Status
Available
Local notes
Fic Blo
Collections
Genres
Publication
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (1990), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 144 pages
Description
The journal of a 14-year-old girl, kept the last year she lived on the family farm, records daily events in her small New Hampshire town, her father's remarriage, and the death of her best friend.
Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — 1980)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 4-8 — 1983)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — 1981-1982)
Newbery Medal (Medal Winner — 1980)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Language
Original publication date
1979
Physical description
144 p.; 5.12 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The story of Catherine Hall, a young New Hampshire girl in the 1830s, is told through her diary entries. Catherine's mother died several years before the diary begins. Catherine and her younger sister, Matty, live with their father on his farm. Their closest neighbors, the Shipmans, are a source of
Catherine's diary chronicles many changes in her life over an 18-month period. The school teacher stirs up controversy by reading from Boston abolitionist newspapers during class time. For Catherine, the question of slavery isn't abstract when she encounters a mysterious stranger, probably a runaway slave, who asks for her help. After several years as a widower, Catherine's father decides to remarry, and Catherine must adjust to a new stepmother, stepbrother, and a new position within the household. In their early teens, Catherine and her friends are on the brink of womanhood. Catherine faces the loss of two childhood companions, one to death, the other to the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Catherine led a much different life than modern teenagers. Farm families like Catherine's had to work hard year-round to make sure they had adequate clothing, household goods, and food to last through the bitterly cold winters. She writes in her diary of visits from peddlers and weavers, of picking berries, of trips to Boston to sell farm products and to purchase supplies, and of community events like the opening of the roads after the winters snows and of maple sugaring in the spring. While Catherine's daily activities were very different from the modern teenager's, she faced many of the same issues, like adjusting to a blended family and dealing with the loss of friends. I can't think of a more enjoyable way to learn about daily life in a different century. Highly recommended.
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support. Mrs. Shipman advises Catherine about housekeeping matters, and Mr. Shipman and the Shipman boys assist Catherine's father with his farming work after their own is done. Cassie Shipman is Catherine's best friend. They often do their chores together, and they walk to school together when it's in session.Catherine's diary chronicles many changes in her life over an 18-month period. The school teacher stirs up controversy by reading from Boston abolitionist newspapers during class time. For Catherine, the question of slavery isn't abstract when she encounters a mysterious stranger, probably a runaway slave, who asks for her help. After several years as a widower, Catherine's father decides to remarry, and Catherine must adjust to a new stepmother, stepbrother, and a new position within the household. In their early teens, Catherine and her friends are on the brink of womanhood. Catherine faces the loss of two childhood companions, one to death, the other to the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Catherine led a much different life than modern teenagers. Farm families like Catherine's had to work hard year-round to make sure they had adequate clothing, household goods, and food to last through the bitterly cold winters. She writes in her diary of visits from peddlers and weavers, of picking berries, of trips to Boston to sell farm products and to purchase supplies, and of community events like the opening of the roads after the winters snows and of maple sugaring in the spring. While Catherine's daily activities were very different from the modern teenager's, she faced many of the same issues, like adjusting to a blended family and dealing with the loss of friends. I can't think of a more enjoyable way to learn about daily life in a different century. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
It is just what my weary spirit needed. This is a simple tale told from the perspective of 13 year old Catherine Hall, set in pioneer days of New Hampshire during the dates of 1830-1832. With a feel similar to the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, this book has a lyrical rolling quality while
It harkens back to a time when children respected teachers and parents, when everyone shared responsibility of maintaining components of survival and when what would now be considered simple pleasures, held so much meaning then.
Here is a snipet:
"Teacher Orpha sometimes permits the conduct of school out of doors. On these days we convene near the tree, the littlest ones gathering close to her, and some times, even, one of the babes will lay his head in her lap "Poor little thing," she'll say with a smile. Or maybe, "Pretty dreamer!"
Then does the droning of our voices rival that of the somnolent bees while off to one side, the more wakeful infants intone their little verses, and their abc's."
Recommended for a fall day when the air is crisp and the frost is on the pumpkin.
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depicting the joys and hardships of pioneer days.It harkens back to a time when children respected teachers and parents, when everyone shared responsibility of maintaining components of survival and when what would now be considered simple pleasures, held so much meaning then.
Here is a snipet:
"Teacher Orpha sometimes permits the conduct of school out of doors. On these days we convene near the tree, the littlest ones gathering close to her, and some times, even, one of the babes will lay his head in her lap "Poor little thing," she'll say with a smile. Or maybe, "Pretty dreamer!"
Then does the droning of our voices rival that of the somnolent bees while off to one side, the more wakeful infants intone their little verses, and their abc's."
Recommended for a fall day when the air is crisp and the frost is on the pumpkin.
