I needed to read a middle grade book set in this time period for something I'm working on and I thought a Newbery Award winner would fit the bill. But after reading this book and reflecting on the other winners I have read, I can say I don't think Newbery books fit into my wheelhouse. 

I know part of the whole plot of this book is that May Amelia needs parental guidance, but I was so tired of her behavior and fed up with the hands off approach her parents seems to have taken. She needed discipline and someone to take a more prominent role in her upbringing while still caring for her emotionally. Then she had a tragedy that further derailed everything. Maybe if I had read this as a middle grader it would have appealed to me, but as an adult who reads middle grade frequently and loves it, this missed the mark for me.