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May Amelia #1
Our Only May Amelia
Twelve-year-old May Amelia is too busy chasing sheep, fishing for salmon, and keeping pace with the antics of her seven Finnish brothers to bother wearing a dress or scrubbing behind her ears. Unfortunately, she's being pressured to clean up her act. "It seems like everyone is conspiring to make me a Proper Young Lady," she observes in frustration. "I do not think being a proper Young Lady sounds like any fun at all."
The old-fashioned language in this historical novel seems strained at times, and the quirky use of capital letters is an unnecessary distraction, but this book is still a lot of fun. Why? For one thing, the story is set in the far, untamed reaches of the West at the turn of the 20th century, and offers encounters with Chinook Indians, dark forests, and the twists and turns of the Nasel River. And then there is May Amelia--as headstrong as rushing water, and the only female born on this stretch of the river since her family can remember. She is known (when she's not deep into trouble) as the Miracle. Will this feisty female ever settle down and become the little lady everyone expects her to be? Will her pregnant mother give birth to another girl so May Amelia can finally have a sister? You'll have to read the whole story to find out. (Ages 10 and older) --Maria Dolan
Audio Cassette
First published June 1, 1999
About the author
Jennifer L. Holm
106 books1,739 followersJennifer L. Holm is a USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author with nearly 10 million books in print. She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.
Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!
For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.
Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!
For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 674 reviews
October 6, 2012
My mom's been married a few times now, and I can honestly say that not much good has come out of the multiple stepfathers I've dealt with. There is one notable exception: my first stepfather, when I was maybe 8 years old, randomly decided to give my sister and I a present each. He put his hands behind his back and told us to each pick a side, and then presented us each with our own book. My sister got "Because of Winn Dixie" and I got this book.
I remember being disappointed at first, because I had heard about "Because of Winn Dixie" and had never heard of this May Amelia character. Plus, the book wasn't pretty. Also, I had wanted to pick the other hand but the older sister got first call. Needless to say I didn't enter this book with any positive expectations.
I guess it goes without saying that I loved it, if I remember it all these years later as a favorite, so much so that I still have it on my elusive 'favorites' shelf ten years later at age 18.
The book is about a young girl who has grown up in a family of rambunctious brothers. She's unruly and rather wild, just goes about the riverside with her animal friends and her imagination to make a great day out of it. I remember the book felt rustic to me, that I was transported to this whole world that I, safely growing up in my upper-middle-class suburb, had no idea existed. And who knew that it could be so fun!
I might have been too young by conventional standards to read this at age 8 or so, so I'm not suggesting this as the prime reading age for any of my friends' and followers' children. But my gosh, please don't forget about this book. In 2000 it didn't win the Newbery Medal but it did win Honors, and it deserved every bit of recognition it got.
I remember being disappointed at first, because I had heard about "Because of Winn Dixie" and had never heard of this May Amelia character. Plus, the book wasn't pretty. Also, I had wanted to pick the other hand but the older sister got first call. Needless to say I didn't enter this book with any positive expectations.
I guess it goes without saying that I loved it, if I remember it all these years later as a favorite, so much so that I still have it on my elusive 'favorites' shelf ten years later at age 18.
The book is about a young girl who has grown up in a family of rambunctious brothers. She's unruly and rather wild, just goes about the riverside with her animal friends and her imagination to make a great day out of it. I remember the book felt rustic to me, that I was transported to this whole world that I, safely growing up in my upper-middle-class suburb, had no idea existed. And who knew that it could be so fun!
I might have been too young by conventional standards to read this at age 8 or so, so I'm not suggesting this as the prime reading age for any of my friends' and followers' children. But my gosh, please don't forget about this book. In 2000 it didn't win the Newbery Medal but it did win Honors, and it deserved every bit of recognition it got.
July 13, 2020
So aside from the fact that both the general writing style and especially the frustrating and annoying lack of quotation marks found in Jennifer L. Holm's Our Only May Amelia continuously do manage to majorly grate on my academic and yes, perhaps even a bit grammatically anal and obsessive nerves (and that this lack is both distracting and at times rather confusing), the constant and heavy-duty historical anachronisms that seem to abound in Our Only May Amelia are even more of an issue, are proving to be even more infuriating and annoying. For yes indeed, while our modern sensibilities might well desire (and perhaps even on some level appreciate) May Amelia and her brothers supposedly being such very good friends with Chinook Indians, at the time and in the place (late 19th century America, and the West, Washington State at that), this would most probably NOT have happened, as from historical information (and with that I mean actual historically documented details), not only would May Amelia and her siblings not all that likely have been friends with Chinook Indians, they would probably have regarded them at best askance if not as potential enemies and vice versa. And with that salient truth in mind, while on an entirely personal and emotional level, I might indeed enjoy reading about May Amelia and Wilbert being good friends with and companions to Jane, from a realism point of view, from a historical perspective, I actually usually if not always much prefer historical fiction that has not been sanitised and/or sugar coated and that does not therefore paint a wrong or at least a misleading picture of the past (like for example Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series, which although often and with reason faulted for being too negative and even majorly bigoted, stereotypical with regard to how American Indians are portrayed, at least shows the general and yes unfortunately accepted and condoned attitudes and practiced behaviours of the time and does not pretend them away or that the Ingalls family were somehow friends with and even accepting of Native Americans).
And actually, due to the above mentioned as well as other historical anachronisms located, occurring throughout the narrative of Our Only May Amelia (like the superimposed and often annoyingly constant modern feminism, the striving of author Jennifer L. Holm to I guess be so-called politically correct), and even though I know and realise that the plot, that the story of Our Only May Amelia is historical fiction and takes place in 19th century America (as well as being supposedly even based on the author's own family history), there is really never all that much of a sense of actual and palpable historical time featured. For me, May Amelia's and her brothers' antics and behaviours, the lives of her family and neighbours, well they at times feel almost too modern and contemporary in scope, leaving the distinct and problematic, frustrating feeling that one is for all intents and purposes really reading a modern (a recent) novel that has somehow been artificially painted with a thin and cracking veneer of fake, of inauthentic historicism.
Nevertheless and my annoyances with writing style and historical anachronisms notwithstanding, I would probably have considered Our Only May Amelia a trifle more realistic and even somewhat enjoyable (and as such a low three star and not the rather grudgingly given two star rating I am at present considering), if the main antagonist of the novel, if Grandmother Patience had been conceptualised and drawn as a more strongly developed and nuanced character and not simply a stock and wooden rendition of the typical fairy tale witch of folklore and legend. As while there in fact is a bit of an issue with insufficient character development throughout Our Only May Amelia, how the grandmother is portrayed, how she is basically simply a cardboard like cartoonish rendition of a harridan, a witch, a monster even, this does for me really do take the proverbial cake so to speak, lessening if not removing most of the potential reading pleasure I might have experienced and basically much if not even completely suspending my belief that Our Only May Amelia is in any way a realistic portrait of 19th century America (and also making me even rather strongly wonder and question why and how this novel earned Jennifer L. Holm one of the 2000 Newbery Honor Award designations). Pretty much a major disappointment, especially considering that I tend to love historical fiction for children (for young readers) and was therefore really looking forward to reading Our Only May Amelia with much anticipation (and I will therefore also not likely consider the sequel, as I seriously doubt it would be any more to my liking).
And actually, due to the above mentioned as well as other historical anachronisms located, occurring throughout the narrative of Our Only May Amelia (like the superimposed and often annoyingly constant modern feminism, the striving of author Jennifer L. Holm to I guess be so-called politically correct), and even though I know and realise that the plot, that the story of Our Only May Amelia is historical fiction and takes place in 19th century America (as well as being supposedly even based on the author's own family history), there is really never all that much of a sense of actual and palpable historical time featured. For me, May Amelia's and her brothers' antics and behaviours, the lives of her family and neighbours, well they at times feel almost too modern and contemporary in scope, leaving the distinct and problematic, frustrating feeling that one is for all intents and purposes really reading a modern (a recent) novel that has somehow been artificially painted with a thin and cracking veneer of fake, of inauthentic historicism.
