Along Came a Dog, by Meindert DeJong

 

I should have enjoyed this book more, probably, but it described farm life in such a blunt way that I found it incredibly off-putting and it was difficult for me.

"The man" works for a farmer but has a flock of chickens that he cares for. As winter is ending, he discovers that his little red hen HAS FROZEN ALL OF HER TOES and they literally drop off as she tries to walk. The book contains other upsetting descriptions of the chicken trying to hobble along on her little ankle nubbins and care for herself among a flock that immediately demotes her to the bottom of the pecking order.

But the real protagonist of this story is a stray dog, who wanders into the barnyard hoping to find a home there, since he can sense that The man is good and kind to animals. He sets himself up as the secret guardian of the little red hen and spends the book defending her (and by extension, all the flock) and hoping he will eventually be welcomed into the farm family, although the man does catch him twice and abandon him far away.

It's just an animal story for a different time that didn't speak to me in the way it was meant to.

The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson

 This is a charming little story about Armand, a "hobo" in Paris, who loves his free life. But one day he returns to his usual spot under a bridge to find that another family has claimed it- three redheaded children whose mother is at work. After their father's death they could no longer afford their apartment, and are hiding so that they won't be put into an orphanage and be separated from their mother, and each other. Armand is a bit ruffled at having his spot taken, but the children seem more than happy to absorb him into "their" space and claim him as an unofficial grandfather. The children think that singing to earn change for treats and meeting Armand's friends the gypsies are a marvelous adventure, but their mother takes offense and tries to keep the children away from him. Nonetheless, it seems that they are meant to be family, and the story ends happily for all.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare

I first read this book in 4th grade, by choice, and then again in 7th grade English. I liked it both times, and have read it occasionally since. It ages well - nearly two decades after I first picked it up, it's still a good read. There were a few examples of historic facts being not-so-smoothly hidden in the text that I don't remember noticing as a kid (perhaps this is the point after all), but it's easy to get past them.

Of all the books I've read for this project, in fact, this one stands out for its engaging writing style - it's hard to believe that it won the award just a few years after Miracles on Maple Hill! I started it on my trolley commute to work, and had trouble putting it down after just a few pages.

Kit Tyler has lived her whole life on her grandfather's Barbados plantation. But in 1687, when Kit is 16, her grandfather dies. After the debts are paid, there are simply no resources for her to continue the comfortable plantation lifestyle she's been accustomed to. Seeing no other good options, she boards a ship for Connecticut, where her mother's sister lives.

Life among Puritans in Connecticut Colony is a HARD adjustment for Kit, but she does make a few good friends, including the book's namesake, an old Quaker woman named Hannah. Eventually she seems to find ways of coping with her new and difficult life, and comes to see the people around her as fully rounded human beings. Kit's perspective as an outsider makes her a good protagonist - life in 17th century New England is probably as surprising to her as it would be to a modern child, though in some cases for different reasons. And as the plain, strict Puritans become more human to Kit, they become more human to the reader also. Pilgrims don't look the same after this book!

Kit's visits to Hannah are frowned upon by almost everyone, and when an epidemic hits the town, Kit is thrown into the middle of things and accused of witchcraft herself. It all works out, though I won't tell you how - but it's a sweet ending. You know that Kit and Hannah will both be all right. And the Salem Witch Trials won't look the same either.

I will also mention that one of my favorite literary characters ever lives in this book. Kit's Aunt Rachel is married to a man named Matthew, and they have two daughters, Judith and Mercy. Judith is a well-written character, headstrong and proud, true to her Puritan life, but also impulsive and funny. Mercy, by contrast, is lame in one leg because of a childhood illness, but has a ready smile and is patient and gentle with everyone. In her quiet way, with a combination of love, patience and tact, she holds the household together. Not unlike Beth in Little Women, but she seems to me somehow stronger.