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Sep 30, 2011

Sparrow rated it:

I’m one of those annoying people who, when someone else waxes nostalgic about a previous decade or century, is always like, “sexist, racist, no hot running water, cobble stones are annoying, smelly, wild animals, Hitler, and no zippers.” I dig simplicity, but that’s pretty much in the eye of the beholder, you know? For example, I could run around town, trying to find somebody who wanted to listen to my opinion about this book, or I could just post it on the internet, and see if anyone cares. More...

17 comments like (15 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2011

Valerie rated it:

Can I just say my 11 year old self would not like this book as much because it was so sad? There are of course more precocious kids than me (I've seen kids read classic Jane Austen stuff) but I was never okay with too sad of stuff as a kid, and I don't think I'm alone in this. This is not to deter anyone from reading it because the book is not exceedingly sad, just kind of.

The book is similar to the first if I remember correctly in that it starts out innocent enough. First, there ar More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

Wendy rated it:

I liked this, as I like all of Jennifer Holm's books, because she's an excellent writer who just doesn't seem to make missteps. But (as usual) I didn't feel a strong connection to her main character here.

The book almost seems to be written with the Newbery criteria in mind, because there's excellence in the delineation of setting (sneaks up on you, rather than knocks you over the head), and development of plot (early themes all get explored, even if you think they're just one-off comme More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2012

Jason rated it:

Disclaimers: I've not read Our Only May Amelia and I tend not to care for Jennifer L. Holm's historical fiction.
The first person narration is strong, and the setting (Early 20th century Washington state) is pretty unique. I share the concerns of those who think the sheer number of bad things which befall May Amelia's family in one year strains credulity some (the quantity only- each of the bad things is perfectly believable within the context); indeed, the author's note relates that severa More...

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Dec 23, 2011

Treasure rated it:

By two-time Newbery Honor author (and the author of the Babymouse series!), this sequel to Our Only May Amelia continues to follow the story of the Finnish family Jackson as they farm on the Nasel River in Washington State in the year 1900. An excellent work of historical fiction, readers do not need to read the first book to enjoy this one. It is easy to fall in love with narrator May Amelia, who does not use quotation marks when dialoguing and liberally uses Capitalizations When Necessary for More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Katy rated it:

In Jennifer L. Holm’s sequel to Our Only May Amelia, our heroine is back and causing as much trouble for her family as she ever has. Fending for herself with 6 older brothers and a mean old Papa in rural Washington state during the turn of the century, has never been fun for the precocious tomboy. This causes her to question their approval and love. When a family investment turns sour, all eyes and blame turn to May Amelia. Yet, she charms us with her candid child-like understanding from the per More...

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Nov 27, 2011

Mrs. Severson rated it:

Oh my.... I loved this book. May Amelia's voice was so strong, the characters so well-defined. I love the conflict in this book and the resolution. And even though I was really upset with Pappa on how he talked to and about his daughter -- I do think it was historically accurate. A friend of mine has a letter that her grandmother wrote to her mother on the occasion of her visiting when she was four. Never once in that letter is Nancy's name mentioned. The grandmother referred to her as " More...

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May 28, 2011

Margo rated it:

Jennifer Holm's 1999 novel Our Only May Amelia (which received a Newbery Honor in 2000) is one of my all-time favorite historical novels for kids, and I was eager to read the sequel which has just been released this spring. If you haven't read the first book, May Amelia is the only girl in a large family of Finn immigrants living in a remote area of Washington State around 1900. Amelia fits into the tradition of feisty tomboy frontier girls like Laura Ingalls, and her first story both made me More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 24, 2011

Eva rated it:

The Finnish-American heroine of Newbery Honor-winning Our Only May Amelia is back, and her life is as tumultuous as ever. On the one hand, being a 13-year-old girl on a farm in the wet middle of Washington State nowhere in 1900 means a whole lot of monotony. On the other hand, having 6 older brothers (plus a male cousin), a fierce and dour father, a kind but busy mother, and penchant for trouble means that May Amelia's life is never quite dull enough.

Life is hard for May Amelia's com More...

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Dec 08, 2011

Jessica rated it:

In this sequel to the Newbery Honor book Our Only May Amelia, Jennifer L. Holm writes about more adventures of May Amelia, her spunky 1900 protagonist. May Amelia is a twelve-year-old living in Nasel, a tiny farming town in Washington State where she has to take a boat to get to her one-room schoolhouse, and, with six older brothers, no other girls around, including at school. This isn't a tale of idyllic farm life. May Amelia's Finnish-American family, the Jacksons, work hard, share their be More...