Nevertheless and my annoyances with writing style and historical anachronisms notwithstanding, I would probably have considered Our Only May Amelia a trifle more realistic and even somewhat enjoyable (and as such a low three star and not the rather grudgingly given two star rating I am at present considering), if the main antagonist of the novel, if Grandmother Patience had been conceptualised and drawn as a more strongly developed and nuanced character and not simply a stock and wooden rendition of the typical fairy tale witch of folklore and legend. As while there in fact is a bit of an issue with insufficient character development throughout Our Only May Amelia, how the grandmother is portrayed, how she is basically simply a cardboard like cartoonish rendition of a harridan, a witch, a monster even, this does for me really do take the proverbial cake so to speak, lessening if not removing most of the potential reading pleasure I might have experienced and basically much if not even completely suspending my belief that Our Only May Amelia is in any way a realistic portrait of 19th century America (and also making me even rather strongly wonder and question why and how this novel earned Jennifer L. Holm one of the 2000 Newbery Honor Award designations). Pretty much a major disappointment, especially considering that I tend to love historical fiction for children (for young readers) and was therefore really looking forward to reading Our Only May Amelia with much anticipation (and I will therefore also not likely consider the sequel, as I seriously doubt it would be any more to my liking).
March 23, 2026
There are so few books out there that have really hit me like a hard punch in the gut, that the emotions of the experience are always compounded by the surprise. To stir up complex and dynamic real emotion in a human heart by nothing more than the trails of ink on the page of a novel is an accomplishment that almost defies reason. How could a made-up story have more of an impact on us than most of what we live through on a daily basis? How could we become so invested in the lives of fictional families we knew nothing about only days ago that it feels as if we've become a part of their family, shouldering their most haunting griefs right alongside them? I think it's because the greatest of books always move in step with the emotions of real life, and tie in inseparably with the deepest sadnesses that we've felt along the way in our own lives, piggybacking on those intense feelings and giving us an outlet through which to experience them all over again. I felt so emotionally drained after finishing Our Only May Amelia that I'm not sure I can even express the greatness of the book in terms worthy of its elite class, but I will try to at least outline some basic sense of the experience.
May Amelia Jackson lives in 1899 America in the state of Washington, an ever-expanding frontier region of the United States that has been colonized and explored mostly by Scandinavian immigrants. The Nasel River settlement in which May Amelia and her family lives is populated primarily by the Finnish, which includes May Amelia and her parents and seven brothers. In fact, "brothers" are the only children to have ever been born in the settlement, apart from May Amelia herself; she is the first and only girl among this group of pioneers ever to have been born in their settlement along the banks of the Nasel River, making her something of a "miracle" child. But May Amelia, now twelve years old, would rather not be the only "miracle" girl if giving up that claim to fame meant having another sister. Some of May Amelia's brothers aren't all that nice to her while others do stand by her consistently, but there's nothing like the dream of having a sister when you're marooned on an island of boys.
Therefore, when May Amelia's mother once again is revealed to be expecting a baby, May Amelia wishes with all her might for it to be a girl. This isn't just a whim, or a thoughtless hope; for May Amelia, a new baby girl could give her a chance to finally get things right in her life, to feel a deeper connection to one of her siblings when for all her twelve years she has felt completely out of place and alone so much of the time. This baby could really turn things around for May Amelia, which is why the fervency of her hope for a sister touches the reader on such a deep level. May Amelia's precious wish is our own most sincerely impassioned prayers for something huge and important to go our way, that point of no return we recognize (usually in hindsight) when something that happened in our lives made the difficult transition from the present to the past, and everything changed for us from that time forward.
While waiting for the new Jackson babe to be born, May Amelia encounters some crazy and unforgettable adventures: some exciting, others sad, and some that show us the character of the core people whom May Amelia holds most dear. Her brother Wilbert, age thirteen, may be yet another brother in a vast sea of male siblings, yet he is far more than just "another brother". For May Amelia, Wilbert is that strong, dependable lifeline in the squalid storms that constantly seem to surround and buffet her. He's the one who keeps May Amelia on the ground when her emotions would carry her away. Wilbert is a godsend, and as I read about their connection to each other it made me think of the Wilberts in my own life, those rare few individuals whose steadying hand and calming words have kept me on the ground and eased my intensity when no one else could have done so. I think that many of us will be reminded of our Wilberts as we read Our Only May Amelia, and so our appreciation for what Wilbert and May Amelia are to each other will be deepened and seasoned by our personal knowledge of what a relationship like that means.
As the day for May Amelia's mother to bring the new child into the world draws closer, even in her growing excitement May Amelia is unprepared for the enormous impact that the baby will have on the family. Not all goes according to plan with the delivery, and complications to the birthing process present a challenge to everyone in the Jackson clan. But with the arrival of the new baby will come new hope, May Amelia knows, even as her role in its life becomes far greater than she had anticipated...
Without a doubt, this book is one of the most emotionally impactful I have ever read, which is why I felt so exhausted after completing it. Yet only a choice few novels are truly able to reach that extreme frequency of emotion, to actually draw forth from its readers genuine feelings of such an intense nature that we can't hold back our emotions, and they spill over as we read. There's just no way to adequately describe a book like Our Only May Amelia, one that knocks on the door of pure perfection and invites comparison to the greatest novels I've ever encountered. Not only do I think that the Newbery committee was right in giving an award to this book for the year 2000, but I believe that it probably should have won the Newbery Medal that year. Without a doubt this is the finest of Jennifer L. Holm's books that I've read, one that is sure to remain with me in a way that few other works of literature ever will. I cannot recommend Our Only May Amelia high enough, or say enough about the effect it has had on me.
May Amelia Jackson lives in 1899 America in the state of Washington, an ever-expanding frontier region of the United States that has been colonized and explored mostly by Scandinavian immigrants. The Nasel River settlement in which May Amelia and her family lives is populated primarily by the Finnish, which includes May Amelia and her parents and seven brothers. In fact, "brothers" are the only children to have ever been born in the settlement, apart from May Amelia herself; she is the first and only girl among this group of pioneers ever to have been born in their settlement along the banks of the Nasel River, making her something of a "miracle" child. But May Amelia, now twelve years old, would rather not be the only "miracle" girl if giving up that claim to fame meant having another sister. Some of May Amelia's brothers aren't all that nice to her while others do stand by her consistently, but there's nothing like the dream of having a sister when you're marooned on an island of boys.
Therefore, when May Amelia's mother once again is revealed to be expecting a baby, May Amelia wishes with all her might for it to be a girl. This isn't just a whim, or a thoughtless hope; for May Amelia, a new baby girl could give her a chance to finally get things right in her life, to feel a deeper connection to one of her siblings when for all her twelve years she has felt completely out of place and alone so much of the time. This baby could really turn things around for May Amelia, which is why the fervency of her hope for a sister touches the reader on such a deep level. May Amelia's precious wish is our own most sincerely impassioned prayers for something huge and important to go our way, that point of no return we recognize (usually in hindsight) when something that happened in our lives made the difficult transition from the present to the past, and everything changed for us from that time forward.
While waiting for the new Jackson babe to be born, May Amelia encounters some crazy and unforgettable adventures: some exciting, others sad, and some that show us the character of the core people whom May Amelia holds most dear. Her brother Wilbert, age thirteen, may be yet another brother in a vast sea of male siblings, yet he is far more than just "another brother". For May Amelia, Wilbert is that strong, dependable lifeline in the squalid storms that constantly seem to surround and buffet her. He's the one who keeps May Amelia on the ground when her emotions would carry her away. Wilbert is a godsend, and as I read about their connection to each other it made me think of the Wilberts in my own life, those rare few individuals whose steadying hand and calming words have kept me on the ground and eased my intensity when no one else could have done so. I think that many of us will be reminded of our Wilberts as we read Our Only May Amelia, and so our appreciation for what Wilbert and May Amelia are to each other will be deepened and seasoned by our personal knowledge of what a relationship like that means.
