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By: Melody,
on 11/24/2013
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Redeeming Qualities
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So, I think The Miz Maze might be the best collaborative novel I’ve read. The authors are:
Frances Awdry
Mary Bramston
Christabel Rose Coleridge
Mary Susanna Lee
A.E. Mary Anderson Morshead
Frances Mary Peard
Eleanor C. Price
Florence Wilford
Charlotte Mary Yonge
Nine authors is a lot, and I want to know more about them and about the dynamic between them. But all I’ve got is the obvious textual evidence that they weren’t as acrimonious as The Whole Family‘s lot. Beyond that, I’ve got nothing but a page of signatures, a few Wikipedia pages, and a random selection of facts about Charlotte Yonge. And that’s okay. It’s a pretty self-sufficient book, I think, and the authors seem to agree.
The information they do and don’t choose to give is so interesting. First, the authors’ names appear only as facsimile signatures, and they don’t specify who wrote what. Second, they provide a list of characters, and it’s crazy. See, for example, “Sir Walter Winkworth, Baronet of the Miz Maze, Stokeworthy, Wilts, age about 64, residing, when the book opens, at High Scale, a small property in Westmoreland, which was his in right of his second wife, Sophia Ratclyffe, recently deceased.”
I mean, all else aside, that’s a hell of a lot of commas.
On the scale of literary parlor game pretension, these women fall somewhere between the authors of The Affair at the Inn and William Dean “Control Freak” Howells, progenitor of The Whole Family. Instead of, “hey, let’s write a story,” or “hey, let’s be super deep together,” they’re saying, “hey, let’s write something realistic.” And, I mean, it’s still a sentimental novel, so a Venn diagram with circles labeled “People who don’t think Italians are entirely respectable” and “People whose relations married Italians” would encompass most of the characters, with significant overlap. But the governing principle seems to be the idea that everyone has a different point of view, and that people rarely understand each other. And…well, a) that is obviously my favorite thing, even more than secret insane wives and people falling in love with their spouses, and b) they are so amazingly committed to this principle that I can’t help but kind of love them, even when the story doesn’t do a whole lot for me.
Let me tell you, for example, about Algernon Bootle. Algernon Bootle is the son of the vicar and his busybody wife. Sir Walter Winkworth (of High Scale and Miz Maze) hires him to tutor his eldest son, Miles. Aunt Dora, Sir Walter’s sister, says she wouldn’t have thought any real person could sound so much like Mr. Collins. All the Winkworth kids kind of hate him. And yet Miles, writing to his twin, says “He isn’t such a bad fellow at bottom. I told him the other day that you would have been a more creditable pupil, and he became natural on the spot and said: ‘I wouldn’t have undertaken him for a thousand pounds.’”
I thought Algy was the one character who was only ever going to be the butt of jokes. But no, the authors of The Miz Maze are committed to everyone’s humanity, and it’s awesome. Which is not to say that Algy’s not still continually the butt of jokes. But he’s not just that.
I want to talk about Miles, too, but I don’t quite know what to say. He’s shy in that way that comes off as dullness, and Aunt Dora says, “Miles will be better looking by and by, when he has overcome the heaviness that clings about fine young men in the undeveloped stage.” He’s desperately in love with his sister Zoe’s best friend Emily, but she’s not interested. His more outgoing twin is in the Army, and also Canada, and it makes sense for Miles to be the steady, stay-at-home one. But when Aunt Dora tells him that he and his brother had their initials written on their feet as babies so their folks wouldn’t get them mixed up, he says, “I think it’s rather a pity they didn’t.” He’s sort of inarticulately, endearingly young.
And then, Aunt Dora. You may have already noticed that I can’t describe other characters without help from Aunt Dora. That’s because she’s the best. She’s one of Sir Walter’s two spinster sisters, and while the other one, Bessie, has a tragically dead fiancé in her past, Aunt Dora is happily single. She’s also kind and intelligent, funny, and a little bit intimidating to the younger women before they know her well. And she’s awesome at gently taking Sir Walter down a peg when he deserves it, in a very realistically sibling-like way.
The family relationships in this book are fantastic all around. Or, the Winkworth family ones are. Other families don’t get the same amount of attention. But there are plenty of Winkworths, and I can’t decide which I like best. There’s Sir Walter’s fraught relationships with his eldest children, and the way his obvious love for them doesn’t lessen the weight of his expectations. There’s Miles and Clyffe — short for Ratclyffe, which ouch — who have been the most symbiotic of twins, and now have to learn to be apart from each other. There’s Miles and Zoe, who are so much alike and so different, and confide in each other and bully each other in equal measure. And there’s Sir Walter and Aunt Dora, whose teasing, open affection was my first sign that the characters in this book were going to closely resemble real people. I think this is what William Dean Howells wanted for The Whole Family, and that The Miz Maze happened 15 years earlier makes me feel even better about Howells’ book being a hilarious train wreck instead.
It gets a little worse toward the end, as books often do. There was a point at which I felt like everything had been wrapped up to my satisfaction, but the romances had yet to be resolved, so the book had to keep going, and I just didn’t care as much anymore. Also there was a while there where I thought Algy was going to be converted to Catholicism, and it would have been so funny, and I wish he hadn’t been rescued. Still, I kind of love The Miz Maze, and its authors, who clearly made an effort to agree instead of undermining each other. I think it’s because they were all women.
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By:
Jen Robinson,
on 10/4/2013
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Book: Untold (The Lynburn Legacy, Book 2)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan (@SarahReesBrenna)
Pages: 384
Age Range: 12 and up
Untold is the second book in Sarah Rees Brennan's The Lynburn Legacy series, after last year's Unspoken (my review). It's a sequel that I was looking forward to. I started reading it pretty much as soon as it arrived. Untold picks up shortly after the events of Unspoken, and includes just enough backstory to re-orient the reader into the world of the Lynburns and the small English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale.
Untold is Gothic in tone from start to finish, with a heavy, brooding atmosphere cast over most of the book. Untold is a bit darker than Unspoken, reminding me, in terms of bleakness, of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. But what keeps it from being too dark is the strength of the bonds (and the degree of banter) between heroine Kami Glass and her friends.
Like this (in a news story that Kami writes for her school paper):
""What on earth is happening?" asked a witness to these events (Rusty Montgomery, age 20, who insisted on not remaining anonymous and also wished this paper to record the fact that he is single)."
Kami is an excellent heroine. She's stubborn and determined, tireless in her efforts. She's small and fiery, with a part-Japanese heritage that makes her just the tiniest bit exotic. She glares at her best friend when tricked into discussing feelings. She has a gift for brining people together.
Kami doesn't know what to make of her relationship with Jared Lynburn, with whom she had a constant mental connection for most of her life, a connection now severed. I found the relationship dynamics between Kami and Jared to be realistic (as much as possible, given the unusual nature of their bond), and I was pulling for them.
I also quite like Kami's relationship with her contentious best friend, Angela, who Kami has only recently learned is gay. I found the scenes between Kami and Angela regarding Angela's coming out realistic, too, and not overdone.
