Summary: Judy Blundell’s Strings Attached is a great combination of mystery, suspense, and romance set in the early 1950’s during the time when gangsters were big news and McCarthyism was in full swing.
Kit is one of the famous Corrigan triplets, raised by her alcoholic father and her strict, seemingly unfeeling Aunt Delia. After a blow-up with her long-time boyfriend, Billy Benedict, Kit moves to the city to try and fulfill her dream of becoming a Broadway star. Although it isn’t easy, it is helping her keep her mind off of Billy and her brother, Jaime, who both joined the Army. Kit’s fortunes take a turn when Billy’s father, Nate, an attorney with rumored ties to a notorious gangster, sets her up with a good job and a nice apartment to live in. All she has to do is help Nate out by letting him know when she hears from Billy.
But Kit soon finds out that there are more strings attached to Nate’s gifts than she realized. Is Nate really involved in murder? Is her Aunt Delia one of his victims? And how will she face Billy, knowing what she does about his father?
I enjoyed Strings Attached more than Blundell's last novel, What I Saw & How I Lied. The plot was solid and had enough twists to keep me guessing without becoming too confusing or unrealistic. I found myself sympathizing with Kit throughout the novel, and hoping that she would achieve the success she was hoping for without Nate's help. A good read for those who like a little suspense mixed in with their romance.
Themes:
Trust
Love
Independence
Age Appropriateness:
13 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: mild
Nudity/Adult Content: mild
Violence: moderate
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Me & Jack by Danette Haworth
Summary: Before you walk past Me & Jack by Danette Haworth, let me just put your mind at ease – the dog on the cover doesn’t die. Because, let’s face it, most dog & boy stories (as Gordon Korman points out in No More Dead Dogs) end with the dog dying. The ending in Me & Jack is, thankfully, dog-death free.
Don’t think that means that this is a happy little story of a boy and his dog. Me & Jack is full of heart-wrenching and frustrating conflicts suffered by characters that I, as a reader, quickly grew attached to and felt very sympathetic toward.
Joshua Reed is an Army brat growing up during the Vietnam War. His father is a recruiter, and his job is taking them to yet another new town with a new start. Josh is excited when he quickly makes a new friend, Ray, and his dad lets him get a dog. Jack, with his oddly glowing ears and understanding eyes is exactly what Josh wants in a dog; loyal, playful, and protective of his boy.
Ray & Josh get along great, but Ray’s cousin, Alan, seems determined to hate Josh and Jack, and does everything he can to make Josh’s life hard. To make matters worse, Jack is being blamed for all sorts of mayhem in the town, from tipped garbage cans to dead livestock, and Josh’s dad is finding many people turning against him because of the rising casualties of the troops serving in Vietnam.
Can Josh & Ray remain friends even though Alan is determined to ruin everything? Will Josh be able to prove that Jack is not the menace that many believe he is or will he be forced to give up his new companion?
Themes:
Family
Fairness
Standing up for those you love
Age Appropriateness:
10 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Don’t think that means that this is a happy little story of a boy and his dog. Me & Jack is full of heart-wrenching and frustrating conflicts suffered by characters that I, as a reader, quickly grew attached to and felt very sympathetic toward.
Joshua Reed is an Army brat growing up during the Vietnam War. His father is a recruiter, and his job is taking them to yet another new town with a new start. Josh is excited when he quickly makes a new friend, Ray, and his dad lets him get a dog. Jack, with his oddly glowing ears and understanding eyes is exactly what Josh wants in a dog; loyal, playful, and protective of his boy.
Ray & Josh get along great, but Ray’s cousin, Alan, seems determined to hate Josh and Jack, and does everything he can to make Josh’s life hard. To make matters worse, Jack is being blamed for all sorts of mayhem in the town, from tipped garbage cans to dead livestock, and Josh’s dad is finding many people turning against him because of the rising casualties of the troops serving in Vietnam.
Can Josh & Ray remain friends even though Alan is determined to ruin everything? Will Josh be able to prove that Jack is not the menace that many believe he is or will he be forced to give up his new companion?
