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The Trouble with May Amelia

The Trouble with May Amelia (unabr). 4 CDs. 4:18 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-96784-8. $28.
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Gr 5–7—May Amelia Jackson, 12, needs sisu (that's Finnish for having guts), and lots of it, to survive on the Washington frontier in 1900 as the only girl in a family (her parents are Finnish immigrants) with seven big brothers and a father who thinks girls are useless. She finally thinks she's proved her worth when she translates for a polished stranger who wants to buy the family's land and make them rich. But when the stock they purchase turns out to be a scam and the bank takes the family farm, everyone blames May Amelia, especially her Poppa. How can she possibly make things right again? In this sequel (Atheneum Books, 2011) to Jennifer Holm's Newbery-Honor winning Our Only May Amelia (HarperCollins, 1999), the author spins a memorable yarn that can stand on its own, featuring one of the most appealing heroines in contemporary historical fiction. Listeners will laugh out loud at Amelia's comic adventures with a bull, ironically named Friendly, who terrorizes their school and her vain attempts to keep her favorite teacher from getting married. Holm doesn't whitewash the hardships of frontier life, and the Jacksons are no strangers to back-breaking hard work, violence, and grief. Narrator Maria Dalbotten is pitch perfect in capturing May Amelia's spunky, salt-of-the-earth voice, with both the comic and heartwarming side of the story exceptionally well-rendered.—Margo Tanenbaum, Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, CA

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