Monthly Archives: July 2012
Children’s Literary Tour of England
If you watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics, you may have noticed a lot of familiar faces–from Lord Voldemort to Mary Poppins; from Peter Pan to Cruella DeVille. England rightfully celebrates its history of great contributions to children’s literature. I’ve always … Continue reading
Filed under Jewell's Projects, Other, Questions for You
What Makes Us Free Within Ourselves?
Langston’s Train Ride I admire historical fiction’s ability to distill great events into something we can hold in our hands. And yet, despite the size of the book, our hearts expand when we read history. It’s quite paradoxical! The large … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Dear America Series Update
Recently, I began reading the Dear America series. I started with Standing in the Light, by Mary Pope Osborne, of the famous Babysitter’s Club series! The book was fascinating. Written in diary form, it falls under the genre of the … Continue reading
Filed under Authors, Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Middle-Grade Novels, Questions for You, YA
Historical Fiction Interview and a Giveaway!
The wonderful blog, From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors, has posted an interview with Clara Gillow Clark. The blog also features a giveaway of signed copies of several books, including Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. Check … Continue reading
Dear America and Women (Back) in the Future!
Dear America: A series worth its salt In a previous post, I mentioned a Dear America book as one of my top-ten choices for best books about the American Revolution. I’m often leary of children’s books series that have a … Continue reading
Definitions of Historical Fiction Part 3: Sadako’s Paper Cranes
David Beagley’s Definition of Historical Fiction Recently, I discovered a wonderful podcast recording of two courses taught by David Beagley at La Trobe University in Australia. The podacast is presented by ITunes U, a wonderful facility that allows professors to record their … Continue reading
(Yesterday) in History: Historical Fiction on the 4th of July
Top-ten books about the American Revolution Kids love fireworks. Kids love flags. Kids love reading books about the American Revolution. Without further ado: 1. Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes A quintessential work of children’s historical fiction. The story of young … Continue reading
Filed under Authors, Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Middle-Grade Novels, Questions for You, YA
Writing Historical Fiction, Part 2
I wanted to share a little more about my writing process. Rita summarized it beautifully in her comment: For me, historical fiction takes place when things “simmering in the file drawer meet the fire of reading.” I love that! Things … Continue reading