Themes:
Family
Fairness
Standing up for those you love
Age Appropriateness:
10 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Friday, July 29, 2011
Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn
Suzanne Weyn is an author whose works I have enjoyed a great deal, but I seldom see her getting any real attention/promotion. When I saw Distant Waves at a Scholastic Warehouse Sale, I had to pick it up and give it a read-through. It was so much more and better than I expected.
Although the cover says it is “A novel of the Titanic,” it is really much more than that. In fact, the Titanic doesn’t make an actual appearance until a little over half-way through the book. It is just one setting within the story, albeit an important one. Putting mention of the Titanic on the cover seems to me like a lure to get readers to pick up a book that can stand on many other merits.
Summary: Jane is the second of five sisters who live with their mother, a psychic. Early in the book, the family meets the brilliant scientist Nicola Tesla when caught in an earthquake he has caused with one of his experiments. From then on, Jane follows Tesla’s career through newspaper articles, keeping them in a scrapbook.
The family settled in a “spiritualist community” where their mother becomes a well-respected medium. Although Jane isn’t sure she believes in her mother’s gift, her doubt is nothing compared to the eye-rolling of Mimi, the eldest of the five daughters. Even when her twin sisters start to show signs of "the gift," Jane's doubts make her, at a certain level, an observer within her own family.
When Mimi learns a secret about her heritage, she runs away, leaving Jane feeling responsible for “losing” her older sister. She is eventually distracted, however, by the chance for the whole family to travel to London to be part of a large spiritualist gathering that is trying to discover if a great war is truly about to break out. At this gathering, Jane meets another of her heroes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as his friend Harry Houdini.
All five sisters find themselves aboard the Titanic for its maiden voyage, in spite of dire warnings that it may not be safe. How will they survive when the predicted sinking occurs? And how will Tesla’s presence on the ship change history?
One of the things I loved about this book was the inclusion of Nicola Tesla as a character. He is such a fascinating figure, and Weyn did an excellent job of capturing many facets of his personality. After reading this, I found myself wanting to read more about his life, achievements, and disappointments. The author did a wonderful job of taking elements of history and incorporating it into a story of her own creation – mixing characters that were truly part of the event into the plot in a believable way.
Themes:
Secrets
Family
Racism
Scientific Discovery
Age Appropriateness:
12 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: very mild
Violence: very mild
Although the cover says it is “A novel of the Titanic,” it is really much more than that. In fact, the Titanic doesn’t make an actual appearance until a little over half-way through the book. It is just one setting within the story, albeit an important one. Putting mention of the Titanic on the cover seems to me like a lure to get readers to pick up a book that can stand on many other merits.
Summary: Jane is the second of five sisters who live with their mother, a psychic. Early in the book, the family meets the brilliant scientist Nicola Tesla when caught in an earthquake he has caused with one of his experiments. From then on, Jane follows Tesla’s career through newspaper articles, keeping them in a scrapbook.
The family settled in a “spiritualist community” where their mother becomes a well-respected medium. Although Jane isn’t sure she believes in her mother’s gift, her doubt is nothing compared to the eye-rolling of Mimi, the eldest of the five daughters. Even when her twin sisters start to show signs of "the gift," Jane's doubts make her, at a certain level, an observer within her own family.
When Mimi learns a secret about her heritage, she runs away, leaving Jane feeling responsible for “losing” her older sister. She is eventually distracted, however, by the chance for the whole family to travel to London to be part of a large spiritualist gathering that is trying to discover if a great war is truly about to break out. At this gathering, Jane meets another of her heroes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as his friend Harry Houdini.
All five sisters find themselves aboard the Titanic for its maiden voyage, in spite of dire warnings that it may not be safe. How will they survive when the predicted sinking occurs? And how will Tesla’s presence on the ship change history?
One of the things I loved about this book was the inclusion of Nicola Tesla as a character. He is such a fascinating figure, and Weyn did an excellent job of capturing many facets of his personality. After reading this, I found myself wanting to read more about his life, achievements, and disappointments. The author did a wonderful job of taking elements of history and incorporating it into a story of her own creation – mixing characters that were truly part of the event into the plot in a believable way.
Themes:
Secrets
Family
Racism
Scientific Discovery
Age Appropriateness:
12 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: very mild
Violence: very mild
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson
Summary: Katherine Paterson was one of my favorite authors when I was a kid, and I was excited to see a new book by her on this year’s Sunshine State list. The Day of the Pelican is a fictional account of one ethnic Albanian family’s experience during the ethnic cleansing that took place in Kosovo in the late 1990’s.
