The Hired Girl

A young girl dreams of a brighter future beyond her humble beginnings.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 14,244 ratings

400 pages

$12.99Save 4%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1911, fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs dreams of a life beyond her farm roots. As a hired girl earning six dollars a week, she chronicles her hopes and struggles in her diary. Can she transform her dreams into reality and find true love? Joan's journey through early twentieth-century America is filled with humor, heartache, and the pursuit of a future she never thought possible. Will her aspirations lead her to the life she yearns for, or will reality prove too daunting? Discover Joan's story of ambition and resilience in this captivating historical tale.

From the publisher

Winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical FictionAn Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award WinnerWinner of the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature “Schlitz has crafted another exquisite literary gem, one told entirely via Joan’s vivid, humorous, and emotionally resonant diary entries.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs, just like the heroines in her beloved novels, yearns for real life and true love. Over the summer of 1911, Joan pours her heart and her hope out into her diary – because maybe, just maybe, a hired girl cleaning and cooking for six dollars a week can become what a farm girl could only dream of: a woman with a future. Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz brings her delicious wit and keen eye to early twentieth-century America in a moving yet comedic tour de force, available in paperback.