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Aug 18, 2011

Ellie rated it:

I read the first May Amelia book when it first came out in 2001, and while I remember liking it, I don't actually remember too many details about the book other than it was about a girl named May Amelia who had a lot of brothers and was growing up during one of my favorite time periods - late pioneer days (the same time setting as Rose Wilder Lane, Laura's daughter). While I was able to read The Trouble With May Amelia without being too confused, I could definitely tell that it was a sequel/sec More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Brandy rated it:

Originally posted here.

I am clearly missing something here. Jennifer Holm has been honored by three different Newbery committees for her novels Our Only May Amelia, Penny from Heaven, and Turtle in Paradise. Despite never getting past the first third of Our Only May Amelia and pretty much detesting every moment I spent reading Turtle in Paradise, I dutifully checked out a copy of her latest novel, The Trouble with May Amelia, as soon as my library received its copies. It is, of cours More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Amanda rated it:

10 and up, Holm writes trim, plainspoken, funny, poignant books. I like how she draws her setting and characters--she gives great details but leaves enough blank space for readers to fill in with their impressions. There were some heartbreaking, heart-gasping moments in this book, both sad and happy. I don't think I've ever been so mad at a character in a book as I was at May's father. But he is not a bad person and there is redemption in their relationship that doesn't come too easy. Since his More...

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Apr 03, 2011

Mary Ann rated it:

When I was a kid, I loved reading about girls who went against the grain and weren't "good little girls," wearing dresses and doing what everyone expected of them. I think that's one of the lasting appeals of Laura Ingalls Wilder. She had spunk and a sparkle in her eye. Jennifer Holm has created a wonderful character May Amelia with this same appeal. Living with a pack of brothers, May Amelia wants to do all the exciting, brave things her brothers do - swimming in the Nasel River, work More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 24, 2010

Latricia rated it:

I was very lucky to get an advance copy of this for review. I loved My Only May Amelia and was delighted to see a sequel. May Amelia's voice is still very unique and takes some getting used to, but personally I like it. She sounds a lot like many of the kids I work with who have recently learned english and like May serve as translators for their parents.

In My Only May Amelia, May Amelia and her family dealt with losing her sister. In Trouble, they get on with life and deal with mo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 02, 2011

katsok rated it:

So let me just get this off my chest. I have not read Our Only May Amelia. *ducks head in shame* In my defense it was released in my first year of teaching in my current school. I was trying desperately to stay afloat. Somehow that beautiful book passed me by. Fast forward to the present. After attending NCTE with all of my friends telling me I HAD to read this, I quickly purchased it. Add that to the wonderful opportunity to meet the amazing Jenni Holm, and this book moved to the top of my to r More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 06, 2012

Susie rated it:

I had several epiphanies while reading this book (after all, it is January 6). Just knowing that I would write a review for it changed the way I read a bit. I take a few notes, but really do reflect more on what I've read if I plan to share it with others. My recent experiences with "The Nerdy Book Club" have had such an inspiring effect on my reading. I keep wanting to try to duplicate the experience for the students at my schools. Too often we bog them down with vocabulary, ins More...

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Oct 11, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

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

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Nov 30, 2011

Heidi rated it:

There are quite a few things that I really enjoyed about this book. I enjoyed May Amelia's voice, she comes shining through loud and clear. Within the first chapter I had a pretty good idea of May Amelia's personality, feisty and impetuous, which it was not hard to imagine could be pretty irritating to her family, especially her father who did not know what to do with her. She wasn't like any of the other women that he knew. After reading the first book (Our Only May Amelia) its clear that M More...

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Jun 04, 2011

Barbara rated it:

When things take a turn for the worse in the lives of the Jacksons, their livelihood on their Washington farm is threatened, and their family bonds are tested. This book continues the adventures of the intrepid heroine of the Newbery Honor Book Our Only May Amelia, and I have to say I loved just about everything about this book. I laughed, I cried, I reflected, I identified, but most of all, I admired the spirit of May Amelia who somehow finds a way to lighten heavy moments and savor the joyful More...

