Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
That Smudge of Smoke (Bealu Books, October 1, 2023*) by Edith M. Hemingway is such a good historical read. This story connects two different time periods, 1929 and 2015–via a diary hidden in a door salvaged from an old Chesapeake Bay steamboat–and two twelve-year-olds dealing with life changes.
In 1929, Penelope Sinclair (Piper) has tragically lost her mother and has to go live aboard the steamboat, S.S. City of Atlanta, with her father, the busy captain of the ship. Her teacher gives her the diary to encourage her to keep writing. We get to be with Piper through all her grief and experiences on board until there’s a collision with another steamer.
Eighty-six years later, we pick up with Garrett Stevens, whose injured Army Sergeant dad is in a coma. Garrett and his mother have had to move in with his grandparents. When Garrett slams a door in anger, a panel pops off and there’s the hidden diary. Somehow, reading Piper’s experiences helps him through his own.
The story shares events and books from Piper’s life in 1929 as well. The salvaged door from an old Chesapeake Bay steamboat is real, which is very cool in itself. Plus, this book gives readers hope.
You can check out the author’s other books here and read about her and the real door here.
UPDATE: Book trailer link and the making of the book trailer.
(*I got to read an arc–the book is officially out next week.)
I love stories based on something real. This sounds great!!
Hope you enjoy!
I love books where a character finds a diary. This one sounds really cool. Happy MMGM!
I love stories that connect two historical times. This one sounds really good. Thanks for sharing it with us this week.
Me too–books that happen in different times.
And to you too!
Great sounding plot that brings together two time periods. Thanks for sharing your review on MMGM this week.
Thank you for spreading the word on your blog.
What a wonderful inspiration for the story and this sounds like a fabulous plot. Happy MMGM.
Amazing, huh?
Living aboard the steamboat sounds like a great backdrop! And then a boat crash. Sounds very interesting.
I found it so.
Historical novels always hold a special place for me. Thank you for the post. The author’s last name made me think of another writer of yore, too.
Huh, wonder who that could be…
I’m always up for fiction based on a true story (or a piece of one). This sounds wonderful.
I always like knowing what parts were true and what wasn’t.
I love stories with parallel timelines, and this one sounds really good. Thanks for sharing!
Me too. One of the first ones I remember was told with pages from the past mixed in with the present.
What an interesting idea for a book. This sounds like a terrific book. Thanks for telling me about it. I will try to check it out.
I hope you do!
Here’s the story behind Edie’s booktrailer: https://ediehemingway.com/the-making-of-a-video-book-trailer/