The Hired Girl: Book Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schlitz, Laura Amy. The
Hired Girl. Massachusetts: Candlewick, 2015. ISBN 076367818X
PLOT SUMMARY
This work of historical fiction is set in 1911 and told
from the perspective of young Joan Skaggs through a series of diary entries. Like
many adolescents, Joan longs for adventure, excitement, and true love, but how
can she ever experience such things if she is constantly working on the farm in
Pennsylvania? Follow Joan as she seeks out new employment that can help her
achieve her goals. She may not be able to find adventure off the salary of a
farm girl, but perhaps she can as a hired girl working as a house girl!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pretending to be 18, 14-year-old Joan Skaggs runs away from
her abusive father in search of work, being hired as a house girl to the
Rosenbachs in Baltimore. One of the biggest themes in this book revolves around
religious prejudice, conflict, and tolerance. In accordance to the religious
intolerance and prejudice of the historic period the book is set in, Joan faces
confusion on how to act as a Christian serving a Jewish household. She even
faces religious pressure from a local priest to convert the family, giving
insight into the prejudice of the time. Though Joan holds true to her Christian
faith, and at first is ignorant and holds true to the prejudice of the time. She
even tries to convert a young Jewish boy (though later understands that this
was not correct and how it could be offensive against the family she now
serves). In context to Jewish individuals, she is quoted saying “it seems to
me-I mean, it doesn’t now, but it did then-as though Jewish people were like
Indians: people from long ago; people in books”. This shows Joan’s initial
ignorance and lack of information on the Jewish faith and the people that are
practicing Jews. As the story progresses, however, we see greater character
development as she begins to approach the Rosenbach’s religion with curiosity
and newfound understanding.
Author Laura Amy Schlitz does a great job in ensuring the
book’s historical authenticity, developing a believable setting, speech,
characterization, and dress. Joan also goes through her ups and downs with her
own moral compass as she begins to develop and starts to develop feelings for
one of the Rosenbach sons, as wells as a sense of confusion and uncertainty
about her future. As any girl going through puberty can tell you, this is an
extremely difficult time in a young girl’s life, without the added complication
of keeping up appearances of a fake identity and age. Throughout the story we
see the theme of development and the feelings that come with this stage in life
as she begins her transition from childhood into adulthood.
Joan is a hardworking, resourceful, and contemplative
character, and the reader finds themselves rooting for her and her success.
This is a great book to read, and Schlitz has done a terrific job of creating
believable and relatable historic characters.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Winner of the 2016 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical
Fiction
2016 Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award
Winner
From Kirkus Review: “Trouble ensues, but a happy ending
awaits, with friendship and the awesome glint of an independent life. The diary
format allows Joan’s romantic tendencies full rein, as well as narrative
latitude for a few highly improbable scenarios and wildly silly passion.”
From The
New York Times: “The Hired Girl,” a book that effortlessly transcends the
conventions of the young adult genre. Organized around encounters with seven
artworks, from Michelangelo’s “The Erythraean Sibyl” to Winslow Homer’s “Girl
Reading on a Stone Porch,” it is a portrait of the artist as a young
maidservant — Janet, the book implies, may one day be an author. But first, she
has to scrub floors, beat carpets, iron sheets and wash dishes while keeping
kashrut. She’s a tough and determined protagonist, but also impulsive, a bit of
a meddler and an irrepressible romantic hungry for an education.”
CONNECTIONS
Use to supplement history lessons in school.
Read other Laura Amy Schlitz books such as:
- · The Night Fairy. ISBN 9780763652951
- · A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama. ISBN 076368129
- · Fire Spell. ISBN 1408826216
Read other works of historical fiction such as:
- · Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out and Back Again. ISBN 0061962791
- · Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. ISBN 0375842209
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