May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Title & Author:
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
Publisher:
Schwartz & Wade
Publication Date:
January 10, 2012
Pages:
240
Source:
NetGalley

I’ve known it since last night:
It’s been too long to expect them to return.
Something’s happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it’s hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May’s memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she’s determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose’s fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose is going to be one of those books that stays with me for a very long time. It was my first experience reading a verse novel all the way through, so that’ll definitely add to the memorableness, but even still.

May B. is a very moving and emotionally draining book, and incredibly beautiful. I loved Caroline Starr Rose’s writing – it was beautiful and lyrical and it was just an amazing experience for my first verse book.

I went into May B. thinking it would be sort of like Little House on the Prairie meets poetry, or something. I was right, to an extent. Because May B. tells its own heartfelt story of a girl living alone, living inside her head, abandoned. It’s just absolutely heartbreaking at times and I found myself crying several times.

And she is strong. She is so, so strong. There are parts where she’s utterly broken and yet still so determined to live, to get home and I just absolutely loved this protagonist. And the memories she shared with us, of her family and of that terrible teacher…so much love.

If you love verse novels – or find yourself wanting to try one, I absolutely recommend May B. by Caroline Starr Rose. Also for fans of historical fiction, particularly of the log cabin/mud hut type a la Laura Ingalls Wilder. Because May B. was utterly stunning.

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