Juv Orphan-Train-setting.
Hattie
is sick of everyone telling her she should be "grateful" that she
didn't die in the fire like the rest of her family, "grateful" that
she's healthy enough to go on the Orphan Trains, "grateful" for the
charity of the church poor-box for her clothes, and "grateful" that
Henry and Elizabeth have taken her in, even though Elizabeth didn't even
want a child after her own losses.
What Hattie is grateful for is that Emily, her
roommate and friend from the orphanage has been placed in the same town
(but with a shrew who treats her like a servant and even changes her
name!) and that Cloud the cat offers unconditional love and doesn't
think she's a sinner or a freak because she's an orphan (even though
he's just a cat, and she's kept busy with chores and school).
Over a slim 177 pages, Hattie settles in, Elizabeth
thaws, Henry shows his mettle as a great father, and eventually, Hattie
realizes that despite her righteous indignation over well-meaning people
and their "grateful" admonishments, it is possible to be somewhat
grateful, even after tragedies.
Spoiler Alert: The cat kicks it during the climax. If I had read this as a child, I would have been devastated.
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