review: Hattie Mae Begins Again

title: Hattie Mae Begins Again
author: Sharon G. Flake
date: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 13 January 2026
main character: Hattie Mae Jenkins
middle grade; historical fiction

Sharon Flake was born in Philadelphia, PA. She attended and later worked at the University of Pittsburgh where she began her writing career composing nonfiction for local and national magazines. Her groundbreaking novel, The Skin I’m In, was published in 1998. She continues to write books that center Black youth, their families, and contemporary concerns, even in her historical fictions.

Twelve year old Hattie Mae left Seed County, North Carolina for Philadelphia, PA to attend Miss Abigail’s School for Exceptional Young Ladies (her cousin’s school) for well-to-do-girls. Her grandmother’s admonitions make it clear that Hattie is about to enter a whole new world, one where she doesn’t necessarily belong, and where she may not want to stay.

Dad puts Hattie on a northern bound train and instruct her not to let anyone know that Miss Abigail is her cousin, and to give up her quarrelsome, headstrong nature. So begins her new life. There’s Latin to learn, how to dress in this new climate, and how not to look like a hick. She’d learned her place in the US quite well, but now that she was in a much larger, more established Black community, she has a lot to learn about her identity among her own people.Then, success for Blacks was achieved by integrating into the white world adapting etiquette, speech, and dress of western European origins.

Lisa, Hattie’s antagonist, makes her privilege quite clear, while diminishing that of others around her. Hattie works to make her own way and thus justify her spot at the school. But, when the school is challenged, Hattie becomes a community leader organizing people, ideas, and resources to save it.

Flake’s extensive research allows her to use verse form to create a world steeped in historical details. Historical people and places like Mother Bethel AME Church and its founder, Richard Allen, add authenticity to the story and solidify the history of Blacks in the city. Hattie makes friends with Bert and Alabaster, supporting characters who expand Hattie’s worldview beyond the classroom.

The book’s young characters navigate the world in ways that inform readers about issues of class, colorism, and privilege while seeming to remain true to that era. Hattie Mae, who may not have had as many of the finer material things in life, never lost her center.

Hattie Mae was introduced in Once in a Blue Moon (2023). This book can stand alone.

I would definitely add this middle grade book to a public or school library collection. Its story will have universal appeal to readers who enjoy historical novels, social issues, and girls who are becoming leaders. It could easily pair with Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson or Front Desk by Kelly Yang.

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