Word Spelunking

Caroline Starr Rose's May B. is an inspiring and captivating story of one young girl's heroic struggle for survival. May B. is sent to live and work for new neighbors 15 long miles away from home, but when the unthinkable happens, May B. finds herself alone in the soddy during the harsh winter months. May B. must survive the cold weather with a dwindling supply of food and the threat of wild animals and unwanted guests.Caroline Starr Rose writes in simple, yet lovely verse from the point of view of her unforgettable heroine, May B. Within these poetic lines, Rose paints a vivid, almost touchable, picture of a harsh prairie winter in the 1800's. For most of the book, May B. is alone, allowing for a very limited amount of dialogue, and instead creating a poignant character study of young, brave May B. I was completely riveted by May B's harrowing long months in that soddy and found her to be such a strong, lovable heroine. Rose also beautifully explores May B's struggle with a reading disorder that didn't yet have a name in May's time.Readers of all ages will be awed by May B's story and transfixed by Rose's effective verse.