Meli enjoys her life in Kosovo. Her family lives in a nice apartment above her father’s store. Her brothers like playing soldier, especially her older brother, Mehmet, who admires the men fighting in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). But war seems far away for Meli until the day Mehmet disappears; the day Meli draws her teacher with a pelican nose. She is convinced that all the trouble that follows is her fault, punishment for the drawing. A few weeks later, Mehmet returns; he had been kept prisoner, then was beaten and left for dead. KLA soldiers had found him and nursed him back to health, allowing him to return to his worried family.
The family quickly decides that the time has come to abandon their home in the face of increased persecution from the Serbian government. Meli tells their tale as they stay in makeshift refugee camps and experience the brutal reality of hatred.
The family eventually makes their way to America for a new start. But will these Muslim refugees be welcomed in their new home?
The Day of the Pelican will introduce young readers to a recent event in world history that few will be familiar with. Meli is a narrator the reader can sympathize with.
Themes:
Family
Survival
Genocide
Immigration/Refugee experiences
Age Appropriateness:
11 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: mild
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Meli enjoys her life in Kosovo. Her family lives in a nice apartment above her father’s store. Her brothers like playing soldier, especially her older brother, Mehmet, who admires the men fighting in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). But war seems far away for Meli until the day Mehmet disappears; the day Meli draws her teacher with a pelican nose. She is convinced that all the trouble that follows is her fault, punishment for the drawing. A few weeks later, Mehmet returns; he had been kept prisoner, then was beaten and left for dead. KLA soldiers had found him and nursed him back to health, allowing him to return to his worried family.
The family quickly decides that the time has come to abandon their home in the face of increased persecution from the Serbian government. Meli tells their tale as they stay in makeshift refugee camps and experience the brutal reality of hatred.
The family eventually makes their way to America for a new start. But will these Muslim refugees be welcomed in their new home?
The Day of the Pelican will introduce young readers to a recent event in world history that few will be familiar with. Meli is a narrator the reader can sympathize with.
Themes:
Family
Survival
Genocide
Immigration/Refugee experiences
Age Appropriateness:
11 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: mild
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
I’m working my way through the books on this year’s Grades 6-8 Sunshine State book list, and the list is, so far, pretty good. I’ve only read a third of them, and the ones I’ve read have been good – some were even great.
Summary: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen is a gripping historical fiction novel set during the American Revolution. Each chapter is followed by historical notes about some aspect of the main character, Samuel’s, experiences in the previous chapter. This was a great way to integrate some historical information into the story, as each was short and easy to read.
Samuel and his parents live in the frontier of Pennsylvania. The year is 1776 and Samuel, at the age of 13, is the main hunter for his family. His parents, despite living in the woods, have no real interest in exploring or understanding it as Samuel does.
One day when Samuel goes hunting for bear, his home is attacked by Red Coats and Indians. Although most of his neighbors have been slaughtered, Samuel sees signs that his parents and a few others have been taken prisoner. His knowledge of the woods must now be used for a new goal: to find and save his family.
Along his journey, Samuel finds friends who help him in his journey, including Coop, who nurses him after he is attacked by an Indian, and Abner, who uses forged passes to move freely through the British lines.
I really enjoyed Woods Runner, and liked it much more than I usually like Paulsen’s books. As a reader, it kept the action going and kept me wondering what would happen next. Samuel seemed very real to me, and I sympathized with his mixed emotions regarding the killing of his fellow man.
My only problem with the book is one that the average reader probably won’t even notice, but as an English teacher who spends a lot of time trying to get my students to understand the importance of citations, it stuck out. The book is full of great factual historical information, including an afterward that includes statistics about deaths due to various causes during the Revolutionary War. But there is nothing telling where he got these numbers or any of the other great historical information. It’s difficult to convince my students that citing sources matters when they don’t see examples of this in the books they read. This is a problem I see in most young adult and children's historical fiction - can we please get some citations in there, folks? Can you let your young readers see that you really do research for these books? That’s just my English teacher soapbox for this post.
