Our Only May Amelia (Newbery Honor Book, 2000)

by Jennifer L. Holm

book data

553 ratings, 3.86 average rating, 87 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		29%
4		37%
3		25%
2		5%
1		1%

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published

June 30th 1999 by HarperCollins (first published 1999)

details

Hardcover, 272 pages

setting

United States

literary awards

Newbery Honor (2000)

isbn

0060278226 (isbn13: 9780060278229)

description

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 we…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 730)

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Jan 17, 2009

Marcia rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: childrens-lit, staff-pick

Read in June, 2008

Grade Level: 4-6
Historical fiction – Finnish American
This was a wonderful story set in the wilderness of Washington State during a time when people cared for and about each other. Life was hard. This is one my favorite timeframes for historical fiction. The story teaches unity between families and the community. Many of the families were immigrants from Finland and other parts of the world. All brought many cultural traditions, customs, and ethnicity to their homes and community. The...more

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Aug 13, 2009

Emily rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: family-stories

Read in November, 2008

May Amelia turns 12 in 1899. She lives in Washington State, in an area populated with families of Finnish immigrants, like her own family. May has 7 older brothers, and does not particularly have any desire to be a Proper Young Lady. Interestingly, she seems to resent being excluded from some things because she is a girl, but not resent the “female” chores of cooking, etc. May Amelia has a very authentic voice, and I enjoyed her tales of life in harsh place as the only girl around. The ...more

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Jun 02, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: familyread-alouds

Read in May, 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 nee...more

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Mar 22, 2009

Mr added it (review of isbn 0064408566)

Read in February, 2009

amelia Hurley-Novatny 253 pages
May Amelia is the only girl on the Nasel. She has many brothers, and she is not a proper young lady. Her grandmother comes to live with them, and then she is angry and may gets scared. Her mother has a baby, then May is not the only girl on the nasel. She takes care of the baby because her mother is sick. Then one night the baby dies and no one knows why. Grandmother blames May so she runs away. Then her father comes and gets her when the g...more

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Mar 21, 2009

Patricia rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

Read in May, 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. Ho...more 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.

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Nov 10, 2008

Carrie rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: 2008, audiobooks, brothers-and-sisters, character, farming, historical-fiction, j-fiction, pacific-northwest, setting, to-booktalk

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 06, 2008

Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: chapter-books, childrens, historical-fiction, lis-565, tween

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: readers who enjoy historical fiction, such as the Little House on the Prairie series

The authenticity and charm of May Amelia’s narration pulls the reader into this book from the first page. Holm shows us the spirit and adventure of the homesteading life as well as the hardships, and an imperfect but loving family that will inspire conversation about historical attitudes regarding gender, race, and immigration.

CIP: As the only girl in a Finnish American family of seven brothers, May Amelia Jackson resents being expected to act like a lady while growing up in Washin...more

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Mar 01, 2009

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

Loved this juve. fiction book! :) A tomboy with loads of brothers and their family eke out an existence in the Northwest at the turn of the century. The family is Finnish, so the book gives some neat details on a people I don't know too much about. The main character gets into all kinds of scrapes, but is so dang lovable! This was a Newberry Award Winner or Newberry Honor Book...Not sure which. Worth reading, definitely!

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Sep 16, 2009

Anne Marie rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: middle-school

Read in September, 2009

Another great audiobook! I sometimes can't get into historical fiction, but when it's read aloud, I get sucked in. Holm won a Newbery Honor for this title, which was inspired by her great aunt who was born on the Nasel River (where this book takes place). This would be good for someone looking for a somewhat strong girl main character who is up for adventure, although she requires rescues from her brothers quite often.

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Mar 31, 2008

Kristen rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: children-young-adult

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Kristen by: Jessica
recommends it for: strong readers age 9+

Thanks for mentioning this book, Jess. I ran into it when I was looking for something else at the library for Emma, and remembered it was one of your favorites. What a great book!

It paints an amazing picture of life in the early days of Washington state. You get a view at Finnish culture, farm life, and what it would have been like to be a girl in a very rough-and-tumble world. The characters are very well developed and likeable, although at first I had a hard time keeping her May's ...more

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1 comment

Jan 29, 2009

Christina rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

Read in February, 2009

I struggled with this book at first because the author doesn't use quotation marks for dialogue. This is because it is supposed to be the journal of a Finnish immigrant girl. After I got over the lack of punctuation, I really enjoyed it. The book has such a powerful place of sense and time. It's set in Oregon, and I loved feeling like I was in the west, reading about something my ancestors might have experienced. Excellent read.

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Dec 03, 2008

fbuser1062135656 rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

recommends it for: read aloud

I loved historical fiction as a child and this is a fun book to read aloud. It includes both historical and cultural lessons along with a heart wrenching sweet story that my 8 year old daughter loved. She gave it two thumbs up and I read a little more than usual each night cause i wanted to know what was going to happen as well.

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Apr 28, 2008

Carissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: juvenile

Read in April, 2007

maybe i’m getting cranky. i didn’t really like this book much either. may doesn’t use quotation marks ever and is quite liberal with capital letters used to make things seem more important. i’m all for stylistic writing, but this was occasionally confusing and that’s me reading it as an adult. plus, after trying to teach high school freshmen how to use quotation marks and them being clueless about it, i’m all about exposing readers to standardized punctuation and spelling as much as ...more

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Dec 24, 2008

Jill Guccini rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: title-wave

Read in January, 2008

It took me quite awhile to get into this - the whole pioneer girl type thing - but by the end, I was really enjoying it. I suppose this is probably the case with most books & me - if I hadn't been enjoying it by the end, I would have stopped reading it. Also, all the talk about Astoria was kind of neat.

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Mar 24, 2009

Kelsie rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

Read in March, 2009

It's been almost three years since I read a book from my old classroom shelves that now sit in our basement ... but this was a good "return" to young adult fiction. May Amelia is darling--personable, likeable, and so real. Her writing style is unique; her story is endearing.

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Feb 17, 2009

Jeanne rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

This book as disappointing...too predictable. I did like the look into Finnish culture in the Northwest and the fact that some of the story comes form the author's great-great (?) aunt's diary that was recently discovered.

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May 18, 2009

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

I'd give it 4 1/2 b/c it was better than plain old 4. The style of the writing really made you feel as though you were listening to a story told by this girl, as it happened. So sad at times, but so wonderfully written.

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Jul 11, 2009

Katie rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

Read in January, 2008

This was a good book and I enjoyed the story line. But as I remember (I read the book a little while ago) it had a lacked punctuation vary often and sometimes made it hard to follow and had to get used to it.

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Mar 20, 2009

Holly rated it:

(review of isbn 0064408566)

bookshelves: childrens-books

Read in January, 2007

Young or old, you will fall in love with Amelia. I read the book, loved it and then shared it with my step-daughter Sarah. I read it to her before bed each night. She loved it as much as I did!!

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Sep 26, 2009

Alex rated it:

(review of isbn 0786227427)

Read in August, 2007

This is a good book because it is well rounded. It is sad and funny and happy all in one. she has a lot of curiosity in her like me so I was able to connect with her and its a true book.

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