All in all, this is a beautiful novel with beautiful, eloquent poetry. I also really liked how the changing climate is given consideration and Mavis's feelings as she realizes that she has been abandoned. Mavis's desire to read and to eventually teach are particularly poignant especially when the modern reader realizes that the possibility of it occurring is little to one. very successfully portrayed Mavis and the situation she found herself in while still managing to make her a character that one could empathize with. Because of the structure, you cannot, as you would in prose form novels, describe things to the minute detail. The thing with writing a story in verse is that you have to be very careful about the details you put and the ones you leave out. There's this cleanliness about the poetry that makes it easy to read. I love stories in verse therefore I wasn't much surprised when I ended up enjoying May B. So glad I persisted - a moving story of a young girl facing adversity.

There's a wonderful rhythm to May's story as Rose brings it beautifully to life - her family (Ma, Pa and brother Hiram), her feelings at being sent away for a few months, her fierce desire to read and her struggles to do so, her feelings of inadequacy, her need to survive her new situation, the prairie landscape, the 'soddy' where she lives, the food she cooks/eats, her fears at being abandoned, her fears of not being found and her grit and determination to be reunited with her family. Perhaps I was especially delighted by Rose's book because I initially thought I wasn't going to like it. I knew this book for pre-teens was written in free verse, but I didn't quite grasp what that meant until I saw it. Plus, I'm a sucker for a pioneer story - I was firmly convinced at Ivory's age that I WAS a pioneer girl in a previous lifetime! But I had my doubts as I looked at the first page. I thought I'd read it as a way to check in with them and feel more connected across the 450+ miles between them in Illinois and me in Minnesota. One less mouth to feed and a little income for May's family and her father promises it's only till Christmas. It's a story about a 12-year-old pioneer girl who is 'farmed out' one August to help a neighboring newlywed couple.

I check in occasionally to see what they're reading and May B. What a great way to instill at a young age a love of books as well as critical thinking about what you're reading. My niece, Malory, and my great-niece, Ivory (age 10) are in a mother-daughter book club.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose