This is a really touching work of historical fiction about a half-Chinese girl aspiring to be a dressmaker. The author has written this as an homage to her love of the Little House books but also as a critique for some of the more problematic themes of racism found within. The story's heroine, Hannah finds herself uprooted from her home in California and resettled in South Dakota. She finds very little welcome in her new home due to her Chinese ancestry. Her father (who is white) is supportive but painfully aware of how the world will treat her. He pushes Hannah to remain non threatening and submissive to avoid trouble. Hannah doesn't want to be submissive in the face of racism but she's aware that her ethnic background could cause problems for their family's business. This is a great substitution for the little house books and also provides some interesting historical context about that era of US history. ( )

A “half-Chinese and half-white” girl finds her place in a Little House–inspired fictional settler town.

After the death of her Chinese mother, Hanna, an aspiring dressmaker, and her White father seek a fresh start in Dakota Territory. It’s 1880, and they endure challenges similar to those faced by the Ingallses and so many others: dreary travel through unfamiliar lands, the struggle to protect food stores from nature, and the risky uncertainty of establishing a livelihood in a new place. Fans of the Little House books will find many of the small satisfactions of Laura’s stories—the mouthwatering descriptions of victuals, the attention to smart building construction, the glorious details of pleats and poplins—here in abundance. Park brings new depth to these well-trodden tales, though, as she renders visible both the xenophobia of the town’s White residents, which ranges in expression from microaggressions to full-out assault, and Hanna’s fight to overcome it with empathy and dignity. Hanna’s encounters with women of the nearby Ihanktonwan community are a treat; they hint at the whole world beyond a White settler perspective, a world all children deserve to learn about. A deeply personal author’s note about the story’s inspiration may leave readers wishing for additional resources for further study and more clarity about her use of Lakota/Dakota. While the cover art unfortunately evokes none of the richness of the text and instead insinuates insidious stereotypes, readers who sink into the pages behind it will be rewarded.

Remarkable.

I, too, loved Little House as a child, and I'm loving this generations' wave of responses to it even more. From the frank discussion on microaggressions and racism to the loving descriptions of the inside of the dress goods store, this book is a treat. Hannah is a character to feel proud of, and her story is very well told.

advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

Hanna is a hardworking pioneer girl with an understanding heart and lots of skills: dress design, sewing, cooking, and hospitality. She's also brave and open to learning new customs, languages, and foods. She needs all of those in this fresh new story about starting a new life in a western town in the Dakota Territory in 1880.

With Hanna's first-hand knowledge of racism, (she has a half-Chinese and half-Korean mother and a white father), she thinks more deeply about the issues dividing the settlers and the "Indians" than most of the people in her new home. I love the way she makes friends with the women gathering "prairie turnips" even though she doesn't understand their language.

In the author's note, Linda Sue Park says she was influenced by Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books. I really like that the author took the trouble to put the Lakota language words into the story. I wish she also included the translations. :)

[Years ago, I went to see Dances With Wolves in a Minnesota movie theater. It was so cool to hear the Lakota language being spoken, and to know that local Lakota people could hear a film made with their language.]

Sensitive reader warning: There is a sticky moment with drunk and racist men behaving badly, but it is handled well. Another reviewer suggested that parents read before giving to children under age 12. Seems wise.

A great story about how one brave girl makes friends and influences her new home in small, everyday ways. ( )

Good stuff. ( )