Well done as all of the relationship aspects of Untold are, it's the Gothic tone that really stands out. You know what you're in for when the very first chapter features a scene in which scarecrows come to life, and not in a good way. Like this:
"Kami looked and saw that every garden on Shadowchurch Lane was stirring into life. The undertaker scarecrow in the Thompsons' garden was already off it's wooden frame and climbing the fence, its round pale face shining like a small horrible moon, coming through the darkness at them." (Page 11)
Untold is a worth sequel to Unspoken. It has three-dimensional characterization (with continuing character development from the first book), a strong sense of place, lyrical writing, and an intriguing plot. I can't wait for the final (I think) book in the trilogy. I do highly recommend Untold, but be sure to read Unspoken first.
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (@RandomHouseKids)
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.
Once the United States entered WWII, the inevitable was bound to happen - American G.I.s who were stationed in England before deploying to combat areas would meet, date and fall in love with English girls. And sometimes they got married.
Welcome to America, Champ! is the story of this very thing and what happens next, all told from the point of view of a young boy named Thomas.
Thomas begins his story in 1944, telling us about his mother marrying Jack Ricker, a US serviceman stationed in England. It is one of the few happy occasions during Thomas's experience of war. Before Jack, things were pretty sad for Thomas and his family, even though their village hadn't been bombed like other places in England. His mother friends all put together their rations to make a cake for the bride and groom and there is lots of dancing at the small reception, but Thomas has lots of questions for his new dad about some day living in America, which his dad is happy to answer. And he promises to teach Thomas how to play baseball with a stick once they are all together in the US.
But soon after Jack is sent off to war. And eventually Thomas has a new baby brother named Ronnie.
One day, the church bells start ringing all over England to announce that the war is finally over. But Jack is sent directly back to the states, with no time to visit his wife and sons. The family waits until the finally get a letter from the army - be ready to sail to America in two weeks.
 |
| Sailing to America |
Pretty soon, Thomas, Ronnie and their mom are on the Queen Mary, sailing across the Atlantic to a
a new life. Excited but apprehensive, Thomas reads the answers his dad had given him to all his questions over and over again to reassure himself that things will be work out. And he spends lots time exploring the ship with his new friend Lucy, who is going to America for the same reason as Thomas. Thomas and Lucy are both still rather homesick and anxious, but when they finally see the Statue of Liberty early one morning, Lucy's homesickness get the better of her and she begins to cry.
But maybe Thomas has just the thing to help Lucy with her fears and to help himself at the same time.
Welcome to America, Champ! is one of those very well written, well done picture books for older readers that are being published more and more lately. I think these are perfect classroom books and offer a way of introducing different historical events to kids in first, second and third grades without overwhelming them with facts and figures.
I personally found this book to be very interesting for two reasons: first, because my best friend's grandmother was a war bride from England and because my dad had also immigrated here from Wales. We both used love listening to their stories about leaving Britain and coming here. And
Welcome to America, Champ! is, after all, a story about immigrating to a new country and what that means to a child - getting to know a new dad, a new school, new friends, new way of life at the same time as leaving behind your old home, old friends, old school and your family. Thomas's apprehension about these issues makes this a perfect read aloud for any child who is about to or has just dealt with a an event that has changed their lives.
Doris Ettlinger's beautifully rendered realistic watercolor illustrations complement and support this heartwarming story throughout, giving us a real sense of not just of Thomas's life but also his feelings and emotions.
My second reason for finding
Welcome to America, Champ! is that I was fortunate enough to have sailed from Southampton to New York on the Queen Mary just before she was retired and I was old enough to remember it. The Queen Mary was a lovely old ship and being on her was like stepping back in time (or at least that is what my memory tells me).
 |
| Queen Mary entering New York harbor |
Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end of Welcome to America, Champ! for more information about war brides.
FYI: The Queen Mary, converted from a warship to a floating nursery, arrived in New York Harbor on February 10, 1946 with the first of the war brides and their children, all of whom were greeted by an army band playing Brahms' "Lullabye." On board were 1,666 brides and 688 children. What a day that must have been!
This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was purchased for my personal library.
On September 1, 1939, Operation Pied Piper commenced and thousands of children were evacuated from London to the English countryside to keep them safe from the war that was just beginning.
Among the evacuees to Little Weinwold is William Beech, 8, left in the care of Tom Oakley, a widower and a rather crusty loner. William is much to small for his age, frightened of everything and covered in black and blue bruises. Inside he duffel, Tom find a belt with a large buckle and instructions to use it on William whenever he sees fit. Appalled by what he sees that first day, Mr. Tom, as he tells William to call him, begins to soften towards the boy, taking him out and buying him some appropriate clothing and boots, feeding him well and doctoring the bruises.
As William's body heals, he comes out of his frightened shell and even develops a fondness for Mr. Tom's dog Sammy. But William has a bed-wetting problem that continues despite everything. Soon William meets Zach, another evacuee, and they become best friends. And other kids begin to join in on their fun. And it turns out that William is quite a talented artist, receiving some art supplies from Mr. Tom for his ninth birthday. Things go well until school starts.
It turns out that William cannot read, that in London his teachers ignored him and the other students taunted him. When all his friends to into their proper class, William is put in with the younger kids who are just beginning school. Mr. Tom begins to teach him to read and by the end of the term, William has conquered not just reading but his bed-wetting problem as well.
Life for William, Mr. Tom and Sammy the dog has evolved into a comfortable, happy companionship and Mr. Tom has even begun to participate in village activities again, something he hasn't done in forty years after the death of his wife and new baby son, also named William. But one day a letter arrives from William's mother, asking for her son to come home for a visit.
And it is with very heavy hearts that Mr. Tom and William say good-bye at the train. William is laden with all kinds of lovely, friendly gifts for his mother as he leave and promises to write to Mr. Tom as soon as he can. When weeks go by and not letter arrives, Mr. Tom and Sammy take the train to London to find out if things are going well for William, arriving just at the Blitz begins.
And yes, he does find him - locked in a closet, tied up to a pipe in it and holding a baby who turns out to be his illegitimate sister. Traumatized and blaming himself for the baby's death, William is taken to a hospital. Mr. Tom keeps watch and makes himself useful when people injured by the bombing are brought in. After a few days, however, he is told that William is going to be transferred to a home where he will be given psychiatric treatment.
Not agreeing that this is the best thing for William, Mr. Tom resorts to something desperate. Will the two ever make it back to Little Weinwold or is this the end of things for Mr. Tom and William?
Good Night, Mr. Tom is Michelle Magorian's first novel. It was written in 1981 and hasn't lost any of its appeal nor does it have a dated feeling. It is probably her most well-known work, particularly since it has been made into a television movie (ITV in the UK, Masterpiece Theater in the US, and with John Thaw, a favorite) and a play.
I have read
Good Night, Mr. Tom a few times and never get tired of it. The writing is elegant, and Magorian has great talent in fleshing out her characters so that they are believable and well-developed. And the same can be said for her settings, actually.
Magorian also has a way of presenting difficult issues without getting too graphic or going overboard. In this novel alone, there are issues of abuse, bullying, anti-Semitism, skewed religious beliefs, the death of children and suicide. These are dreadful things, and yet not presented in such a way that they will disturb young readers, but enough is said to make this book appeal to an adult reader as well. And in the end, it is a novel of healing, hope, love and trust, and these are the issues that predominate, even without a really pat ending.
