historical fiction

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

| Tasha

grave mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Hated by her father since the day she was born, Ismae had survived her parents’ attempt at abortion and was left permanently scarred.  Sold into the brutality of an arranged marriage, she manages to escape into the hands of the convent of St. Mortain.  There she is offered the chance to become what she has always wanted to be: a woman with choices and power.  In the case of Mortain, it is the power to kill.  Ismae discovers that she is tolerant of poisons, allowing her to work closely with them and learn all of their secrets.  She is sent to the court of Brittany to do the work of Mortain, killing those she is instructed to and reporting her political findings back to the convent.  She must pose as the mistress of Duval, bastard son of the dead Duke.  Ismae quickly becomes embroiled in the politics and betrayals of the court: the many men vying for the promised hand of the young Duchess, and the French pressuring for capitulation or war.  And of course, there is also a romance blooming.  This adventure in 15th century Brittany will be sure to please historical fiction and fantasy fans alike.

First, I have to take a moment to mention this cover.  Even better, it is a cover that is not only beautiful but wonderfully in sync with the storyline.  This is Ismae, an incredibly strong and vibrant heroine.  She has little interest in the more womanly pursuit of needlecraft and even less in flirtation.  Instead she turns into a disturbingly eager assassin, ready to dole out damage where required.  That is until things are not quite so clear as she had thought.  Then the book turns and becomes deeper and even more magnetic.  LaFevers allows her young heroine to guide this book, telling her own strange, amazing story.

The characterizations here are compelling and original.  The setting is just as much so.  And the setting here is a large part of the storyline itself.  The high court of Brittany is a place of dangers and yet wonders.  The political pressures add organically to the dynamic storyline.  The use of the old gods and ancient religion as a backbone to the story also works very well.  It adds yet another dimension to the story, creating great depth.

Highly recommended, this book is a luminous gem of a book.  Get this into the hands of older teens who will wait breathlessly for the next in the His Fair Assassin series.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning

| Tasha

laundry day

Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning

A young boy tries to sell shoe shines on the streets of New York City in a time before cars, when the streets are crowded with horses and carts.  Suddenly, a red cloth drifts down from above.  The boy looks up to see rows and rows of laundry drying above the street, so he starts to climb with the red cloth around his neck and his small cat following behind.  As he searches for the owner, he meets people from all over the world.  There is the Chinese woman who offers him a mooncake after he helps fold some laundry.  A Ukranian woman with a wailing baby suggests he check with the Italian organ grinder who lives above her.  A family of Polish little girls try to get him involved in their games.  When he finally finds the owner, he has traveled the world in just a few buildings, sharing in treats, hearing a few words of their language.  His high-wire antics add a little spice to the story and a wonderful play off of old films.  This is an old-fashioned treat of a picture book.

Manning adroitly wraps international content in a comfortable package.  The various cultures shown in tiny tastes here are done with a gentle hand and an eye to history.  There is a feeling of merriment throughout this book, with never a fear that the boy will injure himself or that he will find anyone unkind on his adventures.  

The illustrations too have a playful vintage quality about them.  There is a freshness mixed with a timeless feel.  The freshness comes from the cartoonish lines of the art and the comic-like panels used on some pages.  It’s an inventive mix of modern and timeless.

This picture book mixes vintage and new, international and American into one wonderful diverse story.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Ellen’s Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons

| Tasha

Ellens Broom

Ellen’s Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Daniel Minter

After slavery ended, Ellen’s parents’ marriage would finally be recognized by law.  Until then, no slave marriages were seen as legal.  The broom had always hung over the fireplace mantel in their home and all of the children knew the story of their parents jumping the broom and becoming man and wife.  When the family set off to make the marriage legal, all four children came along and Ellen was honored to carry the broom.  As their parents were about to be married, Ellen and her sister ran outside and decorated the plain straw broom with flowers and her mother carried the broom as a bouquet.  When her parents were married, Ellen knew that the ceremony wasn’t complete until they had once again jumped the broom together as a couple. 

This lovely picture book looks at Reconstruction, a period not often featured in picture books.  The depiction of a loving family who have survived slavery and are rejoicing in their new rights and freedoms is the center of the book.  Lyons does not shy away from showing the lingering shadows and effects of slavery, though they are shown more as memories and concerns, making them appropriate for the young audience.

Minter’s illustrations have such a delicate line that at first they do not seem to be block prints, but they are.  The bright colors and play of light and shadow make for a vivid read.  The wood grain of the walls alone are a masterpiece of line and color.

