May B. (review)

When May's parents send her off to help out on a homestead fifteen miles west of their own Kansas "soddy," she is overcome with grief; she wants desperately to continue going to school, despite her struggles with reading, and to remain with her mother, father, and brother. Things get even worse when twelve-year-old May is suddenly and unexpectedly left alone and must use all of her resources to survive on her own for four months before her father comes to claim her at Christmas. The free-verse poems in May's voice, numbered rather than titled, are eloquently composed; short phrases and abundant repetition create drama and convey May's youthful determination. The survival story is riveting, particularly when May is snowed in and unable to dig her way out, and the backstory of her struggle with reading (readers may recognize her difficulty as dyslexia) adds additional interest. Some poems reflect back, providing context, others offer details of the present, while others are speculative, wherein May tries to figure out who she is and just what she is capable of accomplishing. Fans of frontier females will readily dive into May's thoughts; the novel would also work well as a class readaloud during a frontier living unit. Isolation and determination work in perfect harmony in this thrilling tale of one girl's survival under dire circumstances. An author's note giving more factual detail and discussing her inspiration is included.