2006 was a big year. I was in grad school. I was working hard at writing for children. I was working full-time at Hearst Castle. And I started this blog.

My dream: get paid to read and write children’s books.

A wise friend suggested I “step into the frame” and try reading and reviewing books *for free*. She suggested I start a blog, and www.KeriRecommends.com was born. A short time later, I used the site as evidence to get a gig reviewing books for the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database. I’ve reviewed hundreds of books for them. I discovered authors and books I never would have otherwise. (I also read a bunch of really terrible stuff I never would have read otherwise.)

As of today, June 23, 2014, my blog has had 999341 Total Visits. Tomorrow I might make the million visitor mark. And then the day after tomorrow, my original blog will disappear. Crazy, isn’t it?

2006 was also a big year in children’s books I made an effort to read all of the Newbery honor books awarded medals in 2007 — for books published in 2006: Rules, by Cynthia Lord. Penny from Heaven by Jennifer Holm. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson.

So it felt like I had come full circle today as I soared at 37,999 feet, headed West like Hattie, reading the sequel to Hattie Big Sky.

Hattie Brooks is an orphan in search of her place in the world. At the end of the first book, she had failed to prove up on her late uncle’s homestead in Montana. The sequel picks up with her working in a boarding house to pay off the last of the debt related to the homestead claim, and quickly sets her on an adventure.

(Image via Kirby’s Lane.)

A vaudeville troupe has come to town and needs a new wardrobe mistress before they head to San Francisco. Coincidentally, she receives a letter originally sent to her Uncle Chester, with a San Francisco return address. Intrepid Hattie doesn’t need any further encouragement to quit her cleaning job cleaning to head West.

A series of events puts Hattie on the path to her dream of being a newspaper reporter, like Nellie Bly, looking for her big break. While working as a cleaning woman at the Chronicle, Hattie researches old papers in the morgue to discover more about her uncle’s mysterious past. As she proves herself worthy of the editor’s confidence, she has to make hard choices about her future, and whether or not it will include Charlie Hawley, her beau from Iowa.

Hattie’s big heart leads her into more than one scrape, but her determination to be true to herself and her passion for storytelling sees her through disappointments and betrayals. In the process, she finds true friends and the courage to be unconventional.

Author Kirby Larson’s diligent research is woven through the narrative like a single strand of gold thread, giving her sprightly prose just the sparkle it needs to make the history shine. (The archivist in me was delighted.) She sets a convincing scene without burdening readers with excessive descriptions. From period fashion — cloche hats and kick pleats — to real places, such as the Fairmont Hotel, seeing the world through Hattie’s inexperienced eyes makes the bustle of the big city streets in 1919 come to vivid life.

Romance, mystery, humor and history combine beautifully in this masterfully crafted novel — it was worth the wait! I highly recommend this middle grade novel for anyone who enjoys writing, aspiring journalists, and those who love stories about strong females.

Kirby Larson blogs at Kirby’s Lane.