Our Only May Amelia

Author: Jennifer L. Holm

Title: Our Only May Amelia

Book Genre: Realistic Fiction/Historical

Publishing Info: Harper Collins, 251, pp

Summary: Poor little twelve-year-old May Amelia, the only female sibling out of eight.
Well actually, she is the only female who has been born in Nasal. Everyone is always telling her she needs to be a fine young lady but she refuses. She wants to do all the fun things boys get to do especially if her seven brothers are her only friends. May learns about life when she is presented with responsibility after her mother bears little Amy Alice Jackson and becomes ill. Her and her closest brother Wilbert set out to Astoria to live and see things they would never see in their little town, Nasal River. May Amelia was always ready for a challenge! This book is a great adventure. This story was actually inspired by the authors great-aunt’s diary writings that were found in a old suitcase at her grandmother’s house. I believe this book would be suitable for 5th-8th grade.

Personal Rating: ****

Rationale: Believable characters; Great plot; good historical background; Some of the punctuation and use of quotation marks were hard to follow, but the story line kept you intrigued.

Thematic Areas: Finnish culture; history; survival; farm life; 1899 lifestyle; death

Content Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies, History

Reading Level: 6.5 Interest Level: 5th-8th

Possible problems or difficulties: There is a very vivid description of a death of a Indian woman written in this story. There is also a death of a young infant.

Possible uses in the classroom: Language Arts: Have the students do a history search on their ancestors and living family members. Have them conduct interviews with their family members and also allow them to do internet research.
Geography: In part with the language arts activity, after they have researched their family history have each student draw a map including the origin of their family and where they migrated and where his/her family live now.Art: Have the students make dolls like May Amelia had (rag dolls) and have some students lake ships out of materials such as popsicle sticks or any other supplies provided, and hold a contest of the dolls and the ships.