Tag: historical

Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

CalpurniaIn The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Henry Holt and Company, 2009) 11-year-old Callie Vee is the middle child between 3 older brothers and 3 younger brothers. She’s also caught in the middle of wanting to learn about nature with her grandfather and her mother’s desire for her to learn womanly pursuits.

This historical novel by Jacqueline Kelly is funny, interesting, touching. I love the relationship between Callie and her grandfather, her struggles in the kitchen, the music she likes to play, her conversations with Viola their cook, her misunderstandings of what the future might be, the excitement and interests as new things like the phone and automobiles begin to affect their lives.

I believe the Newbery honor award for this book was well deserved.

And it’s Jacqueline’s first book! Read about Jackie at her publisher’s site or on her own website. There’s also a fan page on Facebook.

Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books, YA Novels

New-to-me Author – The Humming of Numbers and The Farwalker’s Quest

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

HummingCoverI love it when I discover a new author with multiple books. I started with reading The Humming of Numbers (Holt, 2008) by Joni Sensel. To Aidan, living creatures hum different numbers. He doesn’t think his gift is from the devil, but since he’s a novice in Celtic Abbey, he doesn’t dare mention it. A girl is brought to the monastery for punishment. She hums eleven. Aidan is fascinated as he’s never met someone who hums of more than ten. His fascination gets him in trouble and he’s put in charge of Lana, who some accuse of being a witch. The Viking raiders come. To rescue the captives, he and Lana get caught up in a scheme which uses both of their talents. I enjoyed Joni’s story very much, and found myself wondering what number I hum. (This is a YA title.)
FWQCoverSmallThen I moved on to The Farwalker’s Quest also by Joni (Bloomsbury, 2009). In this believable fantasy world, 13-year-olds face a test to see which trade they belong to. Ariel believes she’ll become a healer liker her mother and Zeke, a Tree Singer like his father. But after she finds the telling dart and the Finders show up, Ariel fails the test and is labeled Fool. Both she and Zeke end up on an unwelcome adventure where Ariel discovers her true trade. I’m pleased to say Joni has written more in this world – The Timekeeper’s Moon comes out next March, and she’s at work on a third!
Joni (pronounced Johnny) Sensel lives near Mount Rainier in Washington state. She volunteers as Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Washington, does corporate writing, and was one of the members of the debut writers, Class of 2K7. Go to www.jonisensel.com for more info.