Fourteen year-old Amelia’s mother dies, leaving her and two siblings alone in the world. Amelia’s determined to run the family gas station and keep her siblings together until she comes of age. When the town learns of her mother’s death, Amelia and her siblings face being split up in foster care, and Harvey Blevins, who owns all the other gas stations in the area, sees the chance to snatch that last station he covets. What she needs is a parent figure, and the moment the bum falls off a coal wagon, she hatches a plan. If he’ll pose as her father, she can keep the family together and Mr. Blevins from stealing her mother’s legacy.
From the first to the last lines of the story, the strong sense of voice rings clear and never falters. Bayard captures the rugged poverty of a rural southern town in the 1940s with perfect clarity. As the plot unfolds, the tension builds and Harvey Blevins is driven to more and more extreme measures in his attempt to crush Amelia’s strong spirit and muscle the last independent gas station in the region into his own pocket. Lucky Strikes is ultimately an inspirational battle of wills between a rich, powerful man and a fierce young girl. As Amelia learns to embrace who she is and fight for her family, the community begins to respond to her courage. The story reminds us that sometimes the battles hardest won are themselves not the real victory because what’s gained when family and community pull together is a far greater, richer reward.
This was a hard book to classify. Amelia’s age makes her a young protagonist for the young adult genre, but the heavy content and strong language leave it decidedly beyond middle grade readership. If hard-pressed, I might label it as coming-of-age, though Amelia still feels like a young person in many ways even at the end of the story.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used with moderate frequency.
Romance/Sexual Content Amelia hears rumors about her mother being promiscuous. The source appears to be more from dislike or lack of understanding of Amelia’s mom because she was such an unusual person. Hiram disappears some nights and returns in the mornings. Amelia believes he’s spending nights with a woman companion. Amelia shares fervent kisses with a boy.
Spiritual Content At one point, the town refers to Amelia’s family as pagans. Her mother embraces the jab so that it becomes a family joke. Hiram brings a fortune teller to town to stir up interest and business.
Violent Content A fire starts in an occupied building. Someone fires shots at Amelia and her family.
Drug Content
A drunk fortune teller stays with Amelia’s family and offers her services to the townspeople for a day.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Millie and Bump set off for Colorado and a new life together. Leaving Mississippi is all Millie ever wanted, but it seems the dark memories she thought to escape have followed her. With the memory of what Bill Miller did still hanging over her, Millie isn’t sure she can ever accept her husband’s love, and she’s not sure the past will stay buried long enough for her to try.
As Millie’s new life begins to unravel, her Choctaw grandmother arrives. She anchors Millie with the roots of family and tradition and teaches her the healing power of forgiveness.
Just like Cantrell’s debut, Into the Free, this novel bursts with beautiful narrative. Millie’s experiences are achingly real and deeply moving. Her grandmother, Oka, stands as my favorite character. As I’d hoped after reading Into the Free, the story revisits a part of the earlier tale that happened too fast to be satisfying to me. Millie’s able to get some closure and to explain more of what was in her head in those tumultuous moments.
Additionally, though, there’s a plot element that unfolds that didn’t feel so well resolved. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it felt like one of those “just trust me” sorts of resolutions, and I think I expected more from the story which had so many other intricate conflicts. I did enjoy the ending and I’m glad I read more of Millie’s tale. The Colorado setting felt incredible realistic in all its rugged, frontier power. I loved Cantrell’s descriptions of Millie’s relationship with her horse, too.
See below for the content breakdown. This is a new adult story, exploring the first few years of a troubled marriage and Millie’s healing after a sexual assault.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content – and Trigger Warnings Millie has flashbacks to the afternoon she was raped. There are snippets of sharp detail, things like her remembering the way her dress tore, or him tearing into her. Millie experiences triggers in her relationship with Bump and has to navigate those moments. We know after they are married that they are intimate. The descriptions are vague, usually hinting at coming intimacy with things like him unbuttoning her nightgown and then leaving off to begin a new scene. Millie’s struggle to connect with her husband is a significant part of the story, though. While graphic sex isn’t described, her relationship to this part of her life is one of the biggest conflicts in the story.