As the day for May Amelia's mother to bring the new child into the world draws closer, even in her growing excitement May Amelia is unprepared for the enormous impact that the baby will have on the family. Not all goes according to plan with the delivery, and complications to the birthing process present a challenge to everyone in the Jackson clan. But with the arrival of the new baby will come new hope, May Amelia knows, even as her role in its life becomes far greater than she had anticipated...
Without a doubt, this book is one of the most emotionally impactful I have ever read, which is why I felt so exhausted after completing it. Yet only a choice few novels are truly able to reach that extreme frequency of emotion, to actually draw forth from its readers genuine feelings of such an intense nature that we can't hold back our emotions, and they spill over as we read. There's just no way to adequately describe a book like Our Only May Amelia, one that knocks on the door of pure perfection and invites comparison to the greatest novels I've ever encountered. Not only do I think that the Newbery committee was right in giving an award to this book for the year 2000, but I believe that it probably should have won the Newbery Medal that year. Without a doubt this is the finest of Jennifer L. Holm's books that I've read, one that is sure to remain with me in a way that few other works of literature ever will. I cannot recommend Our Only May Amelia high enough, or say enough about the effect it has had on me.
December 2, 2020
I love historical fiction, and as a kid I was really into pioneer type of stories of early America. But strangely, I never got into Little House on the Prairie. I liked the show fine, but I wasn't the hugest fan of Laura, I must confess. So I never tried the books.
But I am a huge fan of May Amelia, who just wants to sail the ocean and explore the world and get away from her pack of brothers (except her favorites).
May Amelia gets into a lot of mischief, but it's not really her fault. Most of the time. Sometimes things just aren't fair. And sometimes they're wonderful. Sometimes they're sad. That's what its like growing up as the only girl child on a farm in the Pacific Northwest!
My daughter read this first (I technically bought it for her), and really liked it, except for the "really sad thing in chapter 9," which we discussed today and agreed that things could have been much worse, and that overall, we enjoyed this book!
But I am a huge fan of May Amelia, who just wants to sail the ocean and explore the world and get away from her pack of brothers (except her favorites).
May Amelia gets into a lot of mischief, but it's not really her fault. Most of the time. Sometimes things just aren't fair. And sometimes they're wonderful. Sometimes they're sad. That's what its like growing up as the only girl child on a farm in the Pacific Northwest!
My daughter read this first (I technically bought it for her), and really liked it, except for the "really sad thing in chapter 9," which we discussed today and agreed that things could have been much worse, and that overall, we enjoyed this book!
April 26, 2017
Disappointed in this book. The writing is juvenile. Maybe that's intentional, but it's not appealing. The incessant repeating of "indeed" "truly" and the godawful catchphrases "our only __" or "the only ___ we've got" really grate on the nerves.
There is virtually no Finnish culture incorporated (the only examples are random mentions of food). One gets no sense of these immigrants' heritage. Also, like Holm's Depression-era book, there is no sense of the time period. It reads like a contemporary book with a few words like "mighty" or "surely" thrown in.
There are too many characters who are not developed or even described - all those brothers could have been just three. Much too much of the interactions between siblings is annoying fighting of an unsubtle manner. The grandmother is not believable; she is a cartoon. The words and actions of the children toward her aren't believable either. This is part of a larger pattern of family behavior that is not believable - children up and running off, kids keeping secrets from parents in cahoots with other family members, etc. It could easily be the plot of a modern-day TV series.
The crises (bears, murders, shipwrecks, logging incidents, etc.) are enormous and just spring up. How they are handled is unrealistic. Sometimes they just disappear too, without any further explanation.
The casual slamming of the Catholic school isn't appropriate. Interesting how that is allowed, but we get all kinds of politically correct messages: illegal immigrants portrayed sympathetically, white kids cozy with Chinook Indians and Chinese workers, feminist narratives about the oppression of girls, etc. It is truly a diversity-fest, indeed, but it ain't true to the history.
There is virtually no Finnish culture incorporated (the only examples are random mentions of food). One gets no sense of these immigrants' heritage. Also, like Holm's Depression-era book, there is no sense of the time period. It reads like a contemporary book with a few words like "mighty" or "surely" thrown in.
There are too many characters who are not developed or even described - all those brothers could have been just three. Much too much of the interactions between siblings is annoying fighting of an unsubtle manner. The grandmother is not believable; she is a cartoon. The words and actions of the children toward her aren't believable either. This is part of a larger pattern of family behavior that is not believable - children up and running off, kids keeping secrets from parents in cahoots with other family members, etc. It could easily be the plot of a modern-day TV series.
The crises (bears, murders, shipwrecks, logging incidents, etc.) are enormous and just spring up. How they are handled is unrealistic. Sometimes they just disappear too, without any further explanation.
The casual slamming of the Catholic school isn't appropriate. Interesting how that is allowed, but we get all kinds of politically correct messages: illegal immigrants portrayed sympathetically, white kids cozy with Chinook Indians and Chinese workers, feminist narratives about the oppression of girls, etc. It is truly a diversity-fest, indeed, but it ain't true to the history.
February 10, 2016
Book Talk: Our Only May Amelia
People keep asking me to tell them about my sister, May Amelia. Well, Grandmother Patience says she is a trouble maker and a hellion, but then again Grandmother Patience is just plain evil. Yes, May Amelia does have a knack for getting into sticky situations. Like the time she got treed by a mother bear while out trying to catch that fugitive. We had to search all night for her. She never listens when Pappa forbids her to do something and she's downright pigheaded. I told her a million times that a girl cannot get a job at the logger's camp. So, she cut her hair off and pretended to be a boy. But, May Amelia is the only May Amelia we got. She's my best friend, first mate when we take the boat out, and my only sister (that's special when you have 6 brothers!) It can't be easy being the only girl in whole Nasel River Valley. People expect her to be different than boys. They say she needs to be doing the cooking and cleaning and wearing dresses. I know she wants to be a good girl, but it's really hard sometimes. Despite all that, I have to say she's pretty darn (don't tell Mamma I swore) brave and courageous. And that's the truth for sure.
-Wilbert Jackson, 1899
People keep asking me to tell them about my sister, May Amelia. Well, Grandmother Patience says she is a trouble maker and a hellion, but then again Grandmother Patience is just plain evil. Yes, May Amelia does have a knack for getting into sticky situations. Like the time she got treed by a mother bear while out trying to catch that fugitive. We had to search all night for her. She never listens when Pappa forbids her to do something and she's downright pigheaded. I told her a million times that a girl cannot get a job at the logger's camp. So, she cut her hair off and pretended to be a boy. But, May Amelia is the only May Amelia we got. She's my best friend, first mate when we take the boat out, and my only sister (that's special when you have 6 brothers!) It can't be easy being the only girl in whole Nasel River Valley. People expect her to be different than boys. They say she needs to be doing the cooking and cleaning and wearing dresses. I know she wants to be a good girl, but it's really hard sometimes. Despite all that, I have to say she's pretty darn (don't tell Mamma I swore) brave and courageous. And that's the truth for sure.
-Wilbert Jackson, 1899
February 26, 2013
Wow! Picked this up randomly at my in-law's...what a treasure! I laughed and I cried...cried...& did both some more. It runs the full gamut of emotions. The style is fun, as if written by a 12 yo girl of little education but a fair bit of common sense, truth and wit.
I love that this book was inspired by the author's grand-aunt, and her family history in general. That's just cool.
May Amelia could be an unforgettable character (I guess we'll see, eh?).
This book deals with very real issues, heartbreaking and difficult to be brief. However, I think the way these issues are handled makes the book appropriate for almost any kid perhaps 9 & up.
This review in no way does justice.
I love that this book was inspired by the author's grand-aunt, and her family history in general. That's just cool.
May Amelia could be an unforgettable character (I guess we'll see, eh?).
This book deals with very real issues, heartbreaking and difficult to be brief. However, I think the way these issues are handled makes the book appropriate for almost any kid perhaps 9 & up.