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Mar 13, 2011

Kirby rated it:

If this book does not win a Newbery Medal, I will be shocked. Nevermind that I would then have to cross Jennifer Holm off my Christmas card list -- after all, she already has three Newbery honors! But this compelling and powerful story is perfect in my mind. There is not one missed step in this historical novel set in southwestern Washington state, revisiting a beloved character, May Amelia. Even though her father thinks girls are a nuisance, underneath his crusty exterior, there is still a modi More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2012

Vivian rated it:

Where to put this book??? -- children's, 'tweens, or teens? Which is why I read it. Holm's first Amelia book won a Newbery Honor award, but I never got around to reading it.

Amelia is flanked by a houseful of brothers in turn-of-the-century Washington state. Her parents immigrated from Finland. She is definitely of the tomboy persuasion and has lots of scrapes and trauma, with glorious moments of vindication. The author takes some of the material in the story from her own fami More...

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Sep 04, 2011

Meredith rated it:

Holm has definitely captured a VOICE with May Amelia. She reminds me a little of Anne Shirley in overalls.

The dangers faced in the woods make my recent 4.5 days without power (thanks, Irene) seem like paradise ... at least I don't have cougars prowling around or bulls chasing me; at least I can stay dry on my way to work and don't have to worry about a river of logs squishing me.

There are a LOT of characters to keep track of, which is one of the only things that popped o More...

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Sep 09, 2011

Christopher rated it:

The "sequel" to the Newbery Honor winning "Our Only May Amelia" is an interesting read. Continuing the adventures of May Amelia Jackson, Jennifer Holm finds May Amelia's voice again and it is a pleasurable enough read. As much as I enjoyed this, it all felt incredibly familiar. It felt like I was reading a "Jennifer L. Holm novel". Without giving anything away, someone runs away...again. The family's welfare is put in jeopardy by the actions of the main charact More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 14, 2011

Jenny rated it:

The Trouble with May Amelia is the sequel to Our Only May Amelia , a Newberry Honor book that was first published in 1999. This second book can be read as a stand alone so if you’re like me and haven’t read the first book you will have no problems with the sequel.

The story takes place in rural Washington state in 1900. May Amelia is from a Finnish family and is the only girl in a family of boys. With seven older brothers, she is constantly teased for her tomboyish ways. Instead of t More...

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Jan 03, 2012

Destinee rated it:

Oh, May Amelia, you are my favorite. Actually, Jennifer Holm, you are my favorite, and May Amelia is my favorite of your creations. This book is practically perfect. The only thing I can complain about is the AWFUL COVER. Just wrong. Why can't a wonderful author like Holm get a great cover for an awesome book? The world is an unfair place.

Speaking of the world being an unfair place, I've noticed people complaining that too much bad stuff happens to the Jacksons in this book. I think More...

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May 05, 2011

Pam rated it:

Another solid book about May Amelia. For May Amelia fans have no fear, she continues to get into serious trouble. Holm continues to leave the sugar coating pioneer stories to others and I found myself so happy to have the modern conveniences like showers, clean clothes, dishwashers, and grocery stores. This story was a bit more disturbing to me than the last one. The scars on this poor girl are already going to run deep, and it seems that this story heaps them on higher. The author's note wa More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Rene rated it:

After reading this book at break-neck speed to see what would happen next, I realized just how crazy the plot of this book actually was. When trying to summarize what happened while discussing it with a friend, I was taken aback by the sheer number of oddball occurrences that you don't normally think of happening in J Fiction. Suicides, mangling accidents, barn burnings, dying baby sisters, visiting houses of ill-repute, bull attacks...should I continue? Maybe its just that they don't all happe More...

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May 19, 2011

Shelley rated it:

I never read the first one, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked reading about Finnish immigrants and the Pacific Northwest. The writing style of no quotes and random capitalization was annoying at first, but I eventually got past it and was pretty well immersed in the story. I liked May Amelia, but not many of the other characters. I never got a handle on how old she was - from reviews of the first title, I guess around 13, but she seemed older or younger depending on the scene. Pretty depr More...

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Dec 22, 2011

Amy Bright rated it:

A beautiful story! Author, Jennifer Holm takes you on an emotional journey with May Amelia. I thought the Northwest setting was so interesting; as well as, the Finnish language sparkling throughout the text.

I had such a powerful connection to this book. As I read, I found myself thinking about my Grandmother, Essie, as a young girl May Amelia's age. Grandma grew up in the hills of Kentucky. A Big Family - Dirt Poor. Surrounded by brothers and sisters. But in Kentucky it was More...

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