she's more Hattie-here-and-there than Hattie-somewhere-of-her-own. That's why, when her scoundrel uncle, Uncle

Chester, leaves Hattie his homestead claim in Montana, Hattie barely thinks twice before

shipping out to prove up. But what's one 16-year-old girl versus the vagaries of the

Montana wilderness?

Hattie has no idea what she'll find in Montana. A place of her own, she hopes. But Uncle Chester's

shanty, debts, and ornery cow aren't exactly what Hattie had imagined.

Still, Hattie is undeterred. She braves the cruelty of a Montana winter, the muck of a

Montana spring, and the hellish heat of a Montana summer, all so she can finish her

uncle's fencing, harvest her crops, and hand over the $37 that will make Uncle Chester's

stubborn land officially Hattie's own.

Above all, Hattie Big Sky is a book about finding where you belong, and finding more

expansive meanings of love, family, and of course, home. But don't take that to mean

that this book is mushy or slow-going. On the contrary, Hattie's life on the Montana

prairie is filled with near-disasters. And Hattie proves to be a courageous heroine who's

as strong as any man in Montana—maybe stronger.

So does Hattie prove up? Does she make her deadline? You'll find out when you read

this book…or when we talk about the sequel to Hattie Big Sky, coming up next week!