This review in no way does justice.
September 4, 2011
Like May Amelia, I grew up in a Finnish-American family in Naselle (the extra "le" was added in the early twentieth century). This story, through it's heartache, always manages to bring me to a happy place. As May Amelia travels throughout the valley, across the rivers and over to Astoria, my heart follows her along in familiarity. Jennifer Holm captured the area--the culture, the scenery--and from it, has brought to life the memories of her great-aunt May. Whether your connection to the story is firsthand and personal, or derived solely from imagination, May Amelia will touch your heart. She's spunky, feisty and strong, yet sweet and lovable. You'll laugh as she gets herself into "situations", and cry as she deals with torment and loss. All in all, a sweet story.
August 12, 2023
Those liking historical fiction and/or pioneer stories will enjoy this story of twelve-year-old Amelia May who is growing up in Washington in 1899 as the youngest sister in a family with seven older brothers; Matti, Kaarlo, Isaiah, Wendell, Alvin & Ivan and Wilbert. Props to this story for having among its characters, Grandmother Patience who may be the world's meanest grandmother.
September 30, 2018
This book was very disappointing. The main character was so unlikeable and unsympathetic. I like a spunky tomboy girl as much as the next person, but May Amelia doesn't come across as spunky so much as bratty, selfish, and just plain mean. Not to mention ignorant and racist. And language idiosyncrasies to provide a regional flavor to voices are one thing, but I can't see any purpose served by eliminating quotation marks other than making the book harder to read than necessary.
February 13, 2019
As a small child, Caddie Woodlawn was my favourite book. This novel felt like a revisit of that timelss classic. The main character is precious and as it takes place near and in Astoria, one of the places on earth that I consider most beautiful, this is one that I was destined to love. This is not always an easy read, there are painful episodes but it is beautifully written and I recommend it highly.
May 21, 2021
No ❤
Fun fact: There's not a single quotation mark in this book. Not. One.
Fun fact: There's not a single quotation mark in this book. Not. One.
December 23, 2020
I was expecting a fluffy wilderness story, but this has a lot of depth to it. Also, the audio version was really good.
December 9, 2012
This juvenile historical fiction is based on the life of the author's great-aunt and takes place around the year 1900 in Washington state.
Pros: The setting and time are interesting -- you learn about the culture of Finnish settlers (so many that everyone in the area learned Finnish and continued speaking it until the 1930s), lumber camps, salmon fishing, sailors, and rough frontier towns.
Cons: The plot seemed contrived, as if the author were trying to include every bit of local culture and history. The main character gets into a new scrape in each chapter to illustrate another aspect of the culture. Some plot lines are never resolved (eg, the murdered woman). The other way in which the story seems contrived is inclusion of so much modern "political correctness" -- the main character is respectful of and friends with the native Chinooks and a Chinese boy living in the nearest town, and the author makes a show of her character noting how very similar we all are. A great and true sentiment but added in a way that bordered on preachy rather than flowing naturally or in a historically relevant way. Also, I wasn't convinced that the main character grew or changed in any meaningful way. She would (1) get in a scrape, (2) moan about how she was the only girl in the whole valley and nobody loved her, and then (3) be told by some family member that she is "our only May Amelia." This cycle continued to happen until the last chapter.
Juvenile historic fiction I like better:
- Caddie Woodlawn
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Pros: The setting and time are interesting -- you learn about the culture of Finnish settlers (so many that everyone in the area learned Finnish and continued speaking it until the 1930s), lumber camps, salmon fishing, sailors, and rough frontier towns.
Cons: The plot seemed contrived, as if the author were trying to include every bit of local culture and history. The main character gets into a new scrape in each chapter to illustrate another aspect of the culture. Some plot lines are never resolved (eg, the murdered woman). The other way in which the story seems contrived is inclusion of so much modern "political correctness" -- the main character is respectful of and friends with the native Chinooks and a Chinese boy living in the nearest town, and the author makes a show of her character noting how very similar we all are. A great and true sentiment but added in a way that bordered on preachy rather than flowing naturally or in a historically relevant way. Also, I wasn't convinced that the main character grew or changed in any meaningful way. She would (1) get in a scrape, (2) moan about how she was the only girl in the whole valley and nobody loved her, and then (3) be told by some family member that she is "our only May Amelia." This cycle continued to happen until the last chapter.
Juvenile historic fiction I like better:
- Caddie Woodlawn
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
March 12, 2016
Anecdotal, schmaltzy, and inaccurate.
Inaccurate because Holm writes about May Amelia petting two black bear cubs in the wild before the mother spots her and chases her up a tree. Come on! Outrunning a black bear! and an enraged mother at that! Or how about the place where Holm writes about the mouth of the Columbia River freezing over one night as if it were Lake Frigid! And this is supposed to be a historical novel!
Schmaltzy because May Amelia's character is crafted as if she were a female Huck Finn, except here she is the lone girl in a family of seven boys who thinks that she should have all the things that the boys have without the matching responsibility.
Anecdotal because its storyline never rises above mere incident reported after mere incident. The ending--no spoiler here if you really want to read it for yourself--has a rescue in it along with a Dorothy Sentiment: There's No Place Like Home. Of course, Home here is meant to be the place in which she never really was happy to start with because she could never be one of the boys.
If this isn't one more piece of mediocre literature written for a young audience endorsing compliance with its paternalistic culture and adopt its ways without dissent, I'll eat my faux-historical-replica coonskin cap.
Inaccurate because Holm writes about May Amelia petting two black bear cubs in the wild before the mother spots her and chases her up a tree. Come on! Outrunning a black bear! and an enraged mother at that! Or how about the place where Holm writes about the mouth of the Columbia River freezing over one night as if it were Lake Frigid! And this is supposed to be a historical novel!
Schmaltzy because May Amelia's character is crafted as if she were a female Huck Finn, except here she is the lone girl in a family of seven boys who thinks that she should have all the things that the boys have without the matching responsibility.
Anecdotal because its storyline never rises above mere incident reported after mere incident. The ending--no spoiler here if you really want to read it for yourself--has a rescue in it along with a Dorothy Sentiment: There's No Place Like Home. Of course, Home here is meant to be the place in which she never really was happy to start with because she could never be one of the boys.
If this isn't one more piece of mediocre literature written for a young audience endorsing compliance with its paternalistic culture and adopt its ways without dissent, I'll eat my faux-historical-replica coonskin cap.
June 3, 2009
On the outside, this seemed like a light and fun read....NOT! Very emotionally charged with birth, death, first love, recognizing parents' limitations, struggling for survival, racial tensions, suicidal thoughts....ugh! We certainly had a lot to talk about, but I chose it as a fun read-aloud. I also did not care for the fact that the author chose to use no punctuation to indicate dialogue. This makes reading aloud a huge challenge. Definitely not for anyone under 9 or 10, and I think it needs a 'parental guidance required' label to help kids process all the big issues and events.
June 9, 2011
witty, hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful
i loved the use of caps to emphasize exact phrasing. loved all may amelia's brothers and family. loved the unique finnish pioneer setting.
highly recommended for 11 and up. PG with two disturbing deaths in her family, some peril, and a bitter, nasty, hateful grandmother who reminds me of a former step-grandma of mine.
i loved the use of caps to emphasize exact phrasing. loved all may amelia's brothers and family. loved the unique finnish pioneer setting.
highly recommended for 11 and up. PG with two disturbing deaths in her family, some peril, and a bitter, nasty, hateful grandmother who reminds me of a former step-grandma of mine.
February 1, 2016
2000 Newbery Honor Book
Dear Jennifer L. Holm
I find your lack of quotation marks disturbing. Grandmother Patience piqued my curiosity and then the lack of quotation marks irked me. I know you've written better stuff and it used proper grammatical conventions, Readable text = enjoyable text. This was barely readable.
Sincerely,
Joy
Dear Jennifer L. Holm
I find your lack of quotation marks disturbing. Grandmother Patience piqued my curiosity and then the lack of quotation marks irked me. I know you've written better stuff and it used proper grammatical conventions, Readable text = enjoyable text. This was barely readable.
