Review: Hannah

Hannah by Kathryn Lasky

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Just a short review.

I liked the amount of detail put into scene description, I found the servant scenes to be my favorites. Some of the information about the time period is a little inaccurate, but it does give readers the general gist of the era.(Truthfully the author did a lot of research about the 19th century and drew from personal experiences. I would say any inaccuracy is irrelevant considering the fact that households were not all ran the same way. I looked up the lexile score for this book and it is listed as 800L. That is usually considered a fourth or fifth grade reading level. It was a very easy read so based on that and the Lexile score, I would consider this more Middle Grade than Young Adult. But it should definitely be enjoyable to teens, after all what does a reading level score matter in terms of enjoyment?

Hannah is an orphan and upon reaching age fifteen, technically fourteen is the preferred age but ya know Scarlet Fever and all that year, must go out into the workforce. When she is found unsuitable by some vindictive matron, she is sent to the midwest. This makes her physically sick so she comes back. This time a nice lady places her with a wealthy family as a scullery maid...she even gives her a book instructing her on the norms of domestic servitude. Then our heroine begins to really change. Into what she does not know. All she knows is the sea is calling her.

Hannah was interesting, a little dull but likeable. The anatgonist of the story is a real troubled girl. Jealousy, hysteria, and friendship are experienced in this tale of a lost girl searching for a sense of belonging.

One of my only complaints is the ending. It felt rather abrupt and while the last line spoke volumes without saying anything, I feel it could have been dealt with easier.



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