The Good Master

The Good Master by Kate Seredy, 1935 Viking Press

     When Cousin Kate comes from the city, the impression her father has given her family is of a delicate young flower suffering from the Measles. What they pick up from the train is an out-of-control hellion whose actions have seen no consequence. Within her first hour with her cousin and his father she steals the cart driving them home and nearly kills herself and the horses.
      Jansci and his country family aren't at all what Kate expects either; her Uncle Marton is a respectable member of the community the "Good Master" of all he surveys and life on a Hungarian farm is more work than it looks in the pictures. But Kate is willing to learn, she helps her aunt with chores around the ranch, rides horses with her cousin Jansci, and her unhappy peevishness soon gives way to a polite and friendly young woman, but not until her ignorance has led to some wild adventures.
     When Kate's father arrives at the end of the summer he hardly recognizes his daughter: she is well-behaved, polite, and understands the consequences of her actions. The change in Kate convinces him to join his brother and his family in the country, leaving behind city life.
     A leading theme in The Good Master is the superiority of country life over urbanization; the steadiness and consistency leading to a happier Kate and the eventual relocation of her father. It is an entertaining story of how a change of scene can elicit a positive change in even the most unruly of people. Written for a middle to late elementary age-group, the simple language adds to the country charm of the story.