Sincerely,
Joy
December 21, 2022
Read this mostly to my 12 year old, but even my teenagers kept wandering in to listen. An excellent read aloud (although I wish I had known ahead of time how sad it was in parts!)
May 16, 2009
I heard Jennifer speak at IRC. Once about Penny from Heaven, a serious look at her family's history, and another with her brother, Matthew, complete with song, dance, voices, and sketching.
Ying Chang Compestine isn't the only author who switches genre and mood, going for light and humorous when the serious work weights them down.
Our Amelia May
Jennifer L. Holm
Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Parents’ Choice Silver Award
Jennifer L. Holm weaves a phenomenal story from artifacts and handed-down family stories. May Amelia is totally believable as she tells of life along the Nasel River in Washingon in the late 19th Century. The way she talks about her brothers just makes me laugh. That she loves them is obvious, but that they can annoy her is realistic. I can’t help but think that Holm puts a lot of her own spirited relationship with her brothers in this novel. When I met her in Springfield at the Illinois Reading Council Conference in March, 2009, I was impressed with her writing diligence. In addition to mining her family’s experiences, she methodically researches the time periods and settings of her novels. The ability to write in two genres, historical fiction and graphic novel, blows my mind. As different as these two genres are, her playful style is evident in both.
The text of Our Only May Amelia flows smoothly and easily through the thoughts of a twelve-year old girl. The honesty with which she deals with her feelings about her cousin and grandmother makes it easy to identify with her character. The language she uses to describe her adventures on the river and with her brothers and aunt bring the reader right to the place. Without too much description, the story moves quickly and keeps the reader interested.
The plot, while not terribly original, unfolds to reveal some surprises like the kindness of the Chinook Indians, the death of the baby, the sinking of the ferry, and the refusal of May Amelia to go home after her tragic loss. Even as an adult reader, I could not predict all that happened. Holm built suspense when both the baby and May’s mother were sick. The reader knows some one is going to die, but to find out who begs the reader to read on. Holm was able to create the nasty grandmother so the reader had little empathy for her and could feel May Amelia’s anger, frustration, and pain.
When reading historical fiction, the events of the time need to be woven in so they seem natural to the story. Holm did a wonderful job with this. She introduced the Finnish settlement, Chinese, logging methods, ferry, farming, travel, mail-order bride and politics of the time flawlessly. From hearing her speak of her writing process, I got the impression that her family stories formed the foundation of the story. It was the diary of her grandaunt that inspired her to research the time and write the story.
Although the story included hard times in the Finnish settlement and death as part of the truth, the story is full of the determination and hope of a young girl growing up in a difficult but wonderful time in history. As any good novel for the intermediate and middle school readers, this one tells a good story from the perspective of a child. Holm honors the childhood experience and the young reader.
The honesty, authentic historic details, respect for children, and an engaging plot make this a notable novel that deserves the awards it received. I look forward to reading more novels by Jennifer L. Holm.
Ying Chang Compestine isn't the only author who switches genre and mood, going for light and humorous when the serious work weights them down.
Our Amelia May
Jennifer L. Holm
Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Parents’ Choice Silver Award
Jennifer L. Holm weaves a phenomenal story from artifacts and handed-down family stories. May Amelia is totally believable as she tells of life along the Nasel River in Washingon in the late 19th Century. The way she talks about her brothers just makes me laugh. That she loves them is obvious, but that they can annoy her is realistic. I can’t help but think that Holm puts a lot of her own spirited relationship with her brothers in this novel. When I met her in Springfield at the Illinois Reading Council Conference in March, 2009, I was impressed with her writing diligence. In addition to mining her family’s experiences, she methodically researches the time periods and settings of her novels. The ability to write in two genres, historical fiction and graphic novel, blows my mind. As different as these two genres are, her playful style is evident in both.
The text of Our Only May Amelia flows smoothly and easily through the thoughts of a twelve-year old girl. The honesty with which she deals with her feelings about her cousin and grandmother makes it easy to identify with her character. The language she uses to describe her adventures on the river and with her brothers and aunt bring the reader right to the place. Without too much description, the story moves quickly and keeps the reader interested.
The plot, while not terribly original, unfolds to reveal some surprises like the kindness of the Chinook Indians, the death of the baby, the sinking of the ferry, and the refusal of May Amelia to go home after her tragic loss. Even as an adult reader, I could not predict all that happened. Holm built suspense when both the baby and May’s mother were sick. The reader knows some one is going to die, but to find out who begs the reader to read on. Holm was able to create the nasty grandmother so the reader had little empathy for her and could feel May Amelia’s anger, frustration, and pain.
When reading historical fiction, the events of the time need to be woven in so they seem natural to the story. Holm did a wonderful job with this. She introduced the Finnish settlement, Chinese, logging methods, ferry, farming, travel, mail-order bride and politics of the time flawlessly. From hearing her speak of her writing process, I got the impression that her family stories formed the foundation of the story. It was the diary of her grandaunt that inspired her to research the time and write the story.
Although the story included hard times in the Finnish settlement and death as part of the truth, the story is full of the determination and hope of a young girl growing up in a difficult but wonderful time in history. As any good novel for the intermediate and middle school readers, this one tells a good story from the perspective of a child. Holm honors the childhood experience and the young reader.
The honesty, authentic historic details, respect for children, and an engaging plot make this a notable novel that deserves the awards it received. I look forward to reading more novels by Jennifer L. Holm.
January 14, 2012
Let's see.. In general I rather liked this book. It had a charming voice to the narration with a generally likeable protagonist. It fit together very nicely with themes connecting throughout the book such as the Chinook baby, the new babydoll, and Baby Amy. The foreshadowing felt so subtle that I'm not sure that it was useful while reading despite being interesting to look back upon toward the end. Some interesting things are sort of bumped into, possibly in a "good" way, but generally left unexplored such as gender, relations with the Chinook, racism toward the Chinese, immigration, and her grandmother's abuse. This is not to say that one book for a juvenile audience should explore all those things, although I think it's nice that Holm did include most of them, but I just feel that the book seemed a little raw and unfinished because of these brief but unresolved forays. I especially was unsatisfied with how her problems with her grandmother were resolved, although I have to say that it was likely a realistic conclusion. The moments where the story doesn't quite feel like it works may be due to the overlay of literary form on to a real person's story and that the edges in between do exactly meet correctly. Regardless, I enjoyed the book, liked the character, and would generally recommend Our Only May Amelia. I just might recommend other books first.
May 17, 2025
3.5 stars
This is a cute book, but upon rereading my feelings toward it have cooled. The lack of quotation marks is still bothersome, and Matti's disappearance still seems to have been skimmed over. I did still like May Amelia's narrative voice, and her emotions come through authentically in the writing. Holm doesn't talk down to child readers either, and there is an occasional bit of subtext that adults will pick up on, such as the admission that Aunt Alice is the mistress of some wealthy man. I do find it a bit unrealistic in that May Amelia doesn't seem to even own a dress. I can believe that a girl in her time and place may have been allowed to wear overalls for play or working outdoors, but surely she would be expected to wear a dress to church and to school. May Amelia isn't being raised exactly like her brothers; she helps her mother with cooking and cleaning, and her tomboy ways don't prevent her from loving her dolls Susannah and Baby Feenie. It's difficult to believe that her mother wouldn't have invested the time to sew her one simple dress for church.
Nitpicks aside, Our Only May Amelia is still a sweet book, but just not top-tier for me.
This is a cute book, but upon rereading my feelings toward it have cooled. The lack of quotation marks is still bothersome, and Matti's disappearance still seems to have been skimmed over. I did still like May Amelia's narrative voice, and her emotions come through authentically in the writing. Holm doesn't talk down to child readers either, and there is an occasional bit of subtext that adults will pick up on, such as the admission that Aunt Alice is the mistress of some wealthy man. I do find it a bit unrealistic in that May Amelia doesn't seem to even own a dress. I can believe that a girl in her time and place may have been allowed to wear overalls for play or working outdoors, but surely she would be expected to wear a dress to church and to school. May Amelia isn't being raised exactly like her brothers; she helps her mother with cooking and cleaning, and her tomboy ways don't prevent her from loving her dolls Susannah and Baby Feenie. It's difficult to believe that her mother wouldn't have invested the time to sew her one simple dress for church.