Spiritual Content Millie and Bump share their faith about God being able to move mountains. Millie remembers scriptures shared with her by her mother. She prays often, especially in times of peril and need.
Oka, Millie’s Choctaw grandmother visits her and shares some traditions with Millie. She cleanses the house, for example. Millie respects the significance of this ritual.
There’s a brief mention of Millie’s conversation with Babushka, an elderly palm reader she knew in Mississippi. Millie never had her palm read, but the woman seemed to see into her soul and tell Millie things she needed to hear.
Violent Content Rumors spread about a traveling man and his connection to two murders. When the man begins working for Bump, Millie fears for their safety. Millie learns about the night her grandmother was violently attacked and her grandfather killed. Two men get into a fist fight. A man is killed by a mountain lion. Millie witnesses the attack and others come with her to recover the man’s remains.
Drug Content
Millie remembers how damaging morphine use was to her mother.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Millie has grown up watching the Romany travelers make their yearly trek through her Mississippi town and on into the free. She longs to leave her abusive father and poverty-stricken life behind and follow them, but who would care for Mama if she goes? When tragedy swallows Millie’s family, she’s left with only the memory of her mother’s faith to guide her. A window into her father’s secret life opens to Millie, and she finds an unexpected community among his friends. As the day draws near for the Romany to return and the one person Millie has counted on to save her will appear, she finds herself torn between the life she always wanted and the life she’s learning to embrace. She’ll have to choose one path, and hope it’s the one that leads away from the long history of abuse in her family.
The prose in this story is heart-achingly beautiful. It’s no wonder the first edition of this title won the Christy Award back in 2013. Millie’s relationships are deeply developed and complex, from her friendship with the older man, Sloth, who lives next door to her family, to her relationships with each of her parents in the midst of the abuse that takes place between them.
I felt like Millie’s reactions to things, especially early on through the middle of the story definitely fit with my picture of her as the victim of and witness to abuse. There’s one moment late in the story in which something really big happens, and I felt like Millie’s reaction is much too small and she moves on much too fast. (I’m hoping that in the sequel, we get a better understanding of why this happened and how she didn’t move on the way she might want us to think she did.)
I had a bit of a hard time with the romance of the story. I wanted it to follow an entirely different course, so I had a hard time adjusting when it didn’t follow that course. Eventually I came to understand and respect Millie’s choice, but again, the part of the story where she actually makes her choice for her future felt rushed or forced, and the jilted lover is kind of like, aww, man. Yeah, okay. So I wasn’t sure what to do with that. Did he not care about her the way I thought he did? What was that supposed to mean? Regardless, by that point I was okay with her choosing the other option, so maybe it was okay.
The sequel crosses into a more new adult story, following Millie into her new marriage and watching her deal with the unresolved issues of her past in the context of marriage. I’m really eager to see how that story unfolds. The idea reminds me a little bit of Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith (who also wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, one of my favorite classics.)
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content Millie and River sneak away from the gypsy camp and kiss. She feels alive inside when she’s with him, and even spends one night asleep beside him in a field.
Millie suffers a trauma (see spoiler section if you want to know details.) A wise woman tells her that you want to marry someone who is steady and safe, not someone who makes you head-over-heels crazy about them. She reads this advice as true especially considering what happened when her mother risked everything to marry her father.
Spiritual Content Millie’s grandfather is a preacher who is all about rules. Millie’s mom has a deep faith in God despite the fact that she lives the life of an outcast. There’s a strong theme throughout the story in which a living spiritual faith is juxtaposed against rule-oriented religion. Millie rejects the empty rule-bound religion and clings to the memory of her mother quoting scripture and her messages about God’s love for people.
Violent Content Millie’s dad beats her mother, once so badly that she has to be hospitalized.
Drug Content
Millie’s mother uses a morphine-like medication to relieve pain from injuries and also to escape emotional pain. It nearly costs her life.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
SPOILER ALERT AND TRIGGER WARNING A man rapes Millie. It’s not deeply described, but Millie’s response is included, and reading that was rough. Sensitive readers should take caution. Afterward, she is angry, but she puts the whole event aside very quickly to pursue a romantic relationship with a boy who loves her. I felt like that all happened very quickly. I wasn’t sure I really believed a girl who’d been raped so recently would