The Beef Princess of Practical County

I loved it... It brought back fond memories of the county fair--and it's even set in my home state of Indiana! I thought the voice of 12-year-old Libby, the main character, was authentic. I liked her family and friends too, and I couldn't help but love to hate her arch-rivals the Darlings! If you grew up in the country on or near a farm, you will relate to this story. If you're city folk, you'll enjoy getting a glimpse into life on a farm.

For anyone who ever grew up in a farming town this book may just be a trip down memory lane. Growing up on a farm I named all of our animals, even when I knew they were to be sold or butchered. I therefore identified with Libby Ryan. She grew up in the shadow of her brother and for me it was an older sister. There comes a time when parents have to let you learn by making some of your own mistakes. This is what Libby’s parents finally do. She learns to believe in herself and work hard for her dreams. In the end she influences an enemy for the good. I loved this book and hope that many of my students will as well. It is often hard to sell work set in this setting because many of my students can’t identify. I think the underlying show more messages will overshadow this problem. show less

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

THE BEEF PRINCESS OF PRACTICAL COUNTY is a sweet coming-of-age novel.

Libby loves the cow farm she's grown up on. But she's lived in her brother's shadow and her father has never noticed her when it comes to the farm. When her brother heads off to college, Libby is granted the chance to raise two calves for the next county fair. She will only be able to show one of the calves, but she has the opportunity to show her father what she can do.

When her dear Piggy becomes too injured to enter, Libby has to work with the more obstinate of the two calves. She can't imagine that he can possibly be a winner, but Libby is determined to win the Grand Champion designation, something even her brother has never show more accomplished.

Libby's competing against the Darling girls. The two eldest have been the fair princesses for the past few years and are entering their own cattle. The youngest one, Ohma, is the same age as Libby. And although Ohma isn't in the same princess league as her sisters, she's still a Darling.

Libby finds herself learning to love the calf that wanted to be left alone. And more surprisingly, she finds her mom has talked her into running for the princess title against the Darling sisters. As the summer winds down and the fair looms closer, Libby grows more confident in herself and her abilities.

For a first-time novelist, Ms. Houts has written a tender story of growing up and becoming who you are meant to be. Growing up in a small town that holds annual fairs similar to that depicted in THE BEEF PRINCESS OF PRACTICAL COUNTY, I felt a special connection to the story. Ms. Houts captures the spirit and the competition of a county fair to a T. show less

Very realistic depiction of life on a beef farm. I couldn’t help but find humor in Libby’s story because is was quite similar to my own life. I even shared her brief stint of being a vegetarian when I auctioned off my one and only beef steer Elmer. I rarely eat red meat to this day. Although I enjoyed reading the story, I thought the plot was mundane and predictable. In addition, some of the subplots seemed incomplete and almost unneeded. Especially the pageant competition, I’m not sure exactly why that was included in the story. A very nice story with a neatly tied realistic ending. Readers will be sure to respect and root for Libby as she makes difficult decisions for herself and her steer.

One of the odder storylines, Beef Princess still manages to hold onto the readers’ attention while maintaining its rural background.

I am not quite sure what to say about this book—it is unlike anything else I have read. The storyline focuses more of the growth of the steers and Libby’s ambition to make her father proud. In some ways I can relate to Libby. Being overshadowed to an older sibling you are forever compared to and judged by their accomplishments. Can you do better? The struggle to perform well is what drives Libby. Even so you have a great admiration for your old your sibling and Michelle Houts show that through Libby’s training with her brother’s help.

The more agricultural background shows a great deal of show more knowledge from the author and she crafts it into the novel quite well. She talks about caring for the animals, machinery, contests, and the job to raise and let go of some of your cuddly friends.

Michelle Houts was also able to bring in some humor to the book. I found the names to be the most funniest. From Precious, Lil, and Ohma their last name Darling combined gives off a “what were the parents thinking” type of chuckle. I found the irony of naming the steers other animal names, such as Piggy and Mule, was cute.

I feel that if the book fell into a different set of hands it might have received a bit higher grade. While some scenes were adorable the overall set of tone childish (being a 12-year-old girl I kind of expected this). The plotline was slightly drab and predictable.

Overall: The Beef Princess of Practical County manages to showcase a good old county side lovin’ with an interesting set of views show less

Cute story about a girl who is just starting to get into the cattle breeding business. Though it does have a few moments that might be hard to deal with if you're an animal lover, it deals with the truth of the industry with gentleness.

Growing up in beef country, Libby has learned a lot about taking care of cattle. But when it is her turn to raise a calf for profit, she is not so sure she wants to be a part of the industry. It sounds sad, but actually Beef Princess is a funny look into farm life as Libby also competes against the town 'princesses' for the title of Beef Princess of Practical County. cl