Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn't have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard.
But Miss Agnes is different—she doesn't get frustrated with her students, and she throws away old textbooks and reads Robin Hood instead! For the first time, Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write—but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came?
The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill is a historical fiction book about the lives of the Athabascans in Alaska in 1948. The story is told from the perspective of Frederika, a 10-year-old girl living in Allakaket, a small town in Alaska. The story focuses on a one-room schoolhouse where teachers often leave before the end of the school year. The book's main characters are Frederika and Miss Agnes, the new teacher for their village. Miss Agnes brings dignity to every child and teaches the importance of lifelong learning. She chooses to stay at the school instead of returning home to England.
The children and their parents are survivalists, used to selling animal furs and setting traps. Miss Agnes is an outsider in the small village who wears pants and does things that are a little bit different than most people. The kids really like her and trust her.
The book includes cross-cultural insight, educational content, self-discovery, and personal growth. It also includes Alaskan history woven throughout the story.
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