If you haven't read
Good Night, Mr. Tom, be warned - it is a tearjerker, but oh, so worth it. But there is much in the story that will make you chuckle, especially William's very outgoing friend Zack, whom I haven't mentioned much even though he is a good part of the book and who makes me smile just thinking about him.
This old favorite is worthy of a first read if you haven't already read it, or worthy of another read if you have read it before.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was purchased for my personal library
Recommended for ages 7-12.
Winston Churchill was known during his lifetime as the British Bulldog, due to his famous tenacity. In addition to being a great statesman, writer, and orator, Churchill was an animal lover, but it was not bulldogs who lived alongside the famous man, but miniature poodles.
This new picture book by debut author/illustrator
Kathryn Selbert tells the story of the British home front by highlighting Churchill's relationship with his poodle, Rufus. The author opens with the following:
"Rufus's best friend, Winston Churchill, is a busy man, but most days Rufus and Winston share a walk."
It's 1940, and Winston is managing a nation at war. Through the eyes of Rufus, Churchill's faithful brown miniature poodle, we see Churchill at work, visiting his secret underground bunker, the room from which he directs the war, going to the House of Commons, walking through streets filled with rubble from buildings destroyed by Nazi bombers. Rufus is not always invited along however; when Winston meets with his allies, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, to plan D-Day, Rufus sits by the door, patiently guarding the bunker. Rufus is once again by Churchill's side as the war ends, barking and howling with happiness. In the end, Rufus and Winston retire to the country, resting..."two war dogs." In the final lovely two-page spread dominated by the greens of the English countryside, Winston and Rufus gaze out to the horizon, with the country finally at peace.
Back matter includes a timeline of World War II, a look at Churchill and his affection for poodles (he owned two during his lifetime, both named Rufus), and a brief biography of Winston Churchill himself. The author also includes books for young Churchill fans, Churchill and World War II-related websites, a bibliography, and quotation sources.
Acrylic and collage illustrations have an nostalgic yet realistic look, with plenty of sepia tones suggesting a time long ago. Each two-page spread features a quotation by Churchill on a yellowed piece of paper, in an old-fashioned typewriter-style font, designed to look like it has been pinned to the rest of the picture. An interview on the
Charlesbridge website indicates that this book grew out of an undergraduate school project, but that the book originally focused more on the relationship between dog and owner, and less on the historical details. The book now provides more of an introduction to World War II, one that would be a good classroom read-aloud while studying that time period. The book will, of course, capture the heart of dog lovers as well as history lover, with its illustrations that depict Rufus in all his poodle splendor.
Disclaimer: I am a poodle owner and a poodle lover. Review copy provided by publisher.
 |
| Churchill with the real Rufus |
Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed.
Bookshelves of Doom described this one as The Luxe meets Downton Abbey. As both are things I adore, how could I say no?
It's 1910. After many years in India, the Averlys are back at Somerton, but whispers of the scandal that caused Lord Westlake his job have followed them. Ada is a beautiful and bookish, and longs to be allowed to attend Oxford, but must marry well to save the estate. On the boat back to England, a brief encounter with a super-hott Indian boy (on his way to Oxford) leaves her breathless. But, once back at Somerton, there's a new stepmother, a cruel stepsister, and Rose. Rose was a childhood friend, the daughter of the housekeeper. Lord Westlake as taken a keen interest in her and elevates her to Lady's Maid, but the servants don't like it and she gets advice from all the wrong corners. Fancy dresses! Scheming servants! A boy she loves that her father would never approve of vs. a good match with a good guy who will let her follow her dreams...
I wanted to like this more than I did. I needed more from Charlotte to make her more than just an evil step-sister. The narrative sometimes goes to other characters (mostly Rose and the stepbrother Sebastian) but mostly sticks to Ada. A little less Ada and more of the other characters (would *love* to get some of Ravi's point of view) would have rounded it out a little more. Ada and Ravi are super insta-love, which bugged me. I liked the relationship as it grew, but I wasn't entirely sure what attracted them to each other in the first place, especially given their very different stations. The foreshadowing and clues about the BIG SURPRISE at the end were also pretty heavy--something that would have worked better if the entire story were a little more fleshed out. I just wanted more. All that said, it was still a fun read. I liked many of the characters and want to know more, especially about the minor ones. It's definitely the first in a series, with some very ominous things left hanging, so be on the lookout for book 2.
ARC Provided by... the publisher, at ALA.
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Tamar is one of those stories that is difficult to talk about without giving too much away and spoiling the twist that comes at the end of the novel. And
Tamar is well worth the read just to get to that. It begins in 1979, when William Hyde asks his son Jan if he and his wife would consider using the name Tamar for their expected baby, to which they happily respond in the affirmative. It is this daughter, Tamar, who narratives the story that follows.
The story then switches to 1945, introducing Dart and Tamar, undercover names (based on English rivers) for two Dutch born, British trained agents for the SOE (Special Operations Executive) just as they are about to parachute into the Nazi-occupied Netherlands to work with the Dutch Resistance in an attempt to reorganize it during that terrible Hunger Winter when so many people died of starvation. Once inside Holland, Dart, who is the team's radio operator, operates under the name Dr. Ernest Lubbers, living and setting up his radio at the local mental asylum. Tamar, under the name of Christiaan Boogart, is fortunate enough to be placed in the home of Marijke Maatens. Tamar/Christiaan and Marijke have been lovers for a while, but when Dart/Lubbers realizes what is going on between them, he becomes very angry and jealous. He has also fallen in love with Marjike.
The narrative moves to the spring of 1995. Jan Hyde's daughter Tamar Hyde is now 15. Her father has be missing for a few years and her beloved grandmother, Marijke, has recently passed away, after being placed in a nursing home because she was seemingly suffering from dementia. Now, her grandfather has just committed suicide. As a result of that, Tamar finds herself in possession of a box full of his World War II memorabilia. Tamar knew that her Grandad "was fascinated by riddles and codes and conundrums of labyrinths, by the origin of place names, by grammar, by slang, by jokes...by anything that might mean something else. He lived in a world that was slippery, changeable, fluid." (pg 111) And so Tamar begins a journey to figure out that codes messages her Grandad has left regarding his life and suicide.
From here on the story alternates between 1945 and 1995 as events unfold and characters are explained. I don't want to say too much more at this point and risk an unintended spoiler, which can so easily happen with suspense novels you feel enthusiastic about.
Tamar is an exciting, suspenseful, very sophisticated and often gritty YA novel, but it is definitely not going to be everyones cup of tea. A lot of readers said they had a hard time getting into the story, while others complained that it was big (379 pages) and too slow moving, while other readers thought it was a 5 star story. I tend to be on the side of the 5 star folks.
