The Year of Miss Agnes (Aladdin Historical Fiction) [Paperback]

Kirkpatrick Hill (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2002 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Aladdin Historical Fiction | Lexile Measure: 790L (What's this?)

A year they'll never forget

Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn't have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard.

But Miss Agnes is different -- she doesn't get frustrated with her students, and she throws away old textbooks and reads Robin Hood instead! For the first time, Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write -- but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Teaching the children in an Athabascan village in a one-room schoolhouse on the Alaskan frontier in 1948 is not every educator's dream. Then one day, tall, skinny Agnes Sutterfield arrives and life is never the same for the community. Frederika (Fred), the 10-year-old narrator, discovers that unlike previous teachers, Miss Agnes doesn't mind the smell of fish that the children bring for lunch each day. She also stokes the fire to warm the schoolhouse before the students' arrival each morning, wears pants, and speaks with a strange accent. Miss Agnes immediately packs away the old textbooks, hangs up the children's brightly colored artwork, plays opera music, and reads them Robin Hood and Greek myths. She teaches them about their land and their culture, tutors both students and parents in her cabin in the evening, and even learns sign language along with her students so that Fred's deaf sister can attend school. Hill has created more than just an appealing cast of characters; she introduces readers to a whole community and makes a long-ago and faraway place seem real and very much alive. This is an inspirational story about Alaska, the old and new ways, a very special teacher, and the influence that she has over everyone she meets. A wonderful read-aloud to start off the school year.
Kit Vaughan, Midlothian Middle School, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. From the author of Winter Camp (1993) comes another moving novel about Athabascan life. But instead of a wilderness survival tale, this story is an uplifting portrait of a dedicated teacher, set mostly in a cozy village classroom in 1948. Fred, a ten-year-old girl, describes the year Miss Agnes takes over the one-room school. Unlike the school's other teachers, none of whom have lasted, Miss Agnes encourages the children to explore art, literature, and their own potential. She also teaches basic subjects in relevant ways and shows sensitivity to the rhythms of village life and to each child. The students are devastated when it's time for Miss Agnes to leave, but the story ends with a happy surprise. Readers longing for action may resist the simple, subdued story. But Fred's plain, direct voice, sprinkled with regionalisms, will connect readers with the well-integrated cultural particulars, the poignant scenes of home life, and the joy Fred feels learning in the snug classroom, the snow falling outside. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks; 1st Aladdin Paperbacks ed edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689851243
• ISBN-13: 978-0689851247
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.4 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Gentle pleasure March 27, 2005

By S. Silverman

Format:Paperback

As the winner of the Once Upon a World book award, this book was of particular interest to me for its deaf minor character. A sweet story of the teacher who comes to an Inuit village and breaks the mold of teachers in its past, this gentle story would be a good one for an early chapter book reader. The children of the story relate in realistic ways, and bring a diffferent kind of world, one with similarities in people, but differences in environment and a bit of culture. Agnes' response to the deaf girl who had been routinely ignored by previous teachers is appreciated. Its focus on how enjoyable learning can be is a good notion to remind a young reader. Definitely not a dazzler, this one is gently warming and pleasant. I would recommend it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! February 5, 2001

By Roz Levine

Format:Hardcover

In 1948, Fred (short for Frederika) and the other children of the Athabascan village on the Koyukuk River wait for the arrival of their new school teacher. They've had many teachers over the years, in their little one room schoolhouse, but none lasted very long. Life was just too hard. Right from the start Miss Agnes Sutterfield is different. She throws out all the old textbooks and puts up maps and timelines and pictures of the world. She plays opera records and reads Robin Hood and Greek mythology to her students. She teaches them creative writing and talks to them about growing up and becoming doctors or scientists. Miss Agnes even insists that Fred's deaf sister Bokko come to school for the first time and orders books about signing and soon the entire class has learned to signed. But her most important and lasting gift to the village, is the love of learning. Just as everything seems so good, the school year comes to an end and Miss Agnes tells the class that she's homesick and going back to England..... Kirkpatrick Hill has crafted a gentle story, full of great characters and vivid scenes, that will draw youngsters in and transport them back to a very different time and culture in the Alaskan "bush". Miss Agnes came to this closed off village and its "old ways" and opened up her students lives to the great wide world, full of many possibilities. This is a wonderful story that's perfect for kids 9-12, and told with great insight, wisdom and humor.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming! January 26, 2002

By Naomi

Format:Hardcover

The Year of Miss Agnes is a heartwarming tale of children in an Alaskan Village named Koyukuk. Fred (short for Fredrika) tells of the trouble her village has in keeping teachers in their small school. Year after year, the teachers leave for one reason or another, which the children believe is some fault of their own. Until the year Miss Agnes arrives and teaches the children in a new and interesting way. Everyone, children and adults included learn valuable lessons from Miss Agnes. The question is, will she stay longer than the others?
This book is written by Kirkpatrick Hill, an author who is a school teacher in the Alaskan "bush". She chooses appropriate vocabulary related to the life they live. She highlights the differences in their culture through the eyes of a child. Most children will be amazed at the responsibilities the children in this book embrace. I think this book would be wonderful for parent and child or teacher and child to read together and discuss. The language is simple, and the Indian words are described in context. Overall, an excellent book to read, discuss and enjoy. I can't wait to read another of Kirkpatrick Hill's books.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Year Ever January 21, 2004

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

The Best Year Ever
Kirkpatrick Hill 2000

Frederika thinks that this new teacher of hers is going to fail. But it happens that Miss Agnes proves them wrong. This story takes place in Alaska and it is a good book to read when it is cold outside like it is in Alaska. One interesting part I really liked was when Miss Agnes gave her class all new working supplies like pencils, pens, color pencils, markers, crayons, and colored paper and more. They thought she wouldn't last long either because there always was a bad smell of fish in Alaska but she said, "Well, I can't smell anything. I have sinus trouble." I would think people who just like sit down by the fire, have a cup of hot chocolate, and read to a younger one would like this book. I would give this book a 4 1/2 stars out of 5 if I had to choose, but it is right on the line for a 5 star book. I just want you to know this is the best book ever in my opinion!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful! March 6, 2001

By Mom of Two

Format:Hardcover

Miss Agnes is a delightful combination of Lucy Maude Montgomery's Miss Stacy and real-life teacher Sylvia Ashton-Warner. She challenges her students to be the best they can be in whatever life they choose for themselves; and to consider looking beyond their own experiences when making life choices. While Hill directs this message towards young people in rural areas, it is a pertinent moral for children in any geographical region.

I did not have the sense that Hill condemed or slighted "normal" teaching, however that may be defined. Rather she wrote a description of a teacher who took the students as they came and met their individual needs. While Miss Agnes sets aside Dick and Jane, she does share a selection of "great" works with the children. Miss Agnes acknowledges that there are many "right" ways of communicating. The trick is to know when colloquialism is acceptable and when it might be more appropriate to use formal language.

Hill writes this book in the voice of a 10-year-old girl. In keeping with this voice, some aspects of the culture are explained while others are mentioned without explanation. This is an effective device. It permits the reader to understand the story at hand. While it might be argued that the book could contain more factual information, this would slow down the action of the story and dissuade some readers.