Prairie Lotus
| Industrial Age |
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 Prairie Lotus
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American History > Industrial Age > Prairie Life
Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers. Afterword.
Emily's Review
This book was just so good. I adore Linda Sue Park's writing, and this story deserves a place in the classic children's book canon.
Hanna is half-Chinese, and she and her white father are traveling east from Los Angeles after the death of her mother. They're hoping to settle in the Dakota Territory and set up a store where Hanna hopes to build a career as a dressmaker. All she wants is to graduate from school and become a seamstress.
Prairie Lotus was inspired by the author's love of the Little House books, but this is Park's response to the problematic elements of those stories. Hanna is such a likable and well-constructed character. She experiences so much hate and discrimination, and throughout the course of the story, she learns to stand up for herself.
I loved this story, and highly recommend checking it out if you enjoy middle-grade historical fiction.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of Prairie Life.
- The Prairie Thief (by: Wiley, Melissa, MG, UMG)
- Prairie Lotus (by: Park, Linda Sue, MG, UMG)
- Women of the Frontier: 16 Tales of Trailblazing Homesteaders, Entrepreneurs, and Rabble-Rousers (by: Miller, Brandon Marie, YA, A)