Peet's teenage narrator proves to be quite formidable. One would almost think beyond her 15 years, but given Tamar's life experiences so far, maybe her formidability is completely understandable. Through her voice, Peet details her discoveries in a very straightforward style, clean and clear, yet it is all done in such lyrical prose that sometimes it often made me almost forget the subtext of the title. Without my realizing that he had done it, Peet has taken that subtext espionage, passion and betrayal, wound and woven them together in a story that left me unsuspecting until the very end and then totally surprised. In fact, after I finished it, I thought the whole novel is really a reflection of of William Hyde's love of all things enigma and that, I think, that is what makes
Tamar such an unusual story. And yet, all along the way, Tamar gives us innocent (?) hints about where things are going.
The book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was bought for my personal library
Walker Books Australia has a very nice teacher's guide
here.
This book was awarded the following well-deserved honors:
2005 Carnegie Medal
206 Wirral Paper Back of the Year
2008 ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
2011 De Gouden Lijst
This is book 4 of my
2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Historical Tapestry
This is book 2 of my
2013 European Reading Challenge hosted by Rose City Reader
Release date: January 1, 2013
Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Carolyn Meyer's series The Young Royals has examined the youth of many of history's most prominent royal female figures, including Queen Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Cleopatra. It's perhaps inevitable that she would turn her attention to the most important female queen of the 19th century, a figure so prominent she gave her name to an entire historical period, Queen Victoria. The book spans from 1827, when Victoria was eight years old, to 1843, by which time Victoria was a young queen with three children.
Meyer tells her story through diary entries based on Victoria's own diaries, which she began keeping at the age of thirteen. (Note: in 2012, the entire contents of these diaries were made available
online). T As Meyer explains in an afterword, these diary entries were written in the knowledge that they would be read, at first by her mother and governess, and later by historians. Meyer uses her imagination (and research of course) to describe what Victoria is really feeling, but incorporates many of Victoria's stylistic quirks, such as an affection for writing in all capitals or underlining dramatically, to give the feel of her actual diaries.
I really enjoyed this novel, and felt it did a terrific job of capturing Victoria's strong personality and opinions, both as a young girl and as an adult. We learn many details of Victoria's daily life, from her strained relationship with her mother and her advisor, Sir John, to her attachment to Dash, her mother's King Charles Spaniel. Even when you're a privileged princess, you don't necessarily get your way, and Victoria's wishes are often thwarted by her mother or court intrigue. Even when she becomes queen, her struggles with her mother are not over, although Victoria takes control of many aspects of her court, including her personal household. In addition to dealing with all the intrigues of court life, Meyer also takes us into Victoria's confidence as she is wooed by and eventually weds her cousin Albert, the love of her life. Even with Albert, however, there were inevitable conflicts, as the young couple tried to adjust to their different roles--queen, sovereign, wife, and mother, and prince consort, husband, and father.
An afterword provides additional information on the rest of Victoria's life and other historical notes, as well as a bibliography and a list of related websites to visit.
Those who read this novel should certainly get a copy of the DVD of
The Young Victoria, the beautifully realized 2009 film starring an elegant Emily Blunt as the young monarch. Another appealing novel for young readers with the young Victoria as a prominent character is
Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela Maccoll (Chronicle, 2010).
Disclosure: advance copy provided by publisher.
Princess Elizabeth's Spy is the second mystery in the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal. When last we left our WWII heroine, Maggie Hope in
Mr. Churchill's Secretary, she was leaving her post as a typist for Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain to begin espionage training for MI-5 (Military Intelligence Section 5). Maggie, after all, is a gifted mathematician with a degree from Wellesley College and was on her way to graduate school at MIT when the war broke out while she was visiting England.
Unfortunately for Maggie, spy school doesn't work out quite as well as she had hoped and now MI-5 is going to reassign her. Her new assignment is to go undercover at Windsor Castle as the maths tutor to the 14 year old Princess Elizabeth. In reality, she is to be on the lookout for any unusual activity that might put the future Queen of England in danger. And, indeed, there does seem to be a plot underfoot to replace the reigning Royals with the recently abdicated, Nazi admiring Edward VIII and his wife, Wallis Simpson, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, once the Nazis have invaded England. And the Princess Elizabeth would definitely be an obstacle to these plans.
Arriving at Windsor, Maggie quickly discovers that the good part of living there is that it isn't a target for the bombs Germany has been dropping mercilessly throughout England; the bad part, no special advantages for royalty - it is terribly cold and everything is rationed. Nevertheless, she quickly forms a rapport with both Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, and easily adjusts to castle life, making only a minimal number of
faux pas.
Maggie isn't at Windsor long, however, when Lily, a lady-in-waiting at the castle, is decapitated while out riding with the two Princesses by a wire attached to two trees and strung across the riding path. But, perhaps the wire had actually been meant for the Princess Elizabeth instead? And the plot thickens even more when Maggie accidentally discovers a missing decoded message in one of Lily's books. The Germans were pretty confident that their messages, sent using an Enigma cypher, were safe and that no one could break their code. Why did Lily have it and is her death connected to the murder of the woman who is suspected of stealing the decoded message from Bletchley Park?
To make Maggie's life even more complicated, the mystery surrounding her father, a spy for MI-5 working at Bletchley Park deepens. Edmund Hope had been suspected of being a double agent in World War I, but nothing was proven. Is he somehow connected to the stolen decoded message and a traitor to his country in this war?
And what about Maggie's love interest, John Sterling, RAF pilot shot down over Germany? Is he dead or alive?
Series books tend to get better and better with each new book and that is true of
Princess Elizabeth's Spy. First books in a series are concerned with introducing important recurring characters and telling why they are there. Second and subsequent books can get right down to business and that is exactly what Susan Elia MacNeal has done here.
Princess Elizabeth's Spy is chock full of mystery, intrigue, suspense and, my favorite, historical fact so excellently mixed in with historical fiction.
Maggie remains a charming protagonist, the more so because, as intelligent as she is, she doesn't get things right ALL the time. Maggie, like all of us, is sometimes blinded by her own biases towards people which can cloud her judgement.
It is pretty obvious as you read
Princess Elizabeth's Spy that MacNeal has done her research well. The story is full of actual historical characters, some familiar like Churchill, others less familiar, like the Duke of Windsor, or Walther Schellenberg, head of
Abwehr (German Intelligence Service). I did find that the portrait of the Princess Elizabeth and the Princess Margaret that MacNeal paints for her readers, like that of Churchill, makes them feel more human but no less royal and the sense of duty that has been a hallmark of the present Queen Elizabeth's reign is very apparent in her younger, fictional self. The fact that the Princesses knew their way around the dungeons below Windsor Castle was a very nice, fun touch. But what personally interested me were all the bits surrounding codes in the novel, from the Enigma to the simple code Maggie taught Princess Elizabeth. Codes and cyphers have always fascinated me and lately it seems I have been reading a lot of books dealing with them.
Princess Elizabeth's Spy is the kind of mystery that has lots of crossover appeal for YA readers, including a very titillating ending. Of course, given the ending, now I can't wait to read the third book in the Maggie Hope series,
His Majesty's Hope, due out May 2013.
This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was an ARC sent to me by Random House
This is book 3 of my Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge hosted by
Debbie's Book Bag
The Fitzosbornes, royal family of that small fictional Channel island Montmaray, are back in this third and last book of the trilogy. As you may recall in
Book I, A Brief History of Montmaray, the FitzOsbornes - Toby, Sophie, Henry (Henrietta), cousin Veronica and half cousin Simon - were forced by the Nazis to leave their island home and head for London.
