Historically Speaking

We are just days away from a bright new year! At this time I always look over the list of books I have read --Which were my favorites? How does the overall list look? I'm happy with my choices for 2007, although there are many still stacked in my office that I have not finished or even started that will have to go on next year's list. In 2007 I read two books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and I loved them both! I also read a bunch to review for the Historical Novel Society . I enjoyed those books, especially World's Afire by Paul Janeczko. Those review books offer me a chance to read books I might not pick up otherwise. A couple of other historical fiction books that rose to the top of the 2007 list: The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov and Hush by Donna Jo Napoli. Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife and Abundance said in an interview that "fiction can make history seem more alive and thus more kin to life as we know...

Jeannine Atkins is the author of several historical fiction books and biographies for young people, including Aani and the Treehuggers , Becoming Little Women , and Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon . Here Jeannine talks about her latest title, Anne Hutchinson's Way . I'm not sure if we choose our stories or if they choose us. What was the case with Anne Hutchinson's Way ? My heart seems to beat a bit harder when I hear of someone who does something great and never got quite enough attention for that feat, or was too much forgotten. While Anne Hutchinson’s name appears in many American history textbooks, I wanted to give her a book of her own which could bring out more aspects of her uncommon courage. What were the challenges in bringing Anne's story to life for children? Picture books, even those aimed at readers age six and up, don’t often deal with the finer points of Puritan theology or colonial laws! I tried to simplify these issues and still give them respect. How w...

I had a great day in Salem, MA on Saturday. Ever since I visited Salem one October with my Girl Scouts a few years ago it has become a tradition to visit around Halloween. This year my family stayed for an evening presentation of the Spirits of the House of Seven Gables . It was terrific. Wonderful costumed actors performed bits and pieces from the House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne throughout the house. The town itself was spirited! What a mix of history and hoax! Celebration and scare! Here's a few historical fiction reads inspired by the Salem witch trials that are perfect for your nightstand these nights before Halloween. Witch Child - by Celia Rees The Sacrifice - by Kathleen Benner Duble Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky I Walk In Dread: The Diary of Deliverence Trembly, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials (A Dear America book) by Lisa Rowe Fraustino And for a little fact with all that great fiction read Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials by ...

Kashmira Sheth’s new title, Keeping Corner , is a powerful work of historical fiction about Leela, a child widow. It has already received praise and will be released in the coming days. I'm not sure if we choose our stories or if they choose us. What was the case with Keeping Corner? Keeping Corner chose me. The story is based on my great-aunt who was a child widow. I met her when I was nine and always wondered about her life. At that time I didn’t realize it, but that was when the story had chosen me. After all these years it still had a hold on me and I had to write it. What were the challenges in bringing this story to life? The most difficult part of the story was how to weave Leela’s story with the larger story of India’s awakening. The research was fun. My dad and mom told me most of the details of that time and I also read many fiction and nonfiction works written in Gujarati about that time. I went to India and visited Gandhiji’s ashram, bought many books written by him an...

I had a great time with Kathleen Ernst at the Historical Novel Society Conference where we sat together on a panel. I was so pleased she agreed to be interviewed. Her latest book is Hearts of Stone, set during the Civil War. The New York Public Library has selected it among their Books for the Teen Age list and it has received many other honors. I'm not sure if we choose our stories or if they choose us. What was the case with Hearts of Stone? Hmmn, a very interesting question! I think Hearts of Stone chose me. I'm never short of ideas; I have so many story ideas swirling in my head that I'll never have time to write them all. But somehow, certain stories wriggle up to the top of my subconscious, nudging until I take the time to write this particular story. Sometimes stories simmer for years before I feel compelled to write them. Other times it happens more quickly, and this was the case with Hearts of Stone . As soon as I started reading and thinking about homeless refug...

