ALA Booklist (Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Jessie's family no sooner has to deal with the loss of her mother when her older sister, Carrie, begins to battle tuberculosis just after the birth of her son. This is North Carolina in the early 1920s, and Jessie must leave school to help care for her hardworking farm family. When baby Ky is left motherless, Jessie wonders if she will ever have an opportunity to venture beyond home and pursue her dreams of higher education and becoming a teacher. Hitchcock's seemingly gentle tale ultimately reveals a powerful tension between Jessie's love for her baby nephew and her deceased sister, and that of the equally strong pull for independence. Jessie makes her decision carefully and with much soul searching. First love, the risk and thrill of the unknown, a beautiful family that shores her up when she feels weak l these forces tumble about in a believable manner as Jessie figures out her future one day at a time. You can almost hear the gentle fiddle tune playing in the background as she does so.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Jessie Pearl is tangled up in emotions--her sister's tuberculosis death leaves Jessie with an infant nephew to raise, and, after giving her her first kiss, J.T. left for city work. At the heart of this not-so-fresh 1922 North Carolinaset story is Jessie's relatable quandary: should she stay to help her family or pursue her own dreams? The print is unfortunately tiny.

Kirkus Reviews

Jessie, 15 and living on a rural North Carolina tobacco farm in the early 1920s, dreams of graduating from high school and then attending teachers' college. All of that becomes very unlikely after one of her elder sisters falls ill with tuberculosis, forcing Jessie to leave school to nurse her dying sibling and later to become surrogate mother to her sister's infant son. Jessie loves her nephew, but she's torn between staying on the farm and cultivating her growing relationship with J.T., a neighbor three years her senior who would happily marry her when she gets a little older, or satisfying a deep-seated urge to make more of her life, if she gets the opportunity. Told in a believable first-person, present-tense voice that emphasizes the immediacy of Jessie's problems and her sometimes raw emotions, Hitchcock's debut also neatly captures a full flavor of the setting and period. The aspects of many characters are also effectively revealed, mostly through authentic-sounding dialogue. A satisfying tale for readers who don't require a fully happy ending. (Historical fiction. 11-18)

School Library Journal (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 5 Up-Despite advances like Model Ts and tuberculosis sanatoriums, rural life in the early 20th century is difficult. Fourteen-year-old Jessie Pearl Hennings has promised her late mother that she will finish school and go on to teacher's college, but the death of her sister, raising her nephew, helping on the family farm, and romance with a local boy are roadblocks that could keep her from her dream. This fast-paced historical novel is filled with enough factual detail, recognizable emotions, and personal drama to keep readers turning pages, eager to learn the final verse in the ballad of Jessie's life. An author's note about the story's origins in actual events could inspire students to seek out family stories of their own. Natasha Forrester, Multnomah County Library, OR