Nitpicks aside, Our Only May Amelia is still a sweet book, but just not top-tier for me.
March 7, 2015
I really wanted to like this book... historical fiction, based in the Pacific Northwest, an outdoorsy tomboy main character - these are ingredients that say it's a perfect book for me (and my daughter). Sadly, neither of us liked it that much. 2.5 stars was what we decided. First, I just don't understand why the author chose to use no punctuation (or any indication at all, actually) for dialogue. It was confusing and did not add anything to the story. Second, I don't think the story flowed well. It felt choppy. Third, because of the flow issues the sad and scary parts felt abrasive - particularly for a children's novel. Extremely mean characters, murder, disease, SIDS... the horrors of life in 1900 outlined in this book are many and without context and balance. So, we won't be reading the next one.
August 5, 2015
Loved this book. Like an updated version of Little House on the Prairie. About May Amelia, a headstrong eleven year old growing up in the wilderness of Washington state in 1899. Great portrayal of pioneer life. Super likable, relatable protagonist. I liked this book even more when I read the author's note and found out that this is the author's interpretation of her great aunt's life. This would make a great read aloud.
July 10, 2012
Could not even read past 10 pages... I may have been lucky to get past 5 pages... No quotation marks made it very hard to follow. The backwoods talk was just as confusing. The story didn't grab me at all.
November 17, 2024
My kids loved this book! Loved the author’s notes at the end. The book is based on the author’s distant relative.
April 5, 2020
As soon as I started reading I was like oh no. I was sure this would be so good because of the tomboy character that I love. The summary was so promising. But the writing...it tries to sound a certain way which I find backwards and stupid. And I can't stand present tense.
There's hardly any punctuation in that the characters say things all crammed together without commas. And the dialogue isn't even in quotations. It's a mess.
So many things are capitalized unnecessarily to show importance and that freaking gets on my last nerve. I was already irritated with capitalization by pg. 2. I can't stand when Words are Capitalized that Don't Need to Be. It's really Annoying.
"My brother Wilbert tells me that I was the first ever girl born in Nasel, that I was A Miracle."
"That is Me."
"Pappa is always yelling at me Don't Get Into Mischief May Amelia when all I'm ever doing is what some other boy has done first. He says that I am a Girl...Wilbert tells me that Pappa has had a Hard Life."
They all sounded like backwoods hicks the way they spoke. I’m sure her intention wasn’t to represent her characters and therefore ancestors like idiots, but that was the result. Idiots, every last one of them.
"I say I did but I was just a-planning."
"I am turned twelve this very day."
"The sunny sun is out a-shining."
Ugh. I hate stupid writing.
There was hardly any punctuation. Everyone spoke in run-on sentences. You have to figure on where the punctuation goes yourself, like you’re the one writing it. And you have to decipher when someone is speaking because for some strange reason she's decided not to use quotations. The most bizarre writing I've ever read. (I’m using quotations in my examples because that’s what you do to show someone is speaking…Or at least that’s what everyone else does.)
“We ain't ghosts! I shout but Wilbert grabs my arm and says, He's Crazy May Run!”
"He is so mean, almost as mean as Pappa, but I don't let him see me cry I go out to the hayloft in the barn and cry there."
"Wilbert says, Come on May what happened lemme see your shoulder.”
Who the f writes like this? What is the purpose other than representing yourself like a bad, incompetent writer and your characters like illiterate dumbasses?
All the girls from far away like Matti, her oldest brother, because he's handsome, big and strong with blond hair and gray eyes. They all come and ask May where he is. Matti told her he already has a sweetheart but it's a secret because she's Irish, and their dad doesn't like the Irish. May said it was bad luck but Matti said he's pretty sure she'll be nothing but luck for him. I was surprised that Wilbert said a girl was desperate to be chasing after Matti like a cat in heat. Whoa, that's mature.
Her dad is a jerk, always telling her to behave and not get into trouble. He said he hopes the new baby is a boy because he doesn't think he can stand another May Amelia. He was always sighing about what she'd done and expecting her to get into trouble and be a problem. His mom came to live with them and gave May a hard time; she broke her china doll. It was such a heart-warming moment when Pappa came in to her bed at night and sat down and said he was sorry about her doll. She shivered in the cold and he went and got her his jacket. He said this would keep her warm, his little May, and she's the only May they've got.
I love a tomboy character, one who isn't content with a woman's lot in life and wants more, sees herself as being capable of doing everything guys can do and wants that kind of lifestyle. But some authors take it too far. Namely having the heroines cut all their hair off. May had Wilbert cut her hair off so she could get a job in the logging camp like him. No. Just no.
Her and her cousin Kaarlo always fight and pull pranks on each other. The boys all got to go to a dance but May was forbidden because she'd cut her hair and taken a job as a boy. When they got in May said he was in time to milk the cow and he told her she was a sorry sight after dancing with this girl. He told her the girl is a real lady, not like her, and she looks like a boy. Another time Kaarlo was mad at everyone because the girl had stopped talking to him.
A woman turned up split up the middle and May got it into her stupid head that they should hunt for the killer. Wilbert of course shot this idea down and bright May determined to find him herself. In the wood she's found two bear cubs and they roll over for rubs just like a couple of dogs, and then the sow came growling and she had to run up a tree. More bad luck, she thought. No, just dumbassery at playing with cubs and not watching out for an angry mama bear.
Matti was reported missing, having gone to the tavern of a widow notorious for shanghaiing men, slipping something into their drinks and having them brought to a ship to be pressed into service to China. But I suspected what really happened. I knew Matti would try for his sweetheart now that he was away from home. And sure enough, an Irish girl was presumed drowned on the river but her body was never found. I waited for May to make the connection but of course she was too stupid for that.
The new baby was a girl like she wanted. Their mom wasn't doing well with this birth since she was older and it had been so long since she'd had a baby. I thought she would die but all of a sudden the baby died, when there was no sign of her being sick. Their grandma blamed May for her death and May ran away. Wilbert came with her and they went to stay with their aunt and uncle in the city. Their dad came a week later, said he was come for his kids, but May refused to go and Wilbert wanted to stay with her. Her dad went to hug her but she moved away. What had he done?! I knew she remembered him saying he hoped their mom didn't have another girl because of May, but still. This family needed to get it together.
I couldn't believe that May went to work for the Mariah, the tavern owner who shanghais men and is believed to be responsible for her brother's disappearance. Her and Wilbert would eat there. Wth is wrong with them? May asked if she'd shanghaied Matti and the woman laughed and said she doesn't do that anymore. Oh well that's great! As long as you've stopped selling men into service, that's okay.
There were hardly any women in town and some boys sent letters back east to the cities with a lot of Finns saying bride wanted on frontier, will pay for travel and send a picture.
Their aunt said their uncle carried her off when she was but a lass of 16 and I looked forward to hearing the story but she didn't make up a story about it. Her uncle just said she was full of fire and he took one look and knew she was the one for her.
May finally made a girl friend, a fellow 12 year old. Of course she liked a guy but May can't imagine liking a guy like that. Come on, are you serious? I remember liking guys in kindergarten and probably before that, and this 12 year old can't even imaging liking a guy? Ugh. And Wilbert likes Emma but Emma likes someone else.
When they visited Aunt Alice she mentioned what happened to Matti and Alice said he wasn't shanghaied, he's living in San Francisco and he married the Irish girl. She helped them elope.
The mermaid on the bulkhead of Uncle Henry's ship resembles Aunt Feenies.
Ed was almost 30 and Emma only 12 but she still wanted to marry him because he's handsome. She wanted to kiss him while May was just scornful of the whole thing.