This picture book embraces family, tradition and looks to the future.  It is a gorgeous book that addresses a time in history that is often overlooked for young readers.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Review: May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

| Tasha

may b

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

May has grown up living out on her family’s homestead on the Kansas prairie.   When money gets tight, she is sent to become live-in help for other homesteaders, but just until Christmas.  May finds herself in a small sod house fifteen miles away from her own.  The young wife, who is almost May’s age, is unhappy on the prairie and runs away.  The husband heads after her and neither return.  May is left alone on the prairie where at first the days are lovely, sunny and warm and she enjoys the freedom.  Then winter comes, and May is alone on the prairie with a dwindling food supply, just a little wood for heat, and only the prairie itself for company.  This book written in verse is a look at the dangers, hardship and courage of homesteading.

Rose has written a book that pays homage to the Little House on the Prairie books and reads a lot like The Long Winter.  At the same time, it also has a stark reality about it that makes it gripping.  The format of a verse novel works particularly well here as most of the story is May’s reaction to her situation.  What could have been lengthy treatises on loneliness instead are verses that speak to the harrowing nature of abandonment. 

The book also deals with May’s dyslexia which makes her almost unable to read.  She had one teacher, shown in flashbacks, who treated her with respect and worked with her.  But after that, another teacher arrived who used shame to try to get May to learn to read.  It is the story of an obviously bright and very resourceful girl with dyslexia.  Her struggles to read strike a delicate balance in the book, showing an inner battle that plays against the external forces at work.

A taut, frightening novel of solitary confinement set in wide-open spaces, this book would work well with reluctant readers or as a classroom read.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade Books.

Review: The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

| Tasha

lions of little rock

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

Little Rock in 1958 was a divided city at the forefront of the integration battles.  Marlee finds herself at the crossroads of that battle when the high schools in Little Rock are closed and her sister is sent away to go to school in another town.  Marlee is a quiet person, often unable to speak up even when she would most like to.  When she meets Liz, a new girl in her class, the two girls become fast friends with Liz helping Marlee find her voice.  The two girls work together on an oral project but before they can present it, Liz is discovered to be passing as a white girl to go to school there.   Marlee has to find a way to continue being friends with the best friend she has ever had, despite the dangers.  Otherwise she’s lost another person that she can actually talk to.  She has to find her voice and learn how to use it to make a difference.

Levine’s setting is one later than most books about Little Rock.  This book takes place a year after the Little Rock Nine enrolled at Little Rock Central High School.  It explores the effect of their courage on the community and also the way that the problems were not solved in that year alone.  The passions on both sides of of the segregation debate are shown clearly, as is the toll that it took on the Little Rock community.  The most important piece of the book is the courage of the ordinary citizen in taking on larger forces and winning for the good of everyone.  These are lessons that are vital for our children to learn.

The title of the book refers to the lions in the Little Rock Zoo.  Marlee lives close enough to the zoo to hear the lions roaring at night before she goes to bed.  The zoo is also the place that she sometimes meets with Liz.  This gives the book a strong level of symbolism that will give young readers something to relate to and discuss as the book progresses.

The character of Marlee is especially well drawn.  She is shy, nearly silent, and underneath that is brave, a good friend, and passionate.  She has trouble communicating with her own mother, rarely speaking, and yet she is inspiring and has a large impact on her mother and others.  There is a strength to her character that is more subtle than most, but also more steely.  She’s an incredible heroine and one that will inspire young readers.  The other characters are equally well done.  Liz, the best friend, is complex and interesting, battling her own problems with being too out-spoken.  Marlee’s parents are both teachers, watching their livelihood and professions being slowly destroyed in Little Rock. 

This powerful book is ideal for using in classrooms talking about civil rights and segregation.  It’s a book that will read aloud well and has plenty of action to keep listeners riveted.  An impressive and memorable book that should be in every public and school library.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

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Review: The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

| Tasha

mighty miss malone

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

Deza loves school, loves to read, and dreams of being a writer.  However, the Great Depression is raging in Gary, Indiana and her father has been unable to find work for some time.  Deza finds solace in her best friend and in her teacher, who has offered to tutor them both when school starts again.  When her father is almost killed in a boating accident, he doesn’t return as the same funny, smart man.  Instead he is withdrawn and almost silent, deciding soon after recovering to head up to Michigan to try to find work.  Deza’s mother refuses to let the family be separated and takes Deza and her brother on the road to follow him.  Unfortunately, the journey to becoming a complete family again is not that easy, taking them on a long road that will challenge them all.

Curtis’ writing is marvelous.  He renders the Great Depression with great detail, giving modern readers a way to not only understand the past but tie it directly to our present.  He also shows us the depth of poverty in the Depression, offering a view not only of the shanty town but of the kindness that could be found there too.  Nothing is simple in this book, the setting and time is complicated and the characters are complex.

Deza herself is a stellar protagonist, who loses much but keeps on moving and caring deeply.  She is luminous in the book, made fascinating by the small touches.  Her life is filled with challenges, including her rotting teeth, but they make her stronger and become coping mechanisms that make her all the more memorable. 

