Finding Hattie

by Sally Warner

In 1882 Hattie Knowlton, a fourteen-year-old orphan, joins her cousin Sophie in attending boarding school at Miss Bulkley's Seminary for Young Ladies in Tarrytown, New York, and tries to find her place in the world.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

234 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Sally Warner is a writer of fiction for children and young adults and of books on creativity. She made the Lily series and Emma series for children's books. Sally Warner was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut and California, where her family moved when she was eight years old.

Reviews

[Meg Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unimpressive but free. What was my great grandmother doing? I can't imagine right now, I'm sick.

[Shannon White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sweet story about loving yourself for who you are and having the confidence and humility to do what is right. Knowing that many of the characters actually lived and the subject of the book is related to the author made the story all the more enjoyable.

[Janna Gifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Hattie by Sally Warner is a historical fiction that is intended for the intermediate age group. This story is about Hattie, who loses her family and her Aunt and Uncle take her in. It is decided that Hattie will go to Miss Bulkley's Seminary for Young Ladies with her cousin Sophie, where she needs to make sure that no one will find out that she is an orphan with no money. Along comes Frannie, family is from new money, and Hattie drops Frannie as a friend to choose the other girls. The rest of the book is about finding who Hattie is and rectifying the mistakes that she has made. I would rate this book with four stars based on the historical background and the plot. I think that many girls can really relate to Hattie and her situation. In today’s school, there is always going to be a group of the popular girls that everyone wants to be friends with. Hattie starts to go through her mistakes that she has made and starts to discover who she is as a person and not someone who goes with the popular crowd. I think that this is a great way to show how to choose friends as well as how you treat friends. I think that it was great that the book really showed the reader that not all of our mistakes can be fixed as well as that everything we do affects others. I really loved the fact that the book is based on her great grandmother’s diary so there is pieces of stuff that really did happen. This is a great way for readers to understand the importance of finding out who you are and sticking to what you believe in. This is a fantastic read for children to go through and understand the culture back in the 1800’s and how money and status was very important.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Finding Hattie aims to fictionalize and enliven true history (based on the author's great-grandmother's journal), it fails to achieve a strong plot arc. The sorriness for Hattie's plight is not enough to keep you compulsively reading. Although she has lost her parents, then her little brother and aunt, her characterization seems flat and fully reliant on the reader's sympathetic feelings. I am almost more interested in her snotty cousin and friends, because there snobbery has some complexity and shades of confusion.

All in all? Not a strong purchase recommendation, nor reader's advisory worthy. It has no major "doorway" through which readers can enter.

[Intended audience: high school girls]

[Liz Whittaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the 1800's, the story behind the writing of this book is what makes it interesting. It is based on the short journal of the author's ancestor, Hattie Knowlton. Hattie only kept a journal during her time at a girl's boarding school in her teenage years, but her talent as a writer captured her spirit and feelings as she grew up. The author wove a fictional plot around the name and scarce events Hattie provided in her journal, and uses actual journal excerpts to supplement the plot. Nothing absolutely phenomenal, but a good read, especially for young pre-teen or teen girls. Some great and very true (in my opinion) thoughts about being true to yourself and learning about who you are, rather than allowing others to define you and your relationships.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel based on a real journal written by the great-grandmother of the author. Knowing that ahead of time added some charm to this story. Otherwise, I would have been a bit more dissatisfied with the ending.

[A W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it did give you an idea of what life might have been like for young women of means in those days and things they might have discussed and not discussed, the story was too flat and slow moving for me.

[Clare D' Lune]

BORING!

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but it's a bit dull.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise, message heavy handed.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An earnest attempt at turning a great-grandmother's diary into a historical novel, and I very much applaud the author for sharing that with the world, but personally I thought it was a little boring.