May finally wears a dress to the dance but a guy asks her to dance and she pleads sickness and leaves to visit Otto, the Chinese boy. She ate at his house and came home all stained up and muddy. I was thoroughly sick of her not being a Proper Young Lady and acting like a heathen. Gosh she made me sick. Wilbert was smiling and his eyes were sparkling and she asked if he kissed Emma and he said gentlemen don't talk about such things and he wouldn't say so she figured he had. He deserved better because Emma hadn't even given him the time of day and preferred Ed.
Her dad came to tell her that grandma passed away from the scarlet fever and Wendell is sick. They went home to go to the funeral and nurse Wendell back to health. May asked if she could take the boat out and her dad asked how many times he has to tell her only if one of the boys goes with her and I'm wondering the same thing. But he said he wished he'd left her in Astoria and he looked like he expected her to run away but she decided to stay and run from nothing.
She was out swimming in the river and Wilbet ran up to yell that the love were coming downstream and she paused and took in the view and admired the scenery like a real dumbass before she swam as fast as she could, but Wilbert had to climb a tree and reach down and get her out. The family came running and her dad hugged her instead of yelling. It was like scene 100 of May does something stupid and almost dies and has to be saved. She was a dumbass from start to finish, getting in trouble until the very end. I saw this is a series and I guess any growth that could happen will happen in other books because it sure as heck didn't happen here. Nothing could have redeemed this book and stupid May Amelia. I was up to here with the words "You're the only May Amelia we've got." We get it. They only have one May. And one Bosie, the dog, and one of each kid. Gosh that damn theme made me want to rage. It was so stupid and annoying. And she called the dog stupid all the time! No one is dumber than this dimwit girl. I was so sick of her talking about the boys getting to do this and that, I actually wanted her to die at the end.
This was a serious case of a no-plotter. She cooked food and helped her mom with chores and had conversations with her various brothers. She went to relatives to help out and I'm having trouble remembering what the book actually consisted of.
I was heartily sick of the theme of bad luck that May was constantly moaning about. You don't have bad luck, you're a dumbass half the time, getting into stupid predicaments because you're always whining about what the boys can do and what you can't.
The only interesting thing was the Chinooks. Their burial ritual was to put their dead up in canoes and drill holes in them so the rain will drain out and so people won't want to steal them. I liked the scene where May stepped on a trap during the burial ceremony and the Chinook man came and got it open and carried her home, gave her one of his necklaces.
I almost fell off the bed when I read their mom say gd. I can't believe she wrote that in a kid's book when she didn't have to cuss at all, but if she did she could have used a mild cuss word. And it was crazy that Wilbert said heck and May told him not to cuss at her. Heck is bad but gd is acceptable?
She also used the word damn, but had Emma accuse May of cussing when she said darn. It made no sense.
I couldn't stand May, her name, the way she talked, dressed, after, thought, anything about her. It irritated the crap out of me when a character is so juvenile and everyone else around her is attracted to the opposite sex and getting somewhere with them but the main character is focused on other things, especially when those things are being immature and petulant. Especially when side characters that are her age are wanting those things.
It's neat that she wrote this in honor of her great aunt from this time period who was a 12 year old girl named Alice Amelia.
But this writing sucks ass. This book is boring af. I bought this at a nearby library sale and thought I had struck gold with this amazing summary, I couldn’t wait to read it. Not only did it not live up to even 1% of my expectations, it was one of the worst, dumbest books I’ve ever read, one of the worst writing I’ve ever come across. This is going back to that library. This just further proves any book with a medal sucks. It’s actually not an honor if a book got a medal because that just means it sucks. This writing is simple, sparse, bare-bones, cut and dry, plain, and boring. A total waste of time.
There's hardly any punctuation in that the characters say things all crammed together without commas. And the dialogue isn't even in quotations. It's a mess.
So many things are capitalized unnecessarily to show importance and that freaking gets on my last nerve. I was already irritated with capitalization by pg. 2. I can't stand when Words are Capitalized that Don't Need to Be. It's really Annoying.
"My brother Wilbert tells me that I was the first ever girl born in Nasel, that I was A Miracle."
"That is Me."
"Pappa is always yelling at me Don't Get Into Mischief May Amelia when all I'm ever doing is what some other boy has done first. He says that I am a Girl...Wilbert tells me that Pappa has had a Hard Life."
They all sounded like backwoods hicks the way they spoke. I’m sure her intention wasn’t to represent her characters and therefore ancestors like idiots, but that was the result. Idiots, every last one of them.
"I say I did but I was just a-planning."
"I am turned twelve this very day."
"The sunny sun is out a-shining."
Ugh. I hate stupid writing.
There was hardly any punctuation. Everyone spoke in run-on sentences. You have to figure on where the punctuation goes yourself, like you’re the one writing it. And you have to decipher when someone is speaking because for some strange reason she's decided not to use quotations. The most bizarre writing I've ever read. (I’m using quotations in my examples because that’s what you do to show someone is speaking…Or at least that’s what everyone else does.)
“We ain't ghosts! I shout but Wilbert grabs my arm and says, He's Crazy May Run!”
"He is so mean, almost as mean as Pappa, but I don't let him see me cry I go out to the hayloft in the barn and cry there."
"Wilbert says, Come on May what happened lemme see your shoulder.”
Who the f writes like this? What is the purpose other than representing yourself like a bad, incompetent writer and your characters like illiterate dumbasses?
All the girls from far away like Matti, her oldest brother, because he's handsome, big and strong with blond hair and gray eyes. They all come and ask May where he is. Matti told her he already has a sweetheart but it's a secret because she's Irish, and their dad doesn't like the Irish. May said it was bad luck but Matti said he's pretty sure she'll be nothing but luck for him. I was surprised that Wilbert said a girl was desperate to be chasing after Matti like a cat in heat. Whoa, that's mature.
Her dad is a jerk, always telling her to behave and not get into trouble. He said he hopes the new baby is a boy because he doesn't think he can stand another May Amelia. He was always sighing about what she'd done and expecting her to get into trouble and be a problem. His mom came to live with them and gave May a hard time; she broke her china doll. It was such a heart-warming moment when Pappa came in to her bed at night and sat down and said he was sorry about her doll. She shivered in the cold and he went and got her his jacket. He said this would keep her warm, his little May, and she's the only May they've got.
I love a tomboy character, one who isn't content with a woman's lot in life and wants more, sees herself as being capable of doing everything guys can do and wants that kind of lifestyle. But some authors take it too far. Namely having the heroines cut all their hair off. May had Wilbert cut her hair off so she could get a job in the logging camp like him. No. Just no.
Her and her cousin Kaarlo always fight and pull pranks on each other. The boys all got to go to a dance but May was forbidden because she'd cut her hair and taken a job as a boy. When they got in May said he was in time to milk the cow and he told her she was a sorry sight after dancing with this girl. He told her the girl is a real lady, not like her, and she looks like a boy. Another time Kaarlo was mad at everyone because the girl had stopped talking to him.
A woman turned up split up the middle and May got it into her stupid head that they should hunt for the killer. Wilbert of course shot this idea down and bright May determined to find him herself. In the wood she's found two bear cubs and they roll over for rubs just like a couple of dogs, and then the sow came growling and she had to run up a tree. More bad luck, she thought. No, just dumbassery at playing with cubs and not watching out for an angry mama bear.
Matti was reported missing, having gone to the tavern of a widow notorious for shanghaiing men, slipping something into their drinks and having them brought to a ship to be pressed into service to China. But I suspected what really happened. I knew Matti would try for his sweetheart now that he was away from home. And sure enough, an Irish girl was presumed drowned on the river but her body was never found. I waited for May to make the connection but of course she was too stupid for that.
