May B. [Hardcover]

Caroline Starr Rose (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 10, 2012 | Age Range: 9 and up | Lexile Measure: 680L (What's this?)

I've known it since last night:
It's been too long to expect them to return.
Something's happened.

"If May is a brave, stubborn fighter, the short, free-verse lines are one-two punches in this Laura Ingalls Wilder-inspired ode to the human spirit," raved Kirkus Reviews in a starred review.

May is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she's determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Furious that Ma and Pa have sent her out to work for the money they need, May Betts, 11, finds herself in a small, sod homestead on the western Kansas prairie in the late 1870s, 15 miles away from home, caring for a new, unsettled young bride, who is just a few years older than May. When the bride takes off, her husband leaves to find her, and May is all alone—frightened, furious, abandoned. Can she survive the five months until her parents come to collect her at Christmas? Told in very short lines, the spare free verse in spacious type is a fast read, poetic and immediate. The daily physical details are the heart of the survival story of finding food and keeping warm and safe as the snow comes, all against the dramatic backdrop of the prairie. The vast landscape is home to May, but to the new bride, the quiet is “thunderous as a storm, the way / it hounds you / inside / outside / nighttime / day.” Of course, Little House fans will grab this. Grades 3-7. --Hazel Rochman

Review

Heroes come in all sizes; my newest hero is a pint-sized girl named May B. Caroline Starr Rose tells May's story in simple, moving verse that captures the joy of family, the gloomy isolation of a dirt soddy, and the determination of one scared but indomitable young person. May B. is a girl you'll be proud to know.  
- Karen Cushman, Newbery winner


American Booksellers Association 2012 Spring New Voices title

Amazon's Best Books of the Month for Kids: January 2012 selection

Junior Library Guild selection 

Kids' Indie Next List: Spring 2012 

Publisher's Weekly Spring 2012 Flying Start

2012 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Winner, juvenile division

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2011:
"If May is a brave, stubborn fighter, the short, free-verse lines are one-two punches in this Laura Ingalls Wilder–inspired ode to the human spirit."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, December 5, 2011:
"Writing with compassion and a wealth of evocative details, Rose offers a memorable heroine and a testament to the will to survive."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade; First Edition edition (January 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158246393X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582463933
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. As a girl she danced ballet, raced through books, composed poetry on an ancient typewriter, and put on magic shows in a homemade cape. She's taught both social studies and English in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. In her classroom she worked to instill in her students a passion for books, an enthusiasm to experiment with words, and a curiosity about the past.

Caroline lives in New Mexico with her husband and two sons.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, great voice. Easy to give 5 stars January 11, 2012

By M. Knapp

Format:Hardcover

Beautifully written novel in verse about a young woman living in Kansas as the area was being settled. She works hard when she is able to attend school, and is disappointed to leave her books behind when she must move in with another family to help out. The adventure becomes very exciting, and May finds her resources tested as winter approaches. Great for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Kirby Larson's HATTIE BIG SKY. The book is suitable for 'tween readers, but the writing has subtlety and depth that teens (such as readers of Jame Richards' THREE RIVERS RISING) will appreciate. A fast read with evocative language and a terrific story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful writing January 10, 2012

By springfield, va

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just finished May B and loved it. The writing is vivid and beautiful. It captures the severe and sometimes terrible beauty of the Kansas prairies but also beautifully portrays a girl struggling to embrace who she is. My ten year old daughter is now reading it and loving it, too. She is intrigued by the verse in which it is written, especially since her class is currently studying poetry. I'll be buying more copies for gifts!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute delight! January 23, 2012

By Tandy Wood

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

May B was an absolute delight!! I picked it up to read the first few pages and literally did not put it down again until I was finished. I loved the sparse, eloquent, and perfectly-pitched verse as well as the precisely defined characters. And, of course, I ached for, laughed with, and cheered for May B as she endured the challenges of surviving in the harshness of a prairie Kansas winter.

Although this is a middle-grade young adult novel, I have been enthusiastically recommending it to any age reader friends who appreciate a good story and great writing. My pre-teen grandchildren will also be the recipients of their own copies of this extraordinary first novel. Hopefully, there will be more stories ahead from this fine writer.