Historically Speaking

I went to see the new Broadway musical of A Tale of Two Cities yesterday and was blown away! What a magnificent performance. James Barbour as Sydney Carton was superb and brought me to tears more than once with his portrayl of one of my favorite Dickens characters. I know it will be a huge hit and I look forward to seeing them win lots of Tonys! (I had to run out and purchase another copy of the book so that I could reread it!)

I had such a wonderful time at the MidHudson SCBWI Conference the first weekend in June. One of my all time favorite authors and poets - Newberry Medalist Nancy Willard - was the keynote speaker. I wrote Nancy a fan letter, something I DO NOT do, many years ago - I still have her reply. Imagine my surprise and joy when I brought her book, Telling Time , to have autographed and found my book, Pizza for the Queen , on her table. Here's the photo of us after she autographed her book and I autographed mine! I later bought two of her other titles - Cinderella's Dress , illustrated by the wonderful Jane Dyer, and a book of poetry - In the Salt Marsh and had her autograph those .......and guess what - she had another copy of Pizza for me to sign!

Elizabeth Winthrop is the author of more than 50 works of fiction for young people. Counting On Grace , her recent historical fiction middle reader, has garnered much priase. It is an ALA Notable Book , a Jane Addams Peace Prize Honor Book, and a Junior Library Guild Selection. 1. I'm not sure if we choose our stories or if they choose us. What was the case with Counting on Grace? Grace chose me. Absolutely. I was at an exhibit of Lewis Hine child labor photographs in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont and I saw this little girl leaning on a huge spinning frame in a mill. She's beautiful, but her eyes are wide and wary. She'd seen more of life than she should have at the age of 10. She was staring directly at me and she might as well have spoken out loud so clear was her voice in my ear. She said tell my story. 2. What were the challenges in bringing this story to printed page? A spinning frame is an incredibly complicated machine to try to explain to someone, chi...

I've added two books to my To Read stack on my desk; Linda Sue Park's latest release Keeping Score. I am really looking forward to reading this one. I've known Linda Sue since before her first book was released. This one tells the story of a young girl named Maggie, baseball, and her friend serving in the army in Korea. Perhaps I'll be able to get Linda Sue here for an interview. The other book is also by a wonderful writer I've had the great pleasure to meet - Elizabeth Winthrop. The book is titled Counting on Grace . It's about 12 year-old Grace and her best friend Arthur, who have to leave school to work in the mills. Photographer and reformer Lewis Hine comes to the mill to photograph kids next to the enormous spinning frames. Elizabeth - up for an interview? Can't wait to read both of these. What's on your shelf?

In The Shadow of the Ark Anne Provoost, translated by John Nieuwenhuien, Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2004, 16.95, hb, 368pp, 0-439-44234-6, YA Flemish author, Anne Provoost’s In The Shadow of the Ark , grips the reader with vivid scenes, well-developed characters, and beautiful language. She tells the story of Noah and his ark through the eyes of a young woman named Re Jana. Re Jana’s family have fled the marshes where they lived for years among skilled shipbuilders and fishermen to find work in the desert among the Rrattika people who are “wanderers”. Re Jana’s father, a shipbuilder, finds work with Noah, a wanderer, who is constructing a massive ship, the ark. Re Jana offers her skills to find “good water” and ultimately wins the love of Ham, the Builder’s son. Unfortunately, Ham has selected another girl to be his wife, but he cannot give up Re Jana. When Re Jana learns from Ham the true purpose of the ark she not only fears for her life and that o...

Please pardon my long absence - lots of work, flu, then pneumonia. It's March - Women's History Month! Here's some books to look at this month: When Esther Morris Headed West: Women Wyoming and the Right To Vote by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge (picture book) From Rags To Riches: A History of Girls Clothing in America by Leslie Sills (ages 10 and up) In Real Life: Six women Photographers by Leslie Sills (ages 10 and up) Women Who Dared by Valjean McLenighan (grades 4-8) Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women by Cheryl Harness (ages 8 and up) Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan (picture book) Check out biographies of these famous women: Authors: Mary Shelley, Jane Austin, Emily Bronte, Harper Lee, Pearl S. Buck, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolfe, Beatrix Potter, Lucy Maude Montgomery Artists: Frida Kahlo, Grandma Moses, Diane Arbus, Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keeffe Activists: Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Abigail Adams, Dorothea Dix, Elizabeth Cad...

I am thrilled to see two wonderful works of historical fiction take home the top awards today --- " Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village ," written by Laura Amy Schlitz, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Candlewick and edited by the wonderful Mary Lee Donovan. " The Invention of Hugo Cabret ," illustrated by Brian Selznick, is the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner. The book is published by Scholastic. Congratulations Laura and Brian! There are many other fine books on the award lists, including many other hsitorical fiction reads. Check them out!