And in
Book II, The FitzOsbornes in Exile, we found them hobnobbing between London and their Aunt Charlotte's Milford Park estate in Dorset. However, there was war in the air and both Toby and Simon decided to enlist in the RAF.
All the FitzOsborne doings have been relayed to us through the journals of HRH Princess Sophia FitzOsborne and in
Book III, The FitzOsbornes at War, this tradition continues.
Sophie, now 18, begins her journal appropriately enough on September 3, 1939, the day that Britain and France declare war on Germany.
With England now at war, and Toby and Simon in the RAF, Sophie and Veronica both wish to do their bit to help and even manage to convince Aunt Charlotte to let them move into a small apartment behind the larger Montmaray House in London. Veronica, who speaks fluent Spanish, gets a job in the Foreign Office, while Sophie begins working for the Ministry of Food, a job she does not consider very important to the war effort.
And so life goes on under wartime conditions, with air raids, food shortages, and eventually, bombings. All the while, Veronica travels to Spain for long periods of time to translate for high ranking officials and diplomats, and Sophie works and hangs out with friends Julia, who has volunteered to be an ambulance driver, and Kick (Kathleen Kennedy, daughter of Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, sister to Jack and Ted), everything faithfully recorded by Sophie in her journal, as the war becomes the new normalcy. Sophie does occasionally still see Rupert, Julia's brother, but he is working on something top secret and doesn't have much free time. Even so, they find they are more and more attracted to each other. But then, Toby goes missing while flying a mission over France, believed to have parachuted out of his burning plane. And it is as if he vanished in thin air, there seems to be no information about him to be found anywhere.
Sophie's wartime journal covers 4 years this time, from September 3, 1939 to November 28, 1944, with one entry dated August 28, 1948. There are, of course, long periods of time elapsing between journal entries, so most are really summaries of what has been happening, which I think works better than lots of more frequent entries, less confusing to the reader.
I wrote in
The FitzOsbornes in Exile that it was more of a historical novel than
A Brief History on Montmaray, and I can honestly say that this third novel is even more historical the both put together. How could it not be? However, Cooper has blended fact and fiction so well, that the divide between them seems almost seamless here, yet the historical information is still quite obvious so that the reader doesn't make the mistake of believing the fictional bits really happened. Clever that. And Cooper has used historical events to help move the story along without overburdening the readers with names and dates and stuff like that.
The main characters are still believable, well-developed and sympathetic. Sophie is no longer the young innocent girl she was when we first met her in 1936, nevertheless, she still retains some of her youthful naivety, even in the face of finding true love. Veronica is still Sophie's opposite, rather more interested in the intellectual side of life than the emotional side. And Henry is still Henry, sweet, charming, always exuberant and optimistic.
Does
The FitzOsbornes at War stand up to it predecessors? Yes, it most certainly does. It is a most worthy sequel to the first two books, though I am not sure it would work very well as a stand alone novel. It doesn't have quite as much wit and fun as before, but there is still enough action, adventure, danger and even love to satisfy, in fact, sometimes there are even some real nail-biting moments. And sadly, there is one spot where you might want to have some tissues handy.
And here's the rub - rather than taking my time and savoring this last FitzOsborne novel, I read it almost in one sitting. I simply couldn't wait to see what was in store for these favorite characters. Then, I got to the end and I asked myself, why did I race through this book that I had been so looking forward to reading and now I have to say good-bye to because I'd finished it and there were no more FitzOsbornes on the horizon? So if you like the FitzOsbornes as I do, try not to rush to the end.
That said, and as much as I enjoyed
The FitzOsbornes at War, I did find two things that bothered me.
1- Henry! I can't say more. The problem with writing about this book is that no matter what you write, it could easily end up as an unintentional spoiler.
2- I did not like the way Toby's homosexuality was handled. It was brought to light in
The FitzOsbornes in Exile, and became a non-thing in this novel. What happened???? It just vanished...
To her credit, Cooper took a page out of JK Rowling's books and included on post-war journal entry wrapping this up for the reader. Not all is a happy ending, but at least you won't wonder.
This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was an E-ARC obtained from Random House through
Edelweiss (and it will be available on October 9, 2012 in the US)
The FitzOsbornes at War is a wonderful personal read, but it is also so full of history that teacher's may want to supplement their WW2 classes with it, and if so, you can download an extensive
Teacher's Guide from Random House Australia.
This is book 14 of my Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by
Historical Tapestry
People sometimes ask me what my favorite WWII book is out of all that I have read. It is hard to answer that question because everything I have read so far has at least some redeeming quality of showing how the war impacted the lives of the children (and the occasional adult or animal.)
One of my favorite authors, however, is Robert Westall. Westall wrote my favorite WWII animal story,
Blitzcat, capturing the influence one cat had on the lives of so many while searching war-torn England looking for her true human, after her owner joined the war effort.
Then I read
The Machine Gunners, which I thought wonderful, even if it did have a very unlikable protagonist. And now I bring to this blog another Westall book,
Time of Fire.
Like all his friends, 10 year old Sonny carries his aircraft-recognition book everywhere he goes, so when a German plane drops a bomb on the store where his mother is shopping, killing her, he knows it was a plane they called the Flying Pencil.
In despair, Sonny's father decides to join the RAF to seek revenge on the plane that killed his beloved wife and changed their happy lives forever. Sonny is sent to live with his grandparents in their coastal home near Newcastle. As Sonny settles into life with his grandparents, helping them safeguard their home with sandbags and barbed wire, working in the garden and listening to the wireless together for news of the war, he develops a strong relationship with his Granda, a man who patiently answers Sonny's questions and is always willing to teach him about life. Perhaps the most telling example of that is the way he guides Sonny into slowly and methodically making friends with a war-traumatized dog, whom he eventually wins over and names Blitz.
But Sonny has a guilty conscience. His Mam was in the store buying matches because Sonny had forgotten about them in his rush to buy the newest copy of
Wizard, a magazine for boys. So when his father's attempt at revenge comes to an end when he is shot down, Sonny decides it is now up to him to avenge his mother's death.
But what can a young boy do? In a Robert Westall story, plenty!
Unlike the kitty in
Blitzcat or Chas in
The Machine Gunners, Sonny does not have a strong single- minded focus. But like them, Sonny is eventually faced with a difficult dilemma. When faced with having to choose life or death, will he let revenge control his decision or rise above it?
For that reason, and despite being a World War II novel,
Time of Fire might still resonates for today's readers. Revenge seems to have become such a prevalent way of dealing with the small personal injuries in life today, that watching Sonny's struggle between doing the right thing or getting his revenge for his Mam's death might just help decide a future action on a reader's part (assuming we are what we read, of course).
I have to admit that after reading
The Machine Gunners, I was a little put off Robert Westall's WWII novels, but I am glad I have now returned to them. Sonny is a very appealing main character, making it easier to root for him. And the portrayal of Nana and Granda is superb. I wish they were my grandparents. You can just feel the love in their home. Even the bickering is done with love. This was the same atmosphere in Sonny's home before his mother was killed and his otherwise happy, content father's personality turned black. It makes you realize how fleeting happiness can be.
Like Michelle Magorian (
Goodnight, Mr. Tom and
Back Home, among others novels) Robert Westall is a master at creating a realistic picture of the British home front in World War II. Unlike Magorian, Westall really had experienced the war first hand, growing up in the same area that he sets his stories in, always making them so very rich in details not necessarily commonly known.
This book is recommended for readers aged 9+
This book was borrowed from the Seward Park Branch of the NYPL
Robert Westall as a boy in North Shields, England.
By:
Ellis Nadler,
on 9/13/2012
Blog:
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I experienced a "madelaine moment" when I found this ancient yellowed cutting from the glory days of Radio Times (when it was the largest circulation magazine in the UK). It features my illustration of bizarre objects for a typically genteel BBC quiz show. The pleasure of drawing this came flooding back. Note that they were showing one of my
favourite films from childhood.
Click to enlarge.
Amanda says, “Thank you for having me on your blog today. I really appreciate it.
I guess when it comes to promoting myself, I am the woman in the corner of a room with a glass of fizz holding a bookmark, hoping someone will notice.
So here's my bookmark, and I'm drinking a mug of tea!
My name is Amanda J Ward and I am the author of The Thrilling Adventures of Pann Haggerty; a short story series about an Englishwoman of a 'certain' age who takes a year off to travel around America in an RV in search of new experiences and perhaps love. They are fun and quirky, and the best compliments I have had is that my mother, mother in law and daughter have read them. Which is really amazing.
I have a full length novel out in September called Without Saying A Word.
The good guy gets his girl! After being in love with his older neighbour Laura since they met a year ago, Rhean Tate, Viscount Kirkleigh seizes his chance to make her his, when her past reappears threatening her and her children’s safety. This thirty-four year old male virgin, whisks her into marriage vowing to protect and cherish Laura and her family, with his name and noble family connections.
Will Laura feel overwhelmed by Rhean and run away. Her abusive marriage left her with scars on the inside as well as on the outside, or will she allow her barriers to crumble and be the woman and wife they both deserve.
I live in England with my husband, our three young children and two mad cats called Arthur and Merlin. I write mostly romance, but am dipping my toes in a few uncertain waters such as a regency time-shift which is all planned out. This is the first story in the Fitzroyal novels set around three siblings and their widowed mother.
A couple of years ago I entered New Voices run by M&B. I also entered last year with Her Reverend Majesty, about a vicar who marries a king of a foreign country and has to choose between her vocation or love. Unfortunately, although a lot of people were complimentary, it didn't make the final. So, later on that year I joined NANO where Laura and Rhean's story was being written. I managed to finish it early this year and I had an R&R from one publisher. However, when I was asked by Trestle to submit, I got an immediate response that they could have it. Roll on September when Bonkers in Bostonand Without Saying a Wordcome out.
I'm by no means a regular writer. I don't have a set time of day when I can write. Each day in my home is completely different as to how, when and if I can get anything done. The past few weeks have been manic as the kids have been off school. It's only now in the week before they go back, that I am able to catch up and do reviews etc.
I am a HUGE reader. I have been reading since I can remember, and there were times when I am sure my mother despaired at me for hoarding books under my bed. Before my father died, we used to go to the library together every Saturday, with me trotting after him pulling the shopping trolley. He would fill it up with war books. My grandmother was a reader of romantic fiction. I found some in her spare room one day when I was eight and snooping. Since then I have been hooked. My favourite series is still the Temptationline of Harlequin books, but there are authors I am exceptionally loyal to. I adore historical fiction and royalty books. I have DVDs about them and biographies lining my bookcase. Phillippa Gregory, Anne O'Brien, Marguerite Kaye, Michelle Willingham and Sophie Perinot top my list there.
My influences writing wise come from my friends, and also what I like to read and watch. I am a HUGE Gilmore Girls, Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, Sci Fi and Big Bang Theory fan.
When I write Pann, for some reason, I see it as a sitcom. I think that's the best way to describe the series, and I like working to a deadline for some reason. The worst thing about me is that I procrastinate like mad. It is really dreadful. Finding other things to do rather than sit in front of the screen and get words to appear on it from my head. For some reason I love working in peace and quiet. I guess it's because I talk to myself when I type and the looks I get from my children and husband, and the cats too are very offputting. Yes, there are days when I feel I have no talent for writing and that what I do is absolute rubbish. How do I cope? I walk away from what I'm doing for a time.
Any advice? Don't give up.
Here is an teaser from Pann Haggerty Volume Three Bonkers In Boston.
Hope you enjoy it!.
When Joe came back to the meeting house for her less than half an hour later. He was laden down with bags. Hoping he got the right things for her, upon seeing the sight before him, stopped dead, lifted his face to the sky and whispered
"Oh Jeez not this. Not here. Not now"
For standing on the steps was Pann. She had a union jack cap on her head and and a frilly apron around her. She was handing out slices of cake and plastic cups of tea to anyone that would take it. A broad smile lit up her pixie like face and she was obviously having a fantastic time. Laughing and chatting to tourists and residents alike.
"What do you think you are doing Crazy Lady?" Joe said slowly.
"Well, duh" Pann mocked him. "What does it look like. I'm having a tea party. Where better to have one. Than here!" She announced taking a bow. Cutting a piece of sunken, lopsided cake, Pann put it on a napkin and handed it to Joe.
"I knew you were up to something" Joe muttered taking a bite of the cake. It tasted much better than it looked.
"You can't have a tea party without cake" Pann said stubbornly.
Joe took a deep breath.
"Wrong revolution darlin. That was the French one" He informed her.
"And the tea party?" asked Pann, totally confused by all the history being thrown at her.
"To do with taxing of tea. Crates of it were thrown overboard and into the river"
"What an absolute waste of perfectly good tea" Pann sniffed. She sat down with her own cup and munched on her cake.
Joe couldn't resist taking a photograph of her.
"Say Tea Party" he teased. Pann stuck her tongue out at him. Joe continued taking photographs anyway. She pulled up her jeans at one point exposing red socks.
"Pann what are you wearing?"
"Red socks. You said Boston was the home of the red socks. So I am wearing them because I'm in Boston".
"Pann, you crazy Englishlady. When I said Boston was home to the red socks, I meant the Red Sox. A baseball team" Joe said slowly and carefully so she would understand.
"Baseball" Pann thought for a moment. "Is that like rounders?"
"You have to be kidding me! You've never heard of baseball?" Joe's voice was incredulous.
"Of course I have. You hit a ball with a round stick. Then run around the field and touch bases. That's rounders" The tone of her voice dared him to argue the toss.
"What about football?" Joe decided to open the can all the way.
"Rugby" Pann countered
"Soccer?"
"Football" Pann was evidently enjoying her banter with him.
He sat down on the steps and put his head in his hands.
"Save me from crazy Englishwomen" He pleaded to no-one in particular.
"Sorry pal. You're on your own" Came a retort from a passer by.
Pann sat down beside him and snuggled up. She gave a sigh of happiness.
"That was fun" She giggled girlishly sipping another cup of tea.
