I, Catherine Cabot Hall, aged 13 years, 6 months, 29 daysdo begin this book. So begins the journal of a girl coming of age in nineteenth-century New Hampshire. Catherine records both the hardships of pioneer life and its many triumphs. Even as she struggles with her mothers death and fathers eventual remarriage, Catherines indomitable spirit makes this saga an oftentimes uplifting and joyous one. Quiet yet powerful, this Newbery Medalwinning book is sure to touch all who read it.