A Gathering of Days facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Joan Blos |
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| Cover artist | Robert Papp |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Published | 1979 (Prentice Hall) |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 144 |
| ISBN | 978-0-684-16340-6 |
| OCLC | 5171140 |
| LC Class | PZ7.B6237 Gat |
A Gathering of Days; A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 is a historical novel written by Joan Blos. It was published in 1979. This book won two important awards: the 1980 National Book Award and the 1980 Newbery Medal. These awards celebrate excellent American books for children.
The story is told like a diary or journal. A young girl named Catherine Hall writes in it. She lives in a small village in New England with her father and younger sister. Her diary covers her daily life from 1830 to 1832. During these two years, Catherine experiences many big changes. These include helping an escaped person, her father getting remarried, and the sad death of her best friend.
Meet Catherine Hall
Catherine, often called Cath by her friends, is thirteen years old when the book begins. Her birthday is in May, so she stays thirteen for most of her journal entries. Her best friend is Cassie, who sadly passes away during the time Catherine writes in her diary.
Catherine has a younger sister named Matty. Her mother died four years before the journal starts. In May 1831, her father remarries. His new wife is a widow, and she brings her own son, Daniel, to live with them. Catherine learns to love her new stepmom, and they all learn how to be a family together.
Meet Cassie Shipman
Cassie is Catherine's very best friend. She is a year older than Catherine, making her fourteen. Even though she is older, the two girls are the same height. Cassie has three brothers: David Horatio, Asa Hale, and William Mason.
In the summer of 1831, Cassie suddenly gets a very high fever. Her health gets worse over the next nine days. She passes away peacefully in her sleep on August 20, 1831. Years later, in 1899, Catherine writes a letter to her great-granddaughter. She says that Cassie was "of all of us, the only one never to grow old."
