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"Like the Willow Tree, Portland, Maine, 1918: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce" by Lois Lowry

Author:

Lois Lowry

Publisher:

Scholastic Books

Reviewed by:

Kristine Wildner, Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, WI

Lowry, Lois. Like the Willow Tree, Portland, Maine, 1918: The Diary of Lydia Amelia PierceScholastic Books, New York, 2011.

A poignant slice of history, Lois Lowry’s Like the Willow Tree takes the reader back to a simpler time of life – more harsh in many ways, yet a time and a place with fewer distractions, when one could more easily discern a purpose.The year is 1918; eleven-year-old Amelia and her older brother, Daniel, have recently lost both their parents and baby sister to the influenza.Their well-meaning uncle has taken them to live at the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine.Their story is told in a diary format, from Amelia’s point of view as she assimilates into the communal Shaker lifestyle.

True to the Shaker values, Amelia’s new life is filled with hard work, learning new skills, and a lifestyle which centers its values on the supporting the community, rather than individual achievement.The Shaker sisters are patient, yet firm with Amelia, and she gradually learns to respect and enjoy her new life.The major conflict or problem in the story centers on her concern for her brother as he experiences a more difficult adjustment and is kept separate from Amelia, as is the Shaker custom.

Recommended for girls who love history, Like the Willow Tree is one of many in Scholastic’s diary-format Dear America series.Through Amelia’s story we learn about an important historical American sub-culture which lives on today through their inventions, living museums, and furniture/household item designs.Lowry tells Amelia’s story from the heart of a young girl – not always happy, sometime envious, but ever inquisitive with a sweet soul which longs to do right.The book concludes with an epilogue, explaining what happened after Lydia and her brother became adults, and a historical note including photographs of people at the time of the influenza outbreak and the Shaker community.

Kristine Wildner, Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, WI

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