Hannah on Her Way

Quiet, introspective Hannah Keddie is surprised when she is befriended by the other new girl at school, popular Caitie Crystal Read more Continue reading Read less FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hannah loves her dolls, her eccentric parents, her sketch pad and pencils and her cat, Hildegarde. Life is good--except for the fact that Hannah has to go to school. All the other girls think she is a baby and won't be seen near her, until popular Caitlin decides to be her friend and her comfortable world is turned on its ear. This sparkling and upbeat journal of Hannah's growing up is peopled with unique and identifiable characters making their way through the treacherous waters of fifth grade. Hannah's decision to keep precocious Caitlin as a friend while maintaining her own identity will be met with approbation from readers waiting to see what happens next to their believable heroine. In this winning, superbly crafted story, Mills accurately depicts the elusive issues on the minds of today's 10-year-olds. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Grade 3-6-- Ten-year-old Hannah has never had a real friend. She depends on her own resources and is quite satisfied with her lifestyle. Hannah certainly doesn't belong to the school clique--until disarmingly brash Caitlin breezes into Greenwood Park Elementary School fresh from flunking out of private school. She has immediate entree into the popular girls' group; she also seeks out Hannah as a friend, insisting that Hannah be included in any of their plans despite Hannah's own reluctance. From their shared trip to the principal's office--a first for Hannah--to Hannah's parting with her cherished braid at the beauty parlor, Caitie has a significant influence on Hannah. But the friendship actually works both ways; the girls learn from one another. Every incident, from dismay over yet another Clorox-bottle art project, to the trauma resulting from Caitie's boy/girl party, will strike a sympathetic chord with pre-adolescents. The story, almost painfully true to life, is also humorous and heartwarming. Each girl maintains her individuality while sharing steps on the road to growing up. Thoroughly satisfying. --Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral School, Washington, DC
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS
Fifth grade in Hannah's new Maryland school is difficult: the other girls care ``about makeup, clothes, and boys'' while Hannah's concerns are still ``books, art, and make-believe.'' Although initially ambivalent about popular Caitie's overtures, Hannah comes to enjoy this first friend. With Caitie's encouragement, Hannah is successful in some new ventures; still, Caitie's clowning and irresponsibility cause her difficulty and embarrassment. Hannah begins to feel like a Caitie clone, foregoing her own principles for Caitie's approval. During a painful quarrel, she tells Caitie that she isn't ready to be grown up. Hannah's mother, however, helps her understand that Caitie really does value her individuality, while Hannah herself realizes that she doesn't ``have to go along with everything the other girls [do]. She could still be Hannah, different from the others, but liking them, too.'' Mills, who has a gift for creating likable characters and catching a child's perception of problems, is the author of a substantial body of deftly crafted stories about middle-grade girls; Hannah is a worthy addition to the roster. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright 1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Read more Continue reading Read less