I am the author of May B. (2012) and Over in the Wetlands (2014) and am represented by Michelle Humphrey of the Martha Kaplan Agency.

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Apocalypsies

Praise for May B.

Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly

Set on the Kansas prairie in the 19th century, this debut novel in verse presents a harrowing portrait of pioneer life through the perspective of 12-year-old Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, called May B. The spare free-verse poems effectively sketch this quietly courageous heroine, the allure and dangers of the open prairie, and the claustrophobic sod house setting. Writing with compassion and a wealth of evocative details, Rose offers a memorable heroine and a testament to the will to survive.

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

As unforgiving as the western Kansas prairies, this extraordinary verse novel—Rose’s debut—paints a gritty picture of late-19th-century frontier life from the perspective of a 12-year-old dyslexic girl named Mavis Elizabeth Betterly… May B. for short.

If May is a brave, stubborn fighter, the short, free-verse lines are one-two punches in this Laura Ingalls Wilder–inspired ode to the human spirit. (Historical fiction. 9-14)

American Booksellers Association 2012 Spring New Voices title

Amazon's Best Books of the Month for Kids: January 2012 selection

Junior Library Guild selection

Kids’ Indie Next List: Spring 2012

Heroes come in all sizes, and my newest hero is a pint-sized girl named Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, called May B. Armed with only her book, a broom, and a lot of sheer grit, May B. faces the terrors of school, winter, and the west Kansas prairie. Caroline Starr Rose tells May's story in simple, moving verse that captures the joy of family, the gloomy isolation of a dirt soddy, and the determination of one scared but indomitable young person. May B. is a girl you'll be proud to know.  

—author Karen Cushman

May B's incredible adventure gripped me right from the beginning. You can almost hear—and feel—the cold prairie winds of Kansas whipping through the pages of Caroline Starr Rose's impressive first novel.

—author Deborah Hopkinson

In language as stark and beautiful as the Kansas prairie, Starr Rose offers a tale of survival. With nothing sugar coated and everything surprising, readers will fall into the story and connect to May B's resilient and humble character. A great antidote to the hooked-up, plugged-in age.

—author Kelly Easton