From Product Description:

Twelve-year-old Libby, the daughter of an Indiana cattle farmer, raises two calves in hopes of winning the annual steer competition at the county fair, but fails to follow her father's warning about developing a bond with animals that are destined to be sold at auction.

THE BEEF PRINCESS OF PRACTICAL COUNTY is a sweet coming-of-age novel. <br /> <br />Libby loves the cow farm she's grown up on. But she's lived in her brother's shadow and her father has never noticed her when it comes to the farm. When her brother heads off to college, Libby is granted the chance to raise two calves for the next county fair. She will only be able to show one of the calves, but she has the opportunity to show her father what she can do. <br /> <br />When her dear Piggy becomes too injured to enter, Libby has to work with the more obstinate of the two calves. She can't imagine that he can possibly be a winner, but Libby is determined to win the Grand Champion designation, something even her brother has never accomplished. <br /> <br />Libby's competing against the Darling girls. The two eldest have been the fair princesses for the past few years and are entering their own cattle. The youngest one, Ohma, is the same age as Libby. And although Ohma isn't in the same princess league as her sisters, she's still a Darling. <br /> <br />Libby finds herself learning to love the calf that wanted to be left alone. And more surprisingly, she finds her mom has talked her into running for the princess title against the Darling sisters. As the summer winds down and the fair looms closer, Libby grows more confident in herself and her abilities. <br /> <br />For a first-time novelist, Ms. Houts has written a tender story of growing up and becoming who you are meant to be. Growing up in a small town that holds annual fairs similar to that depicted in THE BEEF PRINCESS OF PRACTICAL COUNTY, I felt a special connection to the story. Ms. Houts captures the spirit and the competition of a county fair to a T. <br /> <br />Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Books set in the country tend to appeal to me since I live in the middle-of-nowhere but since I can relate to them easily, I'm always more picky about the details. But Michelle Houts can obviously relate too because there was very little for me to pick apart in Beef Princess. <br /> <br />The Beef Princess of Practical County begins a little slow but once you get to know the characters, you're instantly drawn in. I know very little about raising cattle, which is a huge part of the plot, but Houts wrote about it in a way that didn't include every detail of what went into it but enough to explain what was going on so everyone could relate a little bit. <br /> <br />Libby is a character that I'm sure everyone can relate to, whether you're twelve or sixteen or even thirty-five. She's young and stubborn but willing to put others before herself. Most importantly, she stands up for what she believes in, whether or not it's always a realistic choice. <br /> <br />The plot stays fairly simple and even though I kept waiting for some surprise ending, it never came. At first, it was slightly disappointing but in the end, it worked for the novel. <br /> <br />I definitely recommend this one so pick it up the next chance you get! <br />

Although this book maybe best suited for a teenage girl, the book was written well enough that it captured my attention and held my attention for the whole book. As I kept reading the anticipation of how it would end continued to build. I felt like I could be a beef farmer by the end of the book. I thought the book had many great moral messages (Don't judge a book by its cover, be willing to change, stick to the facts, etc.). Most people can connect with the main character because like most she has a tough goal to reach and so much opposition and doubt. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

I found this book very refreshing, enlightening, and suitable for any child or adult to read. It teaches children the love of animals in showing them and then letting them go, and it shows the love in families and how they work together. It made me laugh and cry and it related so much to human life 'down on the farm'. It also was wonderful to pick up a book with 'suitable' language in it. I would highly recommend this book for anyone to read!

One of the odder storylines, Beef Princess still manages to hold onto the readers' attention while maintaining its rural background. <br /> <br />I am not quite sure what to say about this book--it is unlike anything else I have read. The storyline focuses more of the growth of the steers and Libby's ambition to make her father proud. In some ways I can relate to Libby. Being overshadowed to an older sibling you are forever compared to and judged by their accomplishments. Can you do better? The struggle to perform well is what drives Libby. Even so you have a great admiration for your old your sibling and Michelle Houts show that through Libby's training with her brother's help. <br /> <br />The more agricultural background shows a great deal of knowledge from the author and she crafts it into the novel quite well. She talks about caring for the animals, machinery, contests, and the job to raise and let go of some of your cuddly friends. <br /> <br />Michelle Houts was also able to bring in some humor to the book. I found the names to be the most funniest. From Precious, Lil, and Ohma their last name Darling combined gives off a "what were the parents thinking" type of chuckle. I found the irony of naming the steers other animal names, such as Piggy and Mule, was cute. <br /> <br />I feel that if the book fell into a different set of hands it might have received a bit higher grade. While some scenes were adorable the overall set of tone childish (being a 12-year-old girl I kind of expected this). The plotline was slightly drab and predictable.