The new baby was a girl like she wanted. Their mom wasn't doing well with this birth since she was older and it had been so long since she'd had a baby. I thought she would die but all of a sudden the baby died, when there was no sign of her being sick. Their grandma blamed May for her death and May ran away. Wilbert came with her and they went to stay with their aunt and uncle in the city. Their dad came a week later, said he was come for his kids, but May refused to go and Wilbert wanted to stay with her. Her dad went to hug her but she moved away. What had he done?! I knew she remembered him saying he hoped their mom didn't have another girl because of May, but still. This family needed to get it together.
I couldn't believe that May went to work for the Mariah, the tavern owner who shanghais men and is believed to be responsible for her brother's disappearance. Her and Wilbert would eat there. Wth is wrong with them? May asked if she'd shanghaied Matti and the woman laughed and said she doesn't do that anymore. Oh well that's great! As long as you've stopped selling men into service, that's okay.
There were hardly any women in town and some boys sent letters back east to the cities with a lot of Finns saying bride wanted on frontier, will pay for travel and send a picture.
Their aunt said their uncle carried her off when she was but a lass of 16 and I looked forward to hearing the story but she didn't make up a story about it. Her uncle just said she was full of fire and he took one look and knew she was the one for her.
May finally made a girl friend, a fellow 12 year old. Of course she liked a guy but May can't imagine liking a guy like that. Come on, are you serious? I remember liking guys in kindergarten and probably before that, and this 12 year old can't even imaging liking a guy? Ugh. And Wilbert likes Emma but Emma likes someone else.
When they visited Aunt Alice she mentioned what happened to Matti and Alice said he wasn't shanghaied, he's living in San Francisco and he married the Irish girl. She helped them elope.
The mermaid on the bulkhead of Uncle Henry's ship resembles Aunt Feenies.
Ed was almost 30 and Emma only 12 but she still wanted to marry him because he's handsome. She wanted to kiss him while May was just scornful of the whole thing.
May finally wears a dress to the dance but a guy asks her to dance and she pleads sickness and leaves to visit Otto, the Chinese boy. She ate at his house and came home all stained up and muddy. I was thoroughly sick of her not being a Proper Young Lady and acting like a heathen. Gosh she made me sick. Wilbert was smiling and his eyes were sparkling and she asked if he kissed Emma and he said gentlemen don't talk about such things and he wouldn't say so she figured he had. He deserved better because Emma hadn't even given him the time of day and preferred Ed.
Her dad came to tell her that grandma passed away from the scarlet fever and Wendell is sick. They went home to go to the funeral and nurse Wendell back to health. May asked if she could take the boat out and her dad asked how many times he has to tell her only if one of the boys goes with her and I'm wondering the same thing. But he said he wished he'd left her in Astoria and he looked like he expected her to run away but she decided to stay and run from nothing.
She was out swimming in the river and Wilbet ran up to yell that the love were coming downstream and she paused and took in the view and admired the scenery like a real dumbass before she swam as fast as she could, but Wilbert had to climb a tree and reach down and get her out. The family came running and her dad hugged her instead of yelling. It was like scene 100 of May does something stupid and almost dies and has to be saved. She was a dumbass from start to finish, getting in trouble until the very end. I saw this is a series and I guess any growth that could happen will happen in other books because it sure as heck didn't happen here. Nothing could have redeemed this book and stupid May Amelia. I was up to here with the words "You're the only May Amelia we've got." We get it. They only have one May. And one Bosie, the dog, and one of each kid. Gosh that damn theme made me want to rage. It was so stupid and annoying. And she called the dog stupid all the time! No one is dumber than this dimwit girl. I was so sick of her talking about the boys getting to do this and that, I actually wanted her to die at the end.
This was a serious case of a no-plotter. She cooked food and helped her mom with chores and had conversations with her various brothers. She went to relatives to help out and I'm having trouble remembering what the book actually consisted of.
I was heartily sick of the theme of bad luck that May was constantly moaning about. You don't have bad luck, you're a dumbass half the time, getting into stupid predicaments because you're always whining about what the boys can do and what you can't.
The only interesting thing was the Chinooks. Their burial ritual was to put their dead up in canoes and drill holes in them so the rain will drain out and so people won't want to steal them. I liked the scene where May stepped on a trap during the burial ceremony and the Chinook man came and got it open and carried her home, gave her one of his necklaces.
I almost fell off the bed when I read their mom say gd. I can't believe she wrote that in a kid's book when she didn't have to cuss at all, but if she did she could have used a mild cuss word. And it was crazy that Wilbert said heck and May told him not to cuss at her. Heck is bad but gd is acceptable?
She also used the word damn, but had Emma accuse May of cussing when she said darn. It made no sense.
I couldn't stand May, her name, the way she talked, dressed, after, thought, anything about her. It irritated the crap out of me when a character is so juvenile and everyone else around her is attracted to the opposite sex and getting somewhere with them but the main character is focused on other things, especially when those things are being immature and petulant. Especially when side characters that are her age are wanting those things.
It's neat that she wrote this in honor of her great aunt from this time period who was a 12 year old girl named Alice Amelia.
But this writing sucks ass. This book is boring af. I bought this at a nearby library sale and thought I had struck gold with this amazing summary, I couldn’t wait to read it. Not only did it not live up to even 1% of my expectations, it was one of the worst, dumbest books I’ve ever read, one of the worst writing I’ve ever come across. This is going back to that library. This just further proves any book with a medal sucks. It’s actually not an honor if a book got a medal because that just means it sucks. This writing is simple, sparse, bare-bones, cut and dry, plain, and boring. A total waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2025
No clue who the target audience is for this. Not much plot, just "adventures," though they're not super exciting. A nice dive into history though, and shows the difficulty of life in early settlements through a young girl's eyes. It is especially interesting to see how modern authors deal with issues of race and settlement in historical fiction as opposed to fiction written contemporarily at the time. Given that our MC is white, race and racism were not touched much and May got along with characters of other races (i.e. was not herself particularly racist). A Chinese character mentions incidents of racism but the book does not linger on this.
The book is based on Holm's grandaunt's diary, and I think it would have done better in a more diary-like format (i.e. with dates and "entries") since I think that way I'd have expected less plot, but I guess May doesn't seem like the type to keep a diary -- she's too busy getting into Mischief! 😉 (I found the book to be a tad repetitive on how "bad" of a girl May Amelia is, always getting into trouble. Fine to show it but the characters would just say it far too much...)
No quotation marks or italics throughout the book. Takes getting used to but in the end I think it works well for this historical fiction YA novel
The book is based on Holm's grandaunt's diary, and I think it would have done better in a more diary-like format (i.e. with dates and "entries") since I think that way I'd have expected less plot, but I guess May doesn't seem like the type to keep a diary -- she's too busy getting into Mischief! 😉 (I found the book to be a tad repetitive on how "bad" of a girl May Amelia is, always getting into trouble. Fine to show it but the characters would just say it far too much...)
No quotation marks or italics throughout the book. Takes getting used to but in the end I think it works well for this historical fiction YA novel
November 21, 2018
May Amelia is a young girl after my own heart. With seven brothers, she can't help but run fast, work hard, and play even harder. Forget the Proper Young Lady thing. She'd rather be by herself on the side of a mountain or in the middle of a river, than at a fancy dance in town. Jennifer Holm does a great job using her own family history and pictures to create this story about life on the Nasel River. She weaves the everyday aspects of providing food, clothing, and shelter in with the relationships of family and neighbors. I especially enjoyed this because just last year I visited the beautiful town of Astoria, Oregon. I could picture Aunt Alice's and Aunt Feenie's homes on the hill looking over the might Columbia River. It is one of the most beautiful places I've seen, where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean. The events May Amelia tells about in the story are true to the charm and roughness of this western wilderness. Holm takes you from the innocence of a twelve-year-old to the heart-wrenching maturing that May Amelia experiences as she grows up on a homestead farm. I love the way the author incorporates the land and people of this area of the northwest in the telling of the story. Instead of clashing cultures, she brings out the individual nuances of Chinooks, Finnish, and Chinese that all shared this territory. On the book cover it says "Ages 9 up." I think this would be a great book to read out loud with older children, and I highly recommend it.
March 5, 2026
Read for Middle grade March
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