The depiction of this African American family that falls on hard times is one of deep caring, expansive love, and incredible strength.  While her father may leave to find a job, readers will know that his reasons for doing so are complicated and very human.  One feels the same thing for all of the characters in the book, no matter how minor.  They all seem to be carrying their own stories with them, even if they are just in a few pages.  This is a world populated with human beings with pasts and futures. 

This book cut right into my heart and lived there as I read it.  When I finished it, I wept because of the power, the people, and the story.  This is a wrenchingly honest, beautifully written, and noteworthy novel that I simply adored.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House Children’s Books.

Review: Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl

| Tasha

promise the night

Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl

Beryl Markham was the first person to fly solo from England to North America.  She also had a remarkable childhood, growing up in British East Africa.  Here the story of her childhood is interwoven with her perilous journey across the ocean to set the record.  Her younger years reveal the birth of her independent, rebellious spirit.  She could ride the fieriest stallion on her father’s horse farm in Africa, match wits with the boys of the local tribe, unsettle the most stern governess, and even survive attacks by lions.  This is a book about a girl who refused to become a lady and instead became a heroine.

MacColl’s work of historical fiction reads as such an adventure story, that readers will spend the entire book wondering what is true.  Happily after reading the author’s note at the end, all of the best parts of the story are real.  The astounding parts of the story are true!  The book is a result of detailed historical research and reveals much about this celebrated pilot who set her own pace. 

Beryl is a wonderful protagonist.  She could have been portrayed as a very harsh young girl, but instead we see her doubts, her resolve, and finally her ability to overcome any adversity.  It is a story of bravery but also one with lots of heart.  MacColl’s writing never gets in the way of the story she is telling.  Instead she writes evocatively of the African setting and this amazing girl.

If you are looking for an inspiring real-life heroine for children, look no further.  But best of all, it’s a rip-roaring tale too.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

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Review: The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough

| Tasha

cats in the doll shop

The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Heather Maione

I was a big fan of The Doll Shop Downstairs when it came out in 2009.  Here in the sequel, Anna is two years older at  age 11.  She and her family still live above the doll shop, but their work has changed from that of a doll hospital to building their own dolls.  Anna finds a pregnant cat behind their house and wants to adopt it, but her father insists that they do not need a cat inside.   So Anna and her sisters give the cat food.  Anna is also looking forward to the arrival of her cousin from Russia, who is coming to live with them.  Anna wants to be best friends with her cousin, but Tania arrives and is very shy and has odd traits.  Anna has to figure out how to invite not only a new cousin into her family but maybe some cats too.

Once again, McDonough has captured the lives of a Jewish family at the turn of the century with great detail that brings the time period to life.  It is also a captivating picture of a loving family with three sisters who do not get along all the time.  The writing is simple and honest, creating a world of safety but also exploring more serious issues too.

In both lines of the story, the issue of acceptance and finding one’s place is a focus.  There are the cats who are wild outdoors, cold and even injured.  That parallels very clearly with the storyline of Tania, the cousin from Russia, who is also an outsider, stand-offish and needs nurturing to blossom. 

A great pick for any fan of the first book, these are books that read like classics.  Appropriate for ages 7-10, this book is also gentle enough to work for advanced younger readers looking for appropriate books to read. 

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

Review: The Money We’ll Save by Brock Cole

| Tasha

money well save

The Money We’ll Save by Brock Cole

When Ma is forced to send Pa to the store for eggs and flour, she warns him to just buy those two items.  But Pa is talked into purchasing a turkey poult at the market because of the money he’ll save.  They plan on having the turkey for Christmas dinner after feeding it on scraps and letting it live in a box by the stove.  But their nineteenth century apartment was definitely not designed to raise poultry.  Alfred, the turkey, grew and grew and soon started to eat much more than table scraps.  The family started to get creative with where they could house Alfred but there wasn’t much they could do with the limited space.  As Christmas neared, the mess and stink of a turkey was getting to be too much.  Though he may be messy, the children started to love Alfred.  What happened when Alfred became more of a pet than a meal?

The setting here is brilliantly done.  The depiction of the tenement building, the attitudes of the hard-working family, and the frugality of their family life all are vividly depicted.  The 19th century time period works well for a Christmas story, one that focuses more on family than on expense and presents.  This is an old-fashioned Christmas tale with lots of heart and character.

Cole’s art also captures the day-to-day life of this family.  The clothes and home immediately let readers know that they are not reading about today.  The illustrations are a jumble of family life, turkey mess, and a small space packed with furniture.  The illustrations have a real heart to them, filled with familial love and busyness.

Highly recommended, this book is a great one to add to Christmas traditions.  It is sure to have smiles beaming from all ages and will inspire the sharing of your family’s holiday memories.  Add this one to Christmas story times too as a break from Santa Claus and presents.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.