Hard Times For Jake Smith
A Novel of the Depression Era
by Aileen Kilgore Henderson
It's 1935, and the hard times of the Great Depression, it seems, are
here to stay. Each day, something else is gone: first the pig, then the
cow, then one day even the beloved dog, Adder, is sold off. Finally,
the whole family packs up in the car and leaves--the children wonder
where, but their parents are silent. After a couple hours' drive, the
car stops on the edge of the road and Ma leans into the backseat,
giving MaryJake a handkerchief with something tied inside and
instructions to walk down the path into the forest, to take the left
fork into town, and to present the handkerchief at the rock house. Then
the car, with Ma, Pa, and two brothers, drives away.
So begins the
adventure of an abandoned girl who chooses her own path (neither left
fork nor right), dyes herself in a stump full of walnut-colored water,
and disguises herself as a boy in order to survive. MaryJake Wildsmith
is now Jake Smith, soon to discover that she is not the only one
keeping secrets.
Aileen Kilgore Henderson
Author's Bio:Aileen Kilgore Henderson grew up in Alabama and resides in Brookwood,
Alabama. She served in the Women's Army Corps in World War II as an
airplane engine mechanic and a photo lab technician. Her first book for
young readers, The Summer of the Bonepile Monster, won the
Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature and the Alabama Library
Association Award. Her second book for young readers, The Monkey Thief, was selected for the New York Public Library’s list of 1998 Books for the Teen Age. She is also the author of The Treasure of Panther Peak, which was placed on the Sunshine State Young Readers’ List.
Quotes:"This is a surprisingly moving, gentle story of redemption in hard
times. . . . Henderson eschews the caricatures of Appalachian poverty,
instead creating characters . . . who work to take care of their land
and to use what gifts and resources they have to realize dreams of
renewal for themselves and others. An author's note references general
circumstances and the author's personal experiences during the
Depression” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Beautifully written by a child of the depression, this is a
splendid presentation of the challenged but often resilient human
spirit in that era. It also teaches the reader about medicinal plants,
meteorites, xeroderma pigmentosum, animal husbandry and more.”—Kliatt
“Children's
books have been getting progressively smarter recently. . . . Alabama
novelist and former Stillwater teacher Henderson doesn't dumb things
down, writing about violence and abandonment in moving and
straightforward prose. Her fourth book for local publisher Milkweed
Editions is an absorbing story.”—The Rake
“Brave,
resourceful, kind, and often funny, MaryJake is a character who grows
on you. You want her to succeed, to find peace within herself. . . . In MaryJake's story we find a message of hope. Even in
the worst of times there are moments of fun, of friendship, and
instances when good people end up finding happiness.”—Through The
Looking Glass Children's Book Review
“A good supplement to a unit of study on the Great Depression.” —VOYA
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Hard Times For Jake Smith
It's 1935, and the hard times of the Great Depression, it seems, are
here to stay. This engrossing novel tells the story of an abandoned
girl who chooses her own path. more...
$ 6.95
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Price:
$ 16.95
Binding: Cloth
Availability This product is currently not available.
out of stock
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Published: 2004
Size: 5.25 x 8
Genre: Intermediate Fiction/Intermediate Fiction/Intermediate Fiction
Pages: 216
ISBN: 9781571316486
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