When I was in my teens I came across a Judy Garland film about the Harvey Girls. I thought the historical idea was fascinating, even if the film was a relative flop.

About that same time, I read Meyer's other books about the British Queens as young girls. So this book had a lot of nostalgic build- up.

Historically, the book is fascinating. It includes(I'm assuming) legitimate photos of real places and people. The story lacks the built- in tension that was automatically (or perhaps naturally is a better word) present in her books about Mary and Elizabeth I. But that's the nature of the tale. And something that I've forgotten exists. So I was glad for the reminder. ( )

Kitty finds out that she's not going to be going to college because her family is low on money and would rather send her older brother. She lies about her age in order to obtain a position as a waitress - a 'Harvey Girl' - at an elite chain of restaurants along the Santa Fe Railroad.

This is a good historical fiction novel that has a unique format that I found very entertaining. The book is presented as Kitty's diary documenting her life from the time she finds out she won't be going to college and through her first six months as a Harvey Girl. The diary not only provides a narrative of the events occurring in her life but also extras like a list of Spanish words she learned from one of the kitchen staff while working in the American Southwest. It also includes a list of jobs at the railway that she learns about. It includes the articles she writes in her quest to become a journalist and even photographs from the original Harvey Houses. To me, this was a nice vacation from the usual formatting of a novel and the format made it feel like a really light read.

The characters are likable and I found myself rooting even for characters who I thought I would not root for because I saw their growth over the course of the novel. I like the minute details of life in the restaurant such as how often the coffee had to be changed and other rules that really gave a picture of the structure of her life there. At times I did find Kitty immature in her behavior and thoughts but I reminded myself that she is seventeen and is growing as a person and growing up which made some of the pettiness forgivable.

I think the book had a really good message. I think people can learn from this book - especially young adult audiences at which this book is aimed - that life doesn't always turn out how you expect. The careful plans you make for your adulthood will not always pan out. Kitty had her classes chosen for her first semester of school and suddenly her parents wanted her to sell shoes to help support the family. You may find yourself taking a path you did not expect to get to where you want to be or it might turn out that the place you want to be is not where you expected at all. This is something I have definitely learned over the course of my twenties and I think it's important to emphasize for young people that this doesn't make you a failure. This is just the nature of growing up and living that things do not always go as you expect and the best thing to do is be flexible.

I liked the variety of women who worked at the Harvey House and all of their different dreams. Some had career goals like Kitty who wanted to be a journalist or Alicia, a kitchen worker and native to New Mexico, who wanted to be a nurse. Some had lofty goals like Cordelia who wanted to be a musician and live a glitzy lifestyle. Some like Pearl and Opal simply wanted to get married and settle down. Some would go on to work at the Harvey House for the next ten or fifteen years and take great pride in their positions there. And the thing is that the book more or less gives the message that ALL OF THESE ARE OKAY.

I love this book for that. Thank you Carolyn Meyer. ( )