Yes, it's that time again - Banned Books Week. Although historical fiction titles do not appear often on the lists of banned and challenged books, they do pop up. Here's a few to consider reading, if you haven't already. My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (Newberry Honor Book) The Color Purple by Alice Walker(Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National book Award) Beloved by Toni Morrison (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Newberry Medal) Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene (National Book Award finalist)

Haym Salomon: American Patriot Susan Goldman Rubin, illustrated by David Slonim, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007, hb, 978-0810910874 , 40 pp, ages 4-8. Susan Goldman Rubin does it again. The author of favorites, The Cat With The Yellow Star , and Fireflies in the Dark , among other notable titles, has continued to bring fascinating people to life for children. Her focus on little known Jewish subjects led her to the tale of Haym Saloman, a Jewish immigrant who was a member of the legendary Sons of Liberty and was given the honorary title of the “Financier of the American Revolution”. Rubin’s well-written picture book narrative is the perfect addition to an elementary school unit on the American Revolution. Following the story Rubin provides a detailed author’s note and a glossary, which further the book’s classroom appeal (review originally published by Historical Novel Society)

I had a chance to chat with the award winning illustrator/author Emily Arnold McCully after my "Writing History" panel at the Spencertown Academy Festival of Books last weekend. I was excited to learn about Emily's new title, historical fiction picture book The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom . I'm not sure if we choose our stories or if they choose us. You have authored and illustrated so many titles, what was the case for your latest, The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom ? Certainly a certain kind of protagonist, preferably female appeals to me. Oney Judge's story is one of coming to consciousness and taking bold action. There is inherent suspense and a satisfying conclusion in that she was proud ever after of what she had achieved, difficult as it was to sustain. I was also very interested in the way Oney’s daring sheds light on the Washingtons. I had no desire to condemn them - Martha's di...

Had a wonderful time in Blackwood and Brouwer Booksellers today and found some great teen historicals to add to my TO READ list. The Red Thread by Roderick Townley : Crime drama played out over three lifetimes? Interesting. The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman: How did I miss this one last year? I've read all of Karen's other terrific titles. The Loud Silence is set in 1949-1950 at All Saints School in Los Angeles. Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper: Set in 1666 against the backdrop of London's Great Fire, Petals in the Ashes is the sequel to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum . Looks great. Hmm, should I read Sugared Plum first? Fire From the Rock by Sharon Draper: Just released novel set in 1957 tells the story of Sylvia Patterson who is asked to be one of the first black students at Central High.

Kirby Larson’s Hattie Big Sky , set in 1918, tells the story of 16-year old homesteader Hattie Brooks. From starred reviews in Booklist and School Library Journal to a 2007 Newberry Honor, it is clear this book is worth the read, but the true test is with the readers themselves, and Hattie delivers. As evidenced by the weeks on the NY Times Bestseller list and the numerous reader reviews on book sites, readers can relate to Larson's Hattie! I'm not sure if we choose our stories or if they choose us. What was the case with Hattie Big Sky? I laughed when I read this question -- oh, Hattie definitely chose me! I would never have dreamed of attempting to write an historical novel. What were the challenges in bringing this personal story to life? Just to clarify, there is very little of my great-grandmother's story that I know. I do know that she homesteaded in eastern Montana, arriving in 1914 and leaving in 1919, I know that she "proved up," and I know where her cla...

Inspired by the movies Becoming Jane and Miss Potter , here's a book that also reimagines the life of a luminous literary figure. AngelMonster by Veronica Bennett, Candlewick, 2006 - Here's the review I wrote for Historical Novel Society . Veronica Bennett’s vivid portrayal of Mary Shelley in AngelMonster guides readers through the inspiration that led to her masterpiece novel, Frankenstein. It is a rare treat to see the culmination of circumstances that become the impetus for an author’s work. Angelmonster does just that. It gives us the voyeuristic pleasure of divulging the life of author Mary Shelley. The child of free-thinkers and surrounded by death and guilt, Mary creates a life for herself with the poet, Percy Shelley causing her family much scandal. She proceeds to turn these events into her own creation, the novel Frankenstein, a novel about creating life from death. Bennett does a wonderful job of interweaving the period and historical facts of Shelley’s...

(first published in Historical Novels Review, Feb. 2007) It’s a skillful author who can take a snippet of a tale and craft it into something wonderful that flows as smooth as a wide, old river yet twists and turns like a wild mountain stream. Donna Jo Napoli does just that. She writes for all ages, from picture books through young adult books and in a variety of genres, covering contemporary, fantasy, and historical fiction. Many of Donna Jo Napoli’s books for older readers are retellings of fairytales with strong historical, and sometimes uncomfortable, settings. Even though these tales are written for teens, they have a strong adult following. Like most authors, Donna Jo Napoli’s path to becoming a writer was not a straight line. She grew up in a family that was not education oriented and she dreamed of being a mother, not a writer. She entered Harvard University on a scholarship and decided on a math major. While taking Italian senior year, her teacher suggested she study ...

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