelve-year-old girl (although I had a hard time seeing her that young in my mind) sent to live with another frontier family in Kansas. Isolated from her family, and suddenly left alone by circumstances beyond her control, she is forced to survive on her own. Running throughout the story are interludes in which she recalls her painful struggles with schooling (after which she feels she's been branded a failure), most specifically reading. While she fights the demons of her own isolation and the elements, she is also tormented emotionally by these memories and returns periodically to her reader in an attempt to conquer her fears of reading.

I've read many verse novels, and only a few have truly gotten the idea behind it. Too often verse merely simplifies the story instead of enhancing it. However, Rose succeeds in her use of the emotional edge of verse to pull us into the heroine's mental state as her crisis progresses in the story.

While I felt the element regarding her reading disability (dyslexia) was a unique angle, I didn't feel it was critical to the structure of the story. Yes, it adds a layer of complexity to her feelings of failure and strengthens her resolve, but I could have read her story just as powerfully without it. There were points where I felt that perhaps the dyslexia angle was added because it was trendy.

For me, the power in this book comes from the ending, in her final crucial decisions when time is running out. While the ancillary/peripheral discussions of her dyslexia didn't weaken the narrative, I didn't feel they noticeably bolstered it, either. As a story of survival and triumph in the face of insurmountable odds, it's superb. Young readers will find the format refreshing and accessible.

[Bidisha Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also posted on Dreamcatcher's Lair

Verse is the most beautiful form of writing EVER. Seriously. Prose can be made beautiful but anything that verse touches is instantly beautified. It's easy to go wrong with verse, but if you get it right, the result is nothing short of dazzling.

Caroline Starr Rose's May B. is one such beautiful novel. The verse is stylistic, yet simplistic and makes for a read that is oh-so-compelling, it begs to be completed quickly. And that's easy, because it is fast paced and May's voice is very engaging.

May's resilience is arguably the best thing about this novel. She is so young and it hurts to read about her struggles. Her struggle with her reading disability that brought out her insecurities before sniggering classmates and a very discouraging teacher. Her struggles with the downsides of being a girl in the 19th century, witnessing her brother get the little privileges she is denied. Struggles with being separated from her family, then being abandoned in the midst of nowhere and having to face nature's fury by herself. Her struggle for survival.

Most of the time I just wanted to give her a hug. And it broke my heart that there wasn't anyone to give her that. Seriously, this girl needed it. But the thing about May B. is that in spite of being severed off from known civilisation and having to do without any human companionship, she has a quiet strength, a fighting spirit that manifests itself against all odds. It's empowering and it unfurls itself not dramatically, but gradually.

I liked how the author juxtaposes May's struggle with dyslexia with the challenges imposed by the approaching winter. The setting, infact, is brilliant. I could literally hear the blizzard. And it terrified me. That says a lot about the author's skill, doesn't it?

Caroline Starr Rose's May B. could be called an adventure tale featuring a very brave and unusual heroine, that makes for a heartwarming and enduring read. Whether verse is your thing or not, I recommend this.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose is an absolutely lovely novel written in verse. I had never read a novel in verse before, but this was done so well, reading it was pure pleasure. The story flowed effortlessly, the scenes described in detail such that I felt the cold of the blizzard.

May B. is a strong young girl to whom all young readers can relate. She is mad at her parents for sending her away to help another family, but she loves and misses them anyway. She has trouble reading, so she keeps working hard at it to show her teacher that she can do it. She is left alone and afraid, yet she is able to take care of herself and survive.

This book reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie series that I loved reading as I grew up. I found out at the end of May B. that the author was also inspired by the series, leading her to write her own take on life in Kansas in the prairie days. This novel is bound to become a favorite for any child, especially young girls!

I received this book from the publisher, through Netgalley.

[Heather Anastasiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful. It’s the kind of book I would have loved when I was a tween (is that the term now? I’m so old, lol)—it’s got an intensity and seriousness to it, but it’s still so accessible. I’ve never read a novel in verse before and wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. I wondered if it would slow down my reading. Instead though, I think it made it swifter, while at the same time, some of the line breaks would add punch to thoughts, descriptions, or emotions.

This story is intense, un-put-down-able. This book enters loneliness and darkness and hope in ways that are just almost heart-stopping. Though set in the past, it’s one of those books that feel universal, that grabs you with its raw language, stark images, and--even though it’s set in the middle of nowhere--it still has incredible momentum and tension.

If I could, I'd give it six stars.

[Zemira Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel in verse I've read.

May B is a girl who's parents left her to work for Mr.and Mrs. Oblinger for a few months. She is abandoned when Mrs. Oblinger runs away from her husband who goes right after her. She is left alone on the farm for five months and her food supplies eventually run out.

In the beginning she questions everything. She is very insecure about herself because she has a learning disability and people think she is stupid and not worth the trouble. When she has no more food she overcomes her fears and decides to fight back.

I loved the fact she is thinking about her future and her education. May never gives up. Even though she is a little girl she is strong and people can easily relate to her.

I received this book from the publisher, through Netgalley.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

May B. is sent by her father to work for her neighbors house to get it situated for the newlyweds and would return for her by Christmas. When the wife runs away from the Kansas prairie for home and the husband follows, May is abandoned to fend for herself in the lonely woods and harsh winter. Can she survive until Christmas? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good read. If you like historical stories with Laura Ingalls Wilder influence, definitely check this book out for yourself. This book is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[Sarah Rhomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s start with the title: May B. Like wow. (It took me a moment to get it: May B. and maybe.)
I love the way this story is written – in verse! So, so creative! When I opened the book, I didn’t know yet that it was written like that and I was positively surprised!

May is such a lovely character. She struggles to survive on the Prairie, but at the same time, she struggles with something else too. Something we now call dyslexia. In both areas she is often discouraged, but ultimately is determined to defeat and overcome this. We can learn from her courage to not give up!

4 ½ stars

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't stand this book. Yes, historical fiction isn't my first choice, frankly neither is verse style writing, but this was so slow and depressing. There was not one ounce of hope in the book. Even May's struggles with her dyslexia only serve to be a reminder to her of bad times. There was no resolution at the end. Do we have to give our students such a horribly bleak and depressing picture of life in a sod house?

[Stuti Sinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was OKAY. Not good or great. The story line itself was lame and did not do anything to lure me into the book. I am still on the process to finishing it, so if in the end if there is a real big change of plot, then I don't think this book is one I would remember. Keeping in mind that this book is a poetry book, there was nothing that really differentiated the book from other books other than the fact that the sentences were broken down to different lines.

[Lily Wallaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

May is stranded all by herself in a house in the middle of nowhere. But with the oncoming winter and not much food to live on, she must find a way to struggle through. Her father will come someday...but not till Christmas. And she has no way of knowing how far away that is.

This is an amazing book! I read it in two days. The story carries itself so well, plus its being written in verse gives it extra beauty. Very worth it!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quick historical novel-in-verse. It was reminiscent of the Little House books as well as Hattie Big Sky, though a quicker read. In the classroom, pitch it not only as historical fiction but also a great survival story.

[Lisa]

Lovely little book!