Themes:
Family
Survival
Coming of age
Age Appropriateness:
10 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: moderate – not gory, but sometimes descriptive
Summary: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen is a gripping historical fiction novel set during the American Revolution. Each chapter is followed by historical notes about some aspect of the main character, Samuel’s, experiences in the previous chapter. This was a great way to integrate some historical information into the story, as each was short and easy to read.
Samuel and his parents live in the frontier of Pennsylvania. The year is 1776 and Samuel, at the age of 13, is the main hunter for his family. His parents, despite living in the woods, have no real interest in exploring or understanding it as Samuel does.
One day when Samuel goes hunting for bear, his home is attacked by Red Coats and Indians. Although most of his neighbors have been slaughtered, Samuel sees signs that his parents and a few others have been taken prisoner. His knowledge of the woods must now be used for a new goal: to find and save his family.
Along his journey, Samuel finds friends who help him in his journey, including Coop, who nurses him after he is attacked by an Indian, and Abner, who uses forged passes to move freely through the British lines.
I really enjoyed Woods Runner, and liked it much more than I usually like Paulsen’s books. As a reader, it kept the action going and kept me wondering what would happen next. Samuel seemed very real to me, and I sympathized with his mixed emotions regarding the killing of his fellow man.
My only problem with the book is one that the average reader probably won’t even notice, but as an English teacher who spends a lot of time trying to get my students to understand the importance of citations, it stuck out. The book is full of great factual historical information, including an afterward that includes statistics about deaths due to various causes during the Revolutionary War. But there is nothing telling where he got these numbers or any of the other great historical information. It’s difficult to convince my students that citing sources matters when they don’t see examples of this in the books they read. This is a problem I see in most young adult and children's historical fiction - can we please get some citations in there, folks? Can you let your young readers see that you really do research for these books? That’s just my English teacher soapbox for this post.
Themes:
Family
Survival
Coming of age
Age Appropriateness:
10 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: moderate – not gory, but sometimes descriptive
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
I finished The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate this afternoon as I relaxed outside on my new hammock and enjoyed the end of my spring break. My husband gave me an occasional odd look (accompanied by a raised eyebrow) as I chuckled to myself at the antics of Calpurnia and her large family. I had heard a lot about this book, and it truly did live up to all the good things I heard.
Summary: Calpurnia Tate is not your typical turn-of-the-century girl. In Texas in 1899, most young ladies her age are looking forward to a life that includes being wooed, married, and raising a houseful of children. Calpurnia detests domestic chores, is terrible at knitting and tatting, and would much rather help her six brothers take care of the family’s animals. But her mother dreams of a proper “coming out” for her only daughter, and is determined to train Callie to be a proper lady.
That long, hot summer of 1899, Callie really gets to know her grandfather; a quiet old man who she & her siblings all live in awe (and a little fear) of. She starts joining him on his forays to the river, where he collects specimens for scientific study. She assists him in his laboratory, where he is trying to create palatable liquor out of pecans. (This leads to some of the funniest moments in the book.) He introduces her to Darwin’s theories (which he leaves her to decipher on her own). And together, they make a discovery that just might make them immortal.
All the while, Callie also handles other pitfalls; dealing with the fact that three of her brothers all have a crush on her best friend, chasing away her older brother’s unworthy love interest, and showing enough progress in her domestic pursuits to pacify her mother. Will a new century bring the change Callie hopes for, or will she be doomed to a life she doesn’t want?
Themes:
Family expectations vs. personal dreams
Change
Individuality
Family
Scientific discovery
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 6 & up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: some mild
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: No.
Summary: Calpurnia Tate is not your typical turn-of-the-century girl. In Texas in 1899, most young ladies her age are looking forward to a life that includes being wooed, married, and raising a houseful of children. Calpurnia detests domestic chores, is terrible at knitting and tatting, and would much rather help her six brothers take care of the family’s animals. But her mother dreams of a proper “coming out” for her only daughter, and is determined to train Callie to be a proper lady.
That long, hot summer of 1899, Callie really gets to know her grandfather; a quiet old man who she & her siblings all live in awe (and a little fear) of. She starts joining him on his forays to the river, where he collects specimens for scientific study. She assists him in his laboratory, where he is trying to create palatable liquor out of pecans. (This leads to some of the funniest moments in the book.) He introduces her to Darwin’s theories (which he leaves her to decipher on her own). And together, they make a discovery that just might make them immortal.
