by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick, 2015, Young Adult Fiction, 400 p.
14-year-old Joan lives on a farm in 1911 with a cruel father and several brothers. Her mother has died, and Joan is expected to do all the cooking and cleaning for the men. Her only solace is a few books that a beloved teacher gave her before her father forced her to leave school. When, one day, her father burns her books and tells her she is worthless and never likely to marry, Joan plots her escape. Being large and strong for her age, she is able to pass as an 18-year-old and is hired by a wealthy Jewish family , the Rosenbachs, as a "hired girl"--a cook and maid. They are good to her and for the first time she has a little spending money to buy books and small luxuries. Things get complicated when she finds herself falling in love with the youngest son of her employer. Could things every work out between a poor Catholic girl and a rich Jewish boy who, against his father's will, would love to be an artist?
This title got a lot of positive reviews and won several awards when it came out in 2015 and it deserves every one. Joan is funny, intelligent, and very much an authentic 14-year-old. All the members of the Rosenbach family are well drawn and interestingly complex. Schlitz weaves both rye humor and serious issues into a delightful and meaningful tapestry. This book is found the the Young Adult section, but adults who like historical fiction will enjoy it, too.
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