Raised in Seed County, N.C., 11-year-old Hattie Mae is thrilled at the prospect of moving to Philadelphia in 1938—the Black population is burgeoning there because of the Great Migration—and studying at Miss Abigail’s School for Exceptional Young Ladies. Though she hopes to fit in, she’s shocked to discover that her country ways are obvious to the other girls and she can’t shed them like an unwanted coat. Lisa, a rich girl who holds sway over the other students because her father contributes huge sums to keep the school afloat financially, relentlessly bullies Hattie Mae.
Even as Lisa makes Hattie Mae’s life miserable, Hattie Mae discovers friendship in unexpected quarters: a poor boy takes her on bike rides through the neighborhood, and they become friends; an underprivileged mother and daughter draw Hattie Mae’s attention, and she reaches out to them with generosity; and Hattie Mae’s roommate becomes her staunch supporter and advocate.
When Lisa’s bullying becomes unbearable and she takes one of Hattie Mae's precious possessions, tensions escalate. Hattie Mae decides hard times call for desperate measures, even though she knows that what she’s about to do is wrong. What Hattie Mae discovers on her forays into forbidden places changes the way she perceives Lisa and herself. But when the consequences of her actions lead to the possibility that she might have to leave the school, Hattie Mae has a difficult choice to make.
When Hattie Mae begins again, making a fresh start at the school and in its neighborhood, she initiates amazing events that change the nature of the school and the community.
Inspiring and informative and written in free verse for children 8 to 12, Hattie Mae Begins Again is a sequel to author Sharon G. Flake’s novel Once in a Blue Moon.
(Knopf Books for Young Readers)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.