All the while, Callie also handles other pitfalls; dealing with the fact that three of her brothers all have a crush on her best friend, chasing away her older brother’s unworthy love interest, and showing enough progress in her domestic pursuits to pacify her mother. Will a new century bring the change Callie hopes for, or will she be doomed to a life she doesn’t want?
Themes:
Family expectations vs. personal dreams
Change
Individuality
Family
Scientific discovery
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 6 & up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: some mild
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: No.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
I love spring break – a chance to get caught up on my reading! Today I sat down and read (a truer account would be that I devoured) Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. It’s been on my pile to read for a while, and I am so glad I finally picked it up. Her previous historical fiction novel, Fever 1793, is so good that I have to replace it on a yearly basis because it either gets worn out or simply not returned. Chains is just as good, with the same feeling of urgency within in. You root for the main character, Isabel, all while feeling her frustration and despair.
Summary: Having already suffered the loss of her mother a year earlier, Isabel finds herself, along with her little sister, Ruth, passed down as mere property when her owner passes away – despite the fact that there is a will that states that both girls are to be set free. The Spring of 1776 is an uncertain time in the colonies, and the lawyer who holds these vital papers is elsewhere, unreachable due to a military blockade.
Isabel & Ruth are quickly sold by this new master to a Loyalist family with a home in New York. Isabel, renamed Sal by her new owners, is placed in the dangerous position of spying on her master and his friends in order to help the Patriots. She is pulled into this world by Curzon, the young slave of a Patriot. Through the course of the story, the relationship between these two young slaves in a country fighting for its freedom develops from one of distrust to one in which one must depend on the other for survival.
Throughout the story, the reader feels for Isabel as she tries to protect Ruth, who is only five years old and suffers from “fits” (epilepsy), is punished for being “insolent” and tries to find a way to free herself and her sister. Isabel also becomes a hero to others, helping keep prisoners of war fed and alive in deplorable conditions. I often felt that I was holding my breath along with Isabel; afraid that she would be caught in one of her many dangerous excursions.
Halse has deftly woven her characters into the tapestry of history, creating a story that will have readers delving into the book to discover how Isabel’s story will end. But Chains is not the end of her story – I’ll be picking up Forge to see what happens next!
Themes:
Freedom
Courage
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 6 & up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Summary: Having already suffered the loss of her mother a year earlier, Isabel finds herself, along with her little sister, Ruth, passed down as mere property when her owner passes away – despite the fact that there is a will that states that both girls are to be set free. The Spring of 1776 is an uncertain time in the colonies, and the lawyer who holds these vital papers is elsewhere, unreachable due to a military blockade.
Isabel & Ruth are quickly sold by this new master to a Loyalist family with a home in New York. Isabel, renamed Sal by her new owners, is placed in the dangerous position of spying on her master and his friends in order to help the Patriots. She is pulled into this world by Curzon, the young slave of a Patriot. Through the course of the story, the relationship between these two young slaves in a country fighting for its freedom develops from one of distrust to one in which one must depend on the other for survival.
Throughout the story, the reader feels for Isabel as she tries to protect Ruth, who is only five years old and suffers from “fits” (epilepsy), is punished for being “insolent” and tries to find a way to free herself and her sister. Isabel also becomes a hero to others, helping keep prisoners of war fed and alive in deplorable conditions. I often felt that I was holding my breath along with Isabel; afraid that she would be caught in one of her many dangerous excursions.
Halse has deftly woven her characters into the tapestry of history, creating a story that will have readers delving into the book to discover how Isabel’s story will end. But Chains is not the end of her story – I’ll be picking up Forge to see what happens next!
Themes:
Freedom
Courage
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 6 & up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Like the Willow Tree (Dear America Series) by Lois Lowry
As I am sure I’ve said before, I am a big fan of historical fiction. The “Dear America” series is one that I have recommended to many students; it is an accessible series full of personable characters and it is generally very well researched. This newest contribution has taken its place as one of my favorites in the series. It is due for release next month, January, 2011.
