It’s just about the midpoint in summertime school vacations. When hot weather and long days get a bit much, a nice stack of fizzy new reads is just the ticket for cooling down and filling imaginations with something new to …
Tag: historical fiction
five full of beauty and history…it’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
Today in Minneapolis, as well as in about 12 other states and numerous cities, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It’s a meaningful opportunity to recognize the amazing cultures and hundreds of sovereign nations that preceded Europeans in North America, the …
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an elephant race in Scotland
Adventure, subterfuge, arson, exotic creatures! All on tap today… Elephant Thief, by Jane Kerr first published in the UK in 2017; first US edition 2018 by Scholastic 308 pages With elements ranging from a Fagin-esque band of child thieves to …
A Bandit’s Tale: a chat with an author + a giveaway!
Today, I’m pleased to welcome Deborah Hopkinson to Orange Marmalade. Deborah is the award-winning author of dozens of superb nonfiction and historical fiction books for children. Her newest novel, A Bandit’s Tale: The Muddled Misadventures of a Pickpocket, was released last …
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a Pinkerton detective and Chief Crazy Horse: distinctive historical fiction
I love a good piece of historical fiction, especially when it’s covering new ground. These two books do an exceptional job of bringing us face-to-face with a couple of important individuals and whetting our appetites for further investigations of them …
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truth, freedom, change…three history titles for all of us
February is long gone, but does this mean we don’t read black history titles? No, it does not. March is Women’s History Month. And what do you know — there’s a sweet overlapping of these emphases… … in these three …
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fiction favorites…Odette’s Secrets
I’ve posted several World War II fiction titles recently — just what’s happened to cross my plate lately. That war, particularly the Holocaust, continues to inspire so much children’s literature. This novel is based on a true story… Odette’s Secrets, …
two warmheated novels coming to you from alaska and sweden
Happy stories with loving relationships, but nary a saccharine note. Real, honest, children’s viewpoints. Young girls who, like Billy Miller (which won a Newbery Honor — did you see?!?! So thrilled about that) are good, and like being good, yet …
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fiction favorites…The Great Trouble
The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, by Deborah Hopkinson published in 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf “It’s like breathin’ soup,” Abel Cooper complained, same as he had every morning for a …
fiction favorites…Africa is My Home
Africa is My Home: A Child of the Amistad, by Monica Edinger, illustrated by Robert Byrd published in 2013 by Candlewick Press I was born in Mendeland, West Africa, one of the greenest places on earth. Every day my sisters …
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