Hattie Big Sky

Kirby Larson is an award-winning young adult and children’s novelist. She has written novels such as Dash, Audacity Jones to the Rescue, and Hattie Big Sky. Larson focuses on historical settings and events in her young adult novels, which results in detailed research of the historical period. Larson’s work features young female protagonists who overcome adversity despite the hardships of their historical settings. For example, Hattie Brooks exemplifies Larson’s signature depiction of a hardworking female protagonist since she overcomes the stigma of a single woman working a claim in Vida, Montana. Larson’s female protagonists exemplify the strength and resilience of young women rather than reducing them to stereotypes. Larson’s work is also known for its in-depth descriptions and analysis of the period that she describes. Larson situates her audience within the historical setting by including references to the time while continuing to explore the character development. Although Larson depicts detailed plots in her historical fiction novels, her writing style describes the textured landscape of the setting as well as the realistic portrayal of life in their time.