Summary: Despite the Great War being fought by the U.S., Lydia lives a happy and comfortable life with her parents, brother, and new baby sister. An outbreak of Spanish Influenza changes everything, first shutting down her entire town, then killing her parents and baby sister. The two siblings are taken in by their uncle who, pushed by his already large household, takes the two to be raised at Sabbathday Lake, a Shaker community.
The Shaker ways are strange to Lydia at first, and she has difficulty accepting that she cannot talk to her brother as she used to, and that she must give up her belongings as communal property. But she also finds herself surrounded by a new family who accepts her as she is and forgives her occasional bursts of temper. Lydia’s struggles and her growing understanding and acceptance of her new life are realistic and easy for the reader to empathize with.
This story is full of Shaker hymns and info on the Shaker way of life. It also contains some historical facts that I was unaware of; did you know the washing machine and the apple peeler were both invented by the Shakers? As with the other titles in the series, there are historical notes in the back which give more facts about the time period and people in the book.
Themes:
Grief
Family
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 3 & up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: none
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Something Upstairs
I have read many of Avi’s books, and they are pretty hit or miss for me. Some I loved, some I couldn’t even force myself to finish. I picked up Something Upstairs because it looked like a quick read, and I tend to enjoy historical fiction. Something Upstairs was a fun mystery with some unusual twists which kept it from becoming “just another ghost story.”
Summary: When Kenny moves from sunny California to Providence, Rhode Island, he makes a discovery that he can’t share with his parents – his attic bedroom is haunted by the ghost of a murdered slave named Caleb. Caleb wants Kenny to go back in time and find out who murdered him.
As he tries to solve the mystery of Caleb’s death, Kenny finds himself caught up in the fight between abolitionists and slavers. If he makes the wrong choice, he may end up trapped in the past forever. Can Kenny solve the mystery and make it home to his own time?
In keeping with the historical context and language of the time, some of the characters do use a racial slur – but it is not used just for fun, it actually is something the characters would have said without a second thought. Just be aware so that you can address this with your young readers.
Themes:
Freedom
Justice
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 4 and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: Use of racial slurs (in historical context)
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild
Monday, May 31, 2010
The River Between Us
Author: Richard Peck Summary: Unlike Peck’s other books, such as A Year Down Yonder and The Teacher’s Funeral, this novel is serious in tone. It switches between two time periods, 1916 and 1861. The time switch occurs suddenly without any explanation until the end of the story, which could prove confusing for some. It is rare for a young adult or children's novel to be written as a "framed tale," but this one does so with little awkwardness.
The main story line is about a young girl named Tilly living in Illinois at the beginning of the Civil War. Her family’s routine is changed when they take in two strangers who arrive from the south by steamboat; Delphine and Calinda. Tilly learns about family, prejudice, and standing up for herself through her experiences with these newcomers.
The secondary story line, in which a young boy learns the truth about his family and his heritage, is what encases Tilly's story. It seems almost unneccesary until Peck wraps it all together at the end, making the two stories into one lesson about acceptance and pride in yourself and your family.
This novel tells about an aspect of the Civil War history that most young readers will know little about – the free blacks who lived in New Orleans and how the threat of the war and the changes it could bring affected them. It also gives insight into the fear of being “found out” in the case of those whose skin was light enough to “pass” as white.
Themes:
Prejudice
Family
Pride in yourself
Age Appropriateness:
Grades five and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence, etc.: mild depictions of the aftermath of battles and illness
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Lacemaker and the Princess
Author: Kimberly Brubaker BradleySummary: Young Isabelle is a lacemaker, like her mother and grandmother. In the months before the French Revolution, Isabelle's family is struggling financially. Isabelle is sent to the Palace of Versailles to deliver some lace, where she is nearly trampled by a crowd. The queen, Marie Antoinette, saves her and makes Isabelle her daughter's new companion. Isabelle becomes a friend to the princess, all the while hearing the rising anger against the king and queen. This novel is a well-written piece of historical fiction that makes the characters seem human and tells about the events of the French Revoltion in a way that makes them real to the reader. Isabelle is a character that readers can relate to; a young girl who is caught between her family and her friend.
Themes:
Loyalty
Equality
Poverty
Age Appropriateness:
Grades three and up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: very, very mild
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