The Hope Chest

Eleven-year-old Violet has one goal in mind when she runs away from to find her sister, Chloe. Violet’s parents said Chloe had turned into the Wrong Sort of Person, but Violet knew better. The only problem is that Chloe’s not in New York anymore. She's moved on to Tennesee where she's fighting for the right of women to vote. As Violet's journey grows longer, her single-minded pursuit of reuniting with her sister changes. Before long she is standing side-by-side with her new friends—suffragists, socialists, and colored people—the type of people whom her parents would not approve. But if Violet’s becoming the Wrong Sort of Person, why does it feel just right?

The Hope Chest is a story about Violet's journey to find her sister, who instead of getting married, purchased a car and traveled to New York. Although Violet was told by her family that her sister turned into the "wrong sort of person", she is determined to find her sister. The journey turns out longer than she anticipated when she finds that her sister is in Tennessee instead of New York. The ideas exposed in this book reveal some irritating aspects of women's suffrage.

This is a good book in my opinion. It expresses how women were seen at the time before they had the right to vote. It reveals some deep situations and I would recommend it to anyone.

This book can be incorporated into lessons on women's suffrage or when the unit contains show more historical fiction. Boys and girls can see how things were different back then and see that equality was not easy to achieve. show less

This was a charming read. A wonderful surprise.