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LibraryThing member Hamburgerclan
This one's just another historical novel about a farm girl. This time the era is the 1830s and the setting is New Hampshire. Catherine is a 13 year old girl, living with her widowed father and younger sister. There's nothing that stands out about the book, save that Catherine's not overly spunky.
--J.
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But that doesn't make it bad. It's a nice, easy read that gives a taste of life as it was in rural New England.--J.
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LibraryThing member goodnightmoon
Pleasant and enjoyable - never got taken out of the story by awkward phrasing, unbelievable events, or confusing storytelling - but not lingering. I appreciated the thoughts on moral education, reflecting on how differently children are raised today (and tending to prefer the stricter times!). I
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enjoyed the time spent reading this book, but I am not sure it will stay with me. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
Written in the form of a journal, this book is the story of a year in the life of a fourteen year old girl living in New England in the early 1830’s. During the year, Catherine helps a runaway slave, loses her best friend, sees her widowed father remarry, and leaves her farm forever. There is
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something about a book written as a journal that draws the reader close to the characters. I had just started this book when a fifth grader came into the library and asked if I could find her a book like A Gathering of Days. She loved it and wanted to read more books like it. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
This was a look into the life of a girl living in New England in the early 1800's. Written as a journal, the story tells of Catherine's life the year her father remarried, her best friend died, and she helped a run-away slave escape to Canada. It was an enjoyable read, but didn't really capture my
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imagination. Still, a well-written historical novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member sylvatica
A very interesting slice-of-life look at New England in the 1830s. Even though it was written in the 1970s, it is pretty historically accurate (to my untutored mind at least) – dealing with distances, snow, and the isolation of a community in New Hampshire. The characters are believable, and the
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story is wonderfully understated. While there are major events in this book, they happen in and among normal and small events – just like real life. The book covers somewhat less than two years, and you are left wanting to know more about this girl’s life after the diary ends. (pannarrens) Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
Understated and affecting story of a young girl in New England, and the two years during which she went from being a heedless girl to being nearly a woman grown. Historical detail is rich in this book.
LibraryThing member klburnside
This book was a somewhat boring account of a girl's childhood in New England written in diary form.
The best part was the use of the word abecedarian.
The best part was the use of the word abecedarian.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
A short YA book about the life of Catherine Cabot Hall who lives on a New Hampshire farm in 1830. Written as Catherine’s diary over the course of a year, she writes of her daily life and as this is a YA book, the subject matter is fairly light, although she does touch briefly on the subject of
I am not sure whether this book would speak directly to today’s younger audience, as Catherine’s life is so very different from that of a modern reader, but the author definitely gives us a glimpse of how the social mores of the day, the religious teachings and family rules all played a very important role in shaping one’s life in the 1800’s.
For me personally, I found A Gathering of Days a little light and would have liked to delve more into some the issues that were mentioned in passing but, of course, I am not the target audience. Overall, this is an enjoyable sentimental story that comes across in a realistic manner.
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slavery. During the year, her life goes through some big changes as her father brings home a second wife and her best friend gets ill and dies.I am not sure whether this book would speak directly to today’s younger audience, as Catherine’s life is so very different from that of a modern reader, but the author definitely gives us a glimpse of how the social mores of the day, the religious teachings and family rules all played a very important role in shaping one’s life in the 1800’s.
For me personally, I found A Gathering of Days a little light and would have liked to delve more into some the issues that were mentioned in passing but, of course, I am not the target audience. Overall, this is an enjoyable sentimental story that comes across in a realistic manner.
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LibraryThing member fingerpost
“A Gathering of Days” is the diary of a young girl in 1830s New Hampshire. A few pages tell of a mysterious person who requests her aid via a poorly written note, the re-marriage of her widower father, and the death of a close friend. Apart from these three episodes, the book is largely the
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somewhat random minutiae of daily life. There is no plot that carries through the book. Personally, I found it excruciatingly dull, and wonder not only how it won the Newbery Award, but why anyone even bothered to publish it. Obviously, since it won the Newbery, there are plenty who see merit in this book that is lost on me. When I read a novel, I want to read a story, and this book just didn’t really have one. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Catherine’s 14th year, growing up on a New England farm, is certainly an eventful one. There’s the stranger in the woods, her widowed father’s unexpected romance, both comedy and tragedy, and then an unexpected opportunity.
The author makes the unusual decision to spoil all of the events of
The author makes the unusual decision to spoil all of the events of
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the book in the preface (a letter to the diarist’s great-granddaughter), but the story retains its pathos for all that. Readers who enjoy historical books like Caddie Woodlawn and Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm are the ideal audience here. Show Less
Other editions
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Pages
144