What I’m Reading: The Hired Girl

A bit ago my daughter Kayla messaged me and said she had a book that she thought I would like, The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz.  I went to see if it was available and ended up having to “burn” a credit on Audible to get it…boy oh boy, the book was worth it!

The book is all the things I love.  The story takes place in 1911 so it’s historic.  It’s written in the perspective of a 14 year old girl.  It’s a coming of age story.  It’s well written.  It kept my attention.  Once I finished I ran to the computer to write a review so that someone else might learn about the book too.  I simply loved it.

Of all the writing genres out there, this is high on my favorite format.

Here’s what Amazon had to say, “Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs, just like the heroines in her beloved novels, yearns for real life and true love. But what hope is there for adventure, beauty, or art on a hardscrabble farm in Pennsylvania where the work never ends? Over the summer of 1911, Joan pours her heart out into her diary as she seeks a new, better life for herself—because maybe, just maybe, a hired girl cleaning and cooking for six dollars a week can become what a farm girl could only dream of—a woman with a future. Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz relates Joan’s journey from the muck of the chicken coop to the comforts of a society household in Baltimore (Electricity! Carpet sweepers! Sending out the laundry!), taking readers on an exploration of feminism and housework; religion and literature; love and loyalty; cats, hats, and bunions.”

Amazon readers are giving the book 4.4 stars.  As I said, I loved the book and am giving it 5 stars.  I’ve been on a roll with good books lately.  I hope they keep coming.