Pioneer Life Resources: Reading Questions

Holm, Jennifer L. (1999). Our Only May Amelia. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Book Description for Our Only May Amelia
Discussion Questions for Our Only May Amelia
Links to Information About the Author

Book Description from inside the book jacket:

It isn't easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899, but it's particularly hard when you are the only girl ever born in the new settlement. With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can't seem to abide her family's insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady. Not when there's fishing to be done, sheep to be herded, and real live murderers to be captured! May is sure she could manage better if only there were at least one other girl living along the banks of the Nasel River. And now that Mama's going to have a baby, maybe there's hope....

1) May Amelias brother Wilbert calls her a miracle because she was the only girl born in Nasel. How does she feel about being the only girl? Would her life be different with other girls around?

May Amelia doesnt like being the only girl because the expectations that her parents and others have about her are different than the expectations they have for her brothers. It doesnt feel fair that she gets scolded and yelled at for doing something that would have been overlooked if she were a boy. With seven brothers and no sisters to play with, she hasnt learned to act like a girl nor does she want to. She wishes that her father would let her do the same things as her brothers. She wants to learn to fire a gun, steer a boat and work at the logging camp just like her brothers.

2) May Amelia believes that her father doesnt like her, much less love her. Why is her Papa so frequently angry with her? Does her Papa love her? Why or why not?

There are many instances when May Amelias father gets angry with her but most often that anger is a result of her having done something that has put her in danger. Her father doesnt treat her as he does her brothers but she is also younger than her brothers. It seems as if he is constantly reprimanding her because he wants to protect her. Certainly his concern for her is evident after she is hurt by animal trap in chapter three, after her sister dies in chapter nine and when she is nearly killed by the logs on the river in chapter thirteen.

3) Why is Kaarlo such an angry young man? At the beginning of the book May Amelia doesnt like him very much. What makes her finally recognize that she loves him?

Kaarlo was abandoned by his parents when he was just ten years old. For seven years, Kaarlos parents wrote that they would send for him when they were able but it never happened. Clearly, the experience of being abandoned would make him feel unloved and bitter. May Amelia is quick to remind him that he is not one of her real brothers. Without realizing, perhaps, the cruelty of her words, May Amelia would still be causing him great pain. After Kaarlo hears of his parents deaths and runs away in chapter four, May Amelia begins to recognize her part in their disputes and how awful she has been to him. It is only after she can feel sympathy towards him that she sees him as a brother and wants to bring him home.

4) Why did Mays parents wait to tell Kaarlo about his parents deaths? Did they do the right thing?

Clearly they didnt intend to do him any harm. They were trying to protect him from more pain but he reacts angrily, feeling it was his right to know. Kaarlo is a young man by the time that his parents died and it might have been better to inform him right away.

5)In chapter three, Isaiah takes May Amelia to spy on a Chinook funeral. What do we learn about May Amelia and her brother (and her Papa) from this episode? What do we learn about the Chinook people? Why do you think the author included this scene in the book?

This book is not about the Chinook people but the author is careful to remind us throughout that they, too, lived on the Nasel River. During this scene we begin to learn a little about May Amelias prejudices. When she first sees the group of Chinook she wonders if they are cannibals and will eventually eat the dead mother they are honoring. By answering May Amelias questions about the Chinook death rituals Isaiah (or the author) is also able to answer the readers questions about the Chinook people. The author may have wanted the reader to recognize the prejudice of many settlers but she also provides hope that peoples views can change as May Amelia gains understanding and rids herself of some of her prejudices. Her Papa is thankful and respectful to the Chinook man who brings May Amelia home after she is injured. Here too, the author is giving us an indication of the kind of person he is.

6) Where else in the book do we see examples of peoples prejudices? Where else do we see people breaking down prejudices?

May Amelias brother Matti has to run away from home in order to marry his Irish sweetheart. The Finns and the Irish mistrusted each other and wouldnt let their children intermarry. Nevertheless, Mary OCasey and Matti fall in love and run away together which is certainly an example of individuals overcoming prejudices. In chapter eleven, May Amelia makes friends with Otto. She is surprised when she learns that the Chinese immigrants could be deported for breaking the law. She isnt surprised when Otto tells her that Chinese immigrants come into the country illegally and arent caught because no one seems to be able to tell them apart. When Otto takes her home to supper, she realizes that, of course, the Chinese, like the Finns do look different from one another.

7) When Baby Amy dies, May Amelia is devastated. Why does she react the way that she does?

May Amelia had been longing for a sister. She was finally given this beautiful baby to love and care for. She had mother her sister because her own mother was ill and she was extremely attached to the child. Clearly, she must have felt responsible for Amys death, especially after her grandmother accused her of killing the baby. Little was known about SIDS a century ago and no one would have known why the baby died. May Amelia runs away and her brother Wilbert goes with her in order to protect her. She is willing to go home only after her Grandmother Patience has died and when she realizes that she needs to take care of her family.

Related Websites:

1. Author Bio: Jennifer Holm
   From: Jennifer Holm's website, "About Me" page


2. Jennifer Holm, author page
   From: HarperCollins.com


3. An Author Profile: Jennifer Holm
   Published in The Acorn