Gratefully Yours [Hardcover]

Jane Buchanan (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

In 1923, nine-year-old Hattie rides the Orphan Train from New York to Nebraska where she must adjust to a strange new life with a farmer and his wife, who is despondent over the loss of her two children.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5. At age nine, Hattie boards an Orphan Train heading out west, hoping that she will be adopted by a family who truly wants a child to love, and not just an extra hand around the house and farm. On arriving in Nebraska, she is taken in by Henry Jansen, who has brought her home without his wife's knowledge. Hattie finds Elizabeth indifferent at best, but tries to understand her bitterness and grief for a son lost to illness that keeps the woman in bed most days. Hattie does her best to adjust to her new life, keeping up with her assigned chores and doing well in school despite the sneers and name calling she must endure, all the while remembering what she has been told over and over since her family died?that she should be grateful. When Hattie almost freezes to death while searching for their pet cat, Elizabeth realizes what the child has come to mean to her and accepts her as part of their family. Hattie finally feels that she has something to be grateful for, especially compared to many of the other children taken in by families in the area. This gentle story with a satisfying, if somewhat abrupt, ending will make a good introduction to this period of American history and to historical fiction in general. Hattie's ability to deal with being completely alone despite her fear of rejection is dealt with realistically, and readers will be as thrilled as Hattie is that she finally finds a home.?Carrie Schadle, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

In 1923, Hattie travels on one of the ``orphan trains'' to Nebraska to live with a couple, Henry and Elizabeth, who are still grieving after the death of their son and their daughter's stillbirth. She is not warmly welcomed, but they are not unkind; she is expected to work, but there are classic books to read on Sunday, and she regularly attends school and church. Some of the others from the orphanage haven't been as fortunate, but Hattie still finds it difficult to be grateful for her cold new home. In her first book, with neither melodrama nor pathos, Buchanan makes Hattie's story gently compelling, as is the path of Henry and Elizabeth's coming to terms with their grief. From the hardscrabble, no-nonsense tone, readers will infer that these are tough people living difficult lives, and while the topic of orphan trains has been overused of late, Buchanan's lean treatment is all her own. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux; 1st edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374327750
• ISBN-13: 978-0374327750
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #871,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for anyone!, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gratefully Yours (Hardcover)

The book Gratefully Yours brings the thoughts of a stubborn New York City tenement orphan into the wide and open prairie of Nebraska. This books main character, Hattie, is charming and loving. She learns the jobs of a farm girl, and keeps her knowledge from New York. I give this book 4 stars because of a suprise ending that I didn't like, but some people might.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for students, November 1, 2000

By 

Barbie Underwood (Tulsa, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gratefully Yours (Hardcover)

I had to read this book for my Children's Literature class (I'm going to be an elementary teacher) and I loved it. I will definately use it in my classroom. It's a great way to introduce or review my Orphan Train unit :)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book, September 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gratefully Yours (Paperback)

This is a good book about a girl who traveled on the Orphan Train. Hattie found a home with the Jensens and made friends with the cat, Cloud. But she has problems with kids who don't like orphans and some of her friends being mistreated. To find out how it ends, read the book!