Youth book that held my interest. Set in the mountains of NC, it reminded me of the beauty and mystery the the Appalachians. I miss being in a green place.

I consider O'Dowell to be one of the most underrated authors out there - realistic tween fiction doesn't get much better than her trilogy that starts with "The Secret Language of Girls" and follows two former best friends through the ups and downs of middle school. While this title is historical fiction, Dowell's accessible, fluid writing and nuanced understanding of childhood dynamics are on full display. While the plot is perhaps unremarkable, and certainly nothing particularly earth-shattering occurs, young readers will be instantly won over by the charm of Arie Mae and her community. The appeal of this book is just spending time with these engaging voices in their thoroughly-imagined mountain village. The historical context of an evolving Appalachia that is falling under the influence of an outside world that both looks down on it and wants to preserve it adds an intriguing layer of complexity. Fans of "Three Times Lucky" and those who enjoy a gentle historical read will find much to like here.

A poignant story of trying to fulfill the deep ache for friendship in an isolated setting. Arie Mae is unable to find a true best friend within her small NC mountain community, so she decides to begin a correspondence with the cousin in Raleigh that she's never met. Despite receiving no response, she continues to write. Each letter is a new chapter that details her everyday life along with the effects of the arrival of a small band of children from Baltimore who come with their families to establish a traditional crafts school.

Author Dowell gently conveys issues of classism as she juxtaposes the different lifestyles and has Arie Mae reflect on her feelings of embarrassment and inferiority. I especially liked the treatment given to the songcatcher women who came to the mountains to preserve the ballads -- I hadn't before considered that what they were looking for was a time already passed even in the 20s.

Arie Mae is a lovely protagonist: strong willed, thoughtful, and persistent. Her vernacular and writing style easily convey the mountain accent without putting the reader off.

A sweet without being saccharine exploration of a historical period with relevance to my area's audience.

Written mostly in letters from a mountain girl to her cousin in the big city of Raleigh, we can feel her experiences and thoughts, and very specifically her setting.

ARC received at ALA annual.

A good quick read. Character driven story.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book took me back to when I was a little girl reading all the classics that I could get my hands on. There is something about Arie Mae that reminded me of the heroines in those stories--in fact, the whole book felt a bit like that.

Arie Mae is a protagonist you can't help but like. She's quite loveable, adventurous, and somewhat headstrong. I loved reading her letters to Caroline. There were parts of her personality that reminded me a bit of Anne Shirley of Green Gables, (something that probably added to that opinion is that Arie Mae uses the term 'own true friend', which is a bit like Anne's 'kindred spirits.') which made me like her even more.

The book takes place on the Appalachian mountains in the 1920s. I loved how authentic it felt; it was almost as if I had been transported to that time and place. Something that I really appreciated was the fact that the historical aspect wasn't obnoxiously 'obvious'; the author didn't constantly have to 'remind' the reader that, 'HEY THIS IS HISTORICAL FICTION!!!' (If you can't tell, I don't like that very much.)

I know I mentioned the letters before, but I would like to go a bit more in depth about them. They are really fun to read. Arie Mae's voice is so strong in them, and they really were the cherry on top of the cake for this book. The book isn't told completely in letters, but they start and end the chapters. I loved starting new chapters of this book just so I could read a new letter from Arie Mae. They were great.

So, if you like historical fiction, and I would dare to say that even if you don't, I recommend giving this book a try. It's a really, really good story.

"You got to listen to their stories, and you got tell your stories back. It all goes back and forth, back and forth, until one day you turn into friends. "
What a fabulous friendship tale and interesting slice of life of rural Virginia.

Told through a series of letters to her cousin in the big city of Raleigh, Arie Mae describes life in the mountains of North Carolina in the 1920s. She starts with ghost stories to entice her cousin to write back, and continues with descriptions of everyday life of the mountain people. Recommended for grades 4 & up.

Trying to be Fair and Tender Ladies for middle graders, I guess. Just comes off like "Sure is nice up here in the mountains, with all the songcatchers and dried apples and whatnot". I'm too hard-hearted against non-mountain people writing mountain books to go for this one.

Also, the text is printed in two colors of sepia-tone. In case you didn't get that this is OLD TIMEY.