Well there you go. A sneak peek at what Pann is like. If you want to read more, you can catch up with Pann on these links.
Thanks for having me and hope to hear from readers soon!"
While it may be hard not to make some comparisons of Amy McAuley's
Violins in Autumn with the very excellent
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, I think it is always better to form my opinion about a book on its own merits.
It is 1944 and Adele Blanchard, her friend radio transmitter Denise Langford, and two men have just parachuted into Nazi-occupied France as undercover agents for the Britain's Special Operations Executive, or SOE, to work with the French Resistance sabotaging German operations in preparation for D-Day.
Of course, the landing doesn't go exactly as planned. One of the men is arrested almost as soon as they hit the ground, but Adele, Denise and the other man, Bishop, find each other and make their way to the agreed upon meeting place with Pierre, a member of the French Resistance.
It's not long before the two girls must make their way to Paris, With false papers, they impersonate two French girls traveling by bike, securing Denise's radio in a suitcase to one of them. But along the way, Adele and Denise witness a British plane crash after being hit by enemy fire. They manage to find and rescue the American pilot, Robbie, before the German's do.
The three continue on to Paris, but along the way, they run into some Germans. Denise and Robbie manage to get by them, but Adele is stopped and her bike to taken away. Now she must go on on foot, and she's still a long way from Paris. Luckily, a car comes by and she gets a lift from a Dr. Devereux all the way to Paris. Devereux gives her is address should she need it.
But Adele and Robbie never show up at their safe house, and she discovers the it has been compromised and everyone was arrested. With no place to go, Adele rides the metro day after day, avoiding Germans and possible capture. Eventually, she ends up at the house of Dr. Devereux, where she has a brief encounter with his Nazi-collaborator wife in the process of leaving her husband. Adele, Denise and Robbie finally find each other. but they must find a safe way out of France for Robbie as well as perform the tasks they are supposed to do as agents for SOE until the hear the coded message from London: "The long sobs of the violins of autumn" signaling that the allies are beginning their preparations of D-Day.
OK, so this doesn't sound majorly exciting, but take my word for it,
Violins in Autumn is a very exciting novel. It is full of espionage, intrigue, danger, kindness, cruelty, and even love. In the course of this historical fiction novel, McAuley manages to work in lots of information about how operatives for the SOE are trained, how the Gestapo conducted interrogations and how messages were sent and received by couriers like Adele in the resistance. And what dangerous jobs these were.
One of the things I like when I read a book like this is discover something I don't know. I knew coded messages where sent between the allies and their operatives in the field, but I didn't know that the one signaling the start of D-Day within 24 hours to operatives and resistance workers was from the first stanza of
Chanson d'Automne by Paul Verlaine:
The long sobs of the violins of autumn/would my heart with a monotonous languor.
But
Violins of Autumn is, above all, a story about the deep friendship that develops between the two young women who must rely on each other at a time when it is hard to know who one can really trust. This can be especially difficult when each person can hide behind a false identity. To begin with, Adele is really Betty Sweeney, a 17 year old American who had been sent to boarding school in Switzerland when her father remarried, spoke German and French with native fluency and moved in with her English aunt and uncle when the war began. Like Robbie, she lied about her age. And if Adele is really Betty, it stands to reason that Denise is someone else, too.
If you enjoyed
Code Name Verity, most likely you will enjoy
Violins of Autumn and hopefully appreciate them both for their differences, because both are well worth reading.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was borrowed from the Webster Branch of the NYPL
To learn more about the real lives of female SOE couriers and radio transmitters like Adele and Denise, see the chapter on Great Britain in Kathryn Atwood's book
Women Heroes of World War II, 25 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance and Rescue (
my review here)
For more information on Special Operations Executive operatives can be found
here.
 |
Tools of the SOE Trade (Note the radio
in the suitcase) |
Gilt Katherine Longshore
Henry the VIII's many wives are common fodder for books for adults, not as much for YA (and when it is YA, it's more the princesses who get coverage, as they're the teens involved-- are there any good ones on Lady Jane Grey?) ANYWAY. Even in the shelves of Tudor fiction, Catherine Howard doesn't get a lot of play.
When this book came out, I was surprised that we hadn't seen more about her for YA before. When you think about it, her story is *perfect* for YA-- politics, romance, sex, death, pretty dresses, a teen queen who doesn't grasp the political realities surrounding her and a doomed relationship.
This one is narrarated by Catherine's friend Katherine TInley. Cat and Kitty have grown up together in the house of the Dowager Countess of Norfolk, with other daughters of minor nobility who have been sent there to be ignored or forgotten. Cat is then chosen to be a member of the new queen's household. After Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves dissolves, he marries Cat, and Cat brings Kitty and their friends to court, where they are thrust into Cat's dangerous games of lust and sex. They can see what Cat can't-- how very close she is to the edge. They all remember what happened to the former queen, Anne Boleyn--why doesn't Cat?
Those with even a glancing knowledge of history know that those who marry Henry VIII don't find success. It's not a huge spoiler to say that Cat and others will lose their heads by the end of the novel.
Despite knowing the ending, it's a great ride to get there. Kitty's torn between a few guys-- there's the one who parents have betrothed her to, the one that Cat's set her up, and the one that Kitty actually likes. It's a really interesting look at the lack of agency people had when it came to family and politics. In addition to all of the stolen moments in dark corners and the glittering wealth, Longshore does a great job of painting the tension and the danger. Kitty can see that the game Cat is playing won't end well. She keeps waiting for the shoe to drop, and when it does, it happens so slowly that Cat doesn't notice until they come to arrest her.
I also really liked the characterization of Lady Rochford. One thing I've learned from reading my friend's blog that looks at Anne Boleyn novels is that Lady Rochford is often a bit evil. In Gilt she's a survivor who is just trying to remain a survivor.
It was great that will appeal to historical fiction fans as well as "rich mean girl" fans.
ARC Provided by... the publisher at ALA.
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1940 - Twins Jimmy and Patrick Sweeney, 6, have the idea of selling the frogs they have caught to the other kids in their East End, London neighborhood, but as the war continues, evacuation to the country with 3 other of their 11 siblings puts end to their frog enterprise. Unfortunately, when they reach the village they are evacuated to, Jimmy and Patrick are taken by separate families, as are siblings Jeanie, Irene and Bobby. It is Mrs. Cribbins who takes Jimmy and she doesn't seem very nice right from the start.
2012 - Nathan Pepper, 12, isn't too happy about moving from London to a small village in the country because of his dad's new job, especially since it doesn't seem to have a skateboard park anywhere. And it doesn't help that the first night in his new house, Nathan wakes up suddenly, hearing a strange noise. Creeped out, he nevertheless decides to see what it is. Going up the stairs to another bedroom, Nathan can hear distinct crying but even stranger, when he opens the door, the bedroom is completely changed - no longer neat, clean and shiny, now it was a dirty, dusty attic with a little boy under a thin blanket sobbing for his mum.
Jimmy's life with the Cribbins family is much worse than expected. He sleeps in a lonely, dark attic, he does most of the chores in the house, and than he is sent outside, not allowed back in the house til evening. And he isn't fed much either, so now he was starving. Nathan brings him some cake, but when Mrs. Cribbins finds somes crumbs in Jimmy's bed, he is accused of stealing their food and is given no breakfast.
