THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER
by Elizabeth George Speare
I recently discovered the work of Elizabeth George Speare, and am so glad I did! Set in 18th century Maine before the Revolutionary War, THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER is told from the perspective of 13-year-old Matt Hallowell who awaits his father’s return from Masachussetts with the rest of his family. When the family doesn’t return by the expected date, Matt is left to wonder if they ever will. In the meantime, he meets a Native American boy and his grandfather who help Matt learn survival skills and much more.
MOUNTAIN BORN
by Elizabeth Yates
You know those mornings when you’re lying in bed and you hear a gentle rain or the wind rustling through the leaves and you just want to steal a few moments longer to listen to that slow and steady beauty before you have to join the everyday bustle? That is the feel of this 1944 Newbery Honor book. A page-turner it is not. But it IS a captivating, beautifully-written story about a boy (Peter) growing up on a sheep farm and his relationship with one particular ewe (Biddy). I’ll admit I became so involved I cried.
I was nine when I read Elizabeth Yates’s middle grade novel AMOS FORTUNE FREEMAN (which I’ll post another time). For some reason it was the only book I read by her, even though I loved it. Recently, I thought to check out another and was hooked by the promise of a sweet animal story.
As I read MOUNTAIN BORN, I had no idea where it was taking place or the time period, so I placed it in the English countryside because I’ve watched a lot of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, lately. After finishing the novel, I learned the author set the story in the Rocky Mountains in the late 1800’s. However, the themes of living off the land, the changing seasons (both internal and external), and the relationships in the story are so universal I’ve come to think the story could have been set in many different places and cultures.
Not least, the prose is gorgeous. I’ll close with a couple of excerpts to wet your appetite:
“The year had hinges on which it hung, and every hinge had something to do with the sheep; but that was the life on Andrew’s farm and the living for his family, and it was right that the sheep should mark it for them.”
“Peter sat on the rock beside Benj and looked off into space. But it wasn’t space. Only those who had never kept sheep on a hillside could think that it was. It was memory filled with such good and lovely things that dwelling on them made them live again, almost as real and sometimes even more wonderful. It was the time ahead too, dreams of what the years might hold – all the good things which, if one cared enough about them, could be the only things.”
A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON
by Kate Albus
It’s true… Kate Albus’s debut novel A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON not only reads like a classic – it IS a classic! Yet, Albus writes with her own voice and a unique, tender approach to her characters. (I’m thinking Jane Austen and CS Lewis.) I fell in love with the three orphaned children who are London evacuees during WWII. In search of a forever home, they hope to find it in the small village where they are sent. (Also includes hot cocoa and thick slices of bread slathered with butter…Love it.)
I SURVIVED Historical Fiction Series
by Lauren Tarshis
Okay, can we talk about the I SURVIVED series? How each book I’ve read has pulled me in and made me zip through until the end? Every time I read one of these chapter books in Lauren Tarshis’s famous series, I’m amazed at how she weaves historical facts within a dramatic story arc. Everything fits together seamlessly without distracting “hey, this is some history info” moments. Yes, I’m in awe.
It’s probably apparent from my book recommendations that I am a MAJOR history nerd. Always have been. As a kid, my top reading material was usually talking animal stories, biographies, or historical fiction. Needless to say, I would have devoured this series in a summer (or maybe two summers – thankfully, there are quite a few books in this series!)
So far, I’ve read…
I SURVIVED THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEI, 79 A.D.
I SURVIVED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1776
I SURVIVED THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, 1863
I SURVIVED THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE, 1871
I SURVIVED THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD, 1888
I SURVIVED THE NAZI INVASION, 1944
I look forward to checking out more. They really are lessons on masterful storytelling – great for children AND adults.