Totally baffled, Nathan continues to go upstairs at night to find Jimmy again, but to no avail.
Meantime, in 2012, Nathan starts at his new school and things begin to look up for him as he makes friends and finds fellow skateboarders; and in 1940, Jimmy begins school, too, but only after doing his chores. And, though the two Cribbins children ride the bus, Jimmy is made to walk the long distance to school. He no sooner arrives and he is picked on by a group of boys resentful of evacuees. While two hold him down, another boy, Frank, takes an industrial staple gun from behind the school and staples Jimmy's back. The only good part of that day is that Jimmy discovers that his twin, Patrick, is at the school, too.
That night, Nathan is able to visit Jimmy again in the upstairs bedroom and once more, he brings the starving, now injured little boy some food.
But can Nathan help Jimmy across the years? In the autumn, he is able to visit Jimmy fairly often, bringing him food and company, but as winter begins, it becomes more difficult. Nathan's concern for Jimmy is really peaked when he sees a picture of the twins boys in a newspaper article about the village's evacuees. And later, in another article, he learns that Jimmy has died from malnutrition. To make matters worse, Nathan's Aunty Miranda comes to stay indefinitely in the upstairs bedroom, and he fears he won't be able to see and help Jimmy before it is too late. So, Nathan decides that desperate times call for desperate measures and he hatches a really stinky plan to drive his Aunty M out of that room and into another. But, can a stinky plan succeed?
Shalini Boland based
A Shirtful of Frogs on the real experiences of her father-in-law, Paul Boland, who was evacuated with his twin Peter at the age of 5. And in writing his story, she has brought attention to this important, yet disturbing and sad aspect of evacuation. Most of us probably think that the people who took in the WWII evacuees from London were such kind, caring, concerned people, sometimes strict but not abusive. But actually that wasn't always the case. Kids like Paul Boland/Jimmy Sweeney were abused, starved and used as free servants while the people they lived with collected the government money meant for their care, and used it for their own family's benefit.
Boland says she created Nathan to give Jimmy a needed friend in this well-written time-slip story, but of course, that doesn't happen in real life.
A Shirtful of Frogs is, in effect, a wonderful tribute to Boland's father-in-law and all the children who suffered the way Paul/Jimmy did when their parents trustingly sent them off to live with strangers in what they believed would be relative safety.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the author
Click here to enter a Goodreads Giveaway in progress until October 31, 2012 for a signed copy of
A Shirtful of Frogs open to US, CA and GB residents.
This trailer for
A Shirtful of Frogs is interesting both for the book's promotion and for its use of public domain actual footage:
Adult Novels for Young Adult Readers
Mr. Churchill's Secretary is a debut novel and the first in a series centering on Maggie Hope, the American raised daughter of British parents, a Wellesley grad who went to London in 1939 to sell the house she inherited from a grandmother she never knew. Then war was declared and Maggie stayed on to do her bit for the war effort.
Unable to sell the house, Maggie now shares it with a few other young women - Paige Kelly, an old college friend, Charlotte McCaffrey A/K/A Chuck, and twins Annabelle and Clarabelle Wiggett. Into this mix is added a few males like Maggie's good friend David Green and the not so nice Richard Snodgrass and the charming John Sterling, who often knows more about things than he lets on. All three men work as private secretaries for Winston Churchill, the new British Prime Minister.
Maggie had actually applied for the job as a private secretary to the new PM, but despite being brilliant and totally qualified, gender was everything in 1940 and she lost the job to Richard - hence, he is not a favorite person of Maggie's.
But then, when Diana Snyder, a typist at 10 Downing Street, is found murdered, David talks Maggie into applying for the job as her replacement in the typing pool, even thought they both know she is more suited to be at Bletchley Park breaking Nazi codes alongside the best minds in England. And Churchill decides that she is indeed the person they need, because, as he says, they can use a little hope at Downing Street. But Maggie is not just an ordinary typist in the pool and it doesn't take long for her to be caught up not just in wartime events and her job, but also in the mystery of who killed Diana.
Mr. Churchill's Secretary is an exciting mystery adventure that takes all kinds of twists and turn and just when you think you know who killed Diana Snyder, you discover that you don't. But there are plenty of suspects, so you could make a wrong guess more than once. And this is one of the things that makes this book so good.
Other good things: MacNeal manages to weave in a Hope family mystery, some good espionage, code breaking, the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and even a possible love interest for Maggie. And all the whole none yards* is wrapped in a cloak of history making this historical fiction at its best - the blitz, blackouts, rationing, air raids and even St. Paul's Cathedral are realistically portrayed they play their part in Maggie's life.
And Maggie herself is a strong captivating and compelling redhead, never afraid to say what is on her mind, yet always considerate and kind to her friends and co-workers. Not even Winston Churchill can intimidate her Maggie and I like that about her.
This is an energetic debut mystery. And like all novels in a series, it has the task of introducing the reader to the cast of recurring characters and giving enough background information about them, and even though I felt like it took a while to get to the mystery about Diana Snyder, I still had fun getting to know all the characters along the way and seeing the vivid pictures that MacNeal paints of 1940 wartime
Upottery in Devon.
Watercolour 20cm x 28cm. Click to enlarge.
By:
Ellis Nadler,
on 6/3/2012
Blog:
Ellis Nadler's Sketchbook
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There was a large
Flotilla in the Rain today. I sensibly stayed home and drew this.
Pen and ink with watercolour. A4 size. Click to enlarge.
By:
Claudette Young,
on 5/25/2012
Blog:
Claudsy's Blog
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Happiness mind-map (Photo credit: EEPaul)
This will be a short posting today. It is, after all the day before a large holiday weekend. To that end, I’m going to take most of today off to enjoy nature and see something besides the four walls of what I laughingly call my office.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who stops by this site. You read my words, and many take the chance to leave your own behind. The exchange is good for me, and I hope, for you as well.
Many of you are new to this neck of the woods. I’m glad you’ve decided to make this station a regular stop on your weekly sojourn around the cyber world. I’m also happy that I’ve provided material which has stirred conversation, discussion, debate and, for some, pleasure enough to click the “LIKE” button. In my book, you all deserve a medal.
THANK YOU, all of you.
Here’s hoping you all have a fantastic weekend of fun and family joys. I may take today off, but the rest of the weekend is a working holiday for me. Enjoy yourselves out there at the park, the lake, the beach and stay safe to return next week.
I’ll see you then. A bientot,
Claudsy
8 Comments on Holiday Enjoyment, last added: 5/28/2012
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Do you think it’s better to read this one first or The Whole Family first?
I don’t know that it makes a difference? They’re pretty unrelated. The Miz Maze is better, but I think you’d get a kick out of the weird meta-narrative of The Whole Family.
It does sound better than The Whole Family. Charlotte Mary Yonge is the only author in the list I’ve heard of, but the others (I looked them up) seem to have been popular writers of their day.
Yeah, I’d heard of several of them as collaborators of Yonge’s. I’ve always been a little bit intimidated by Yonge for whatever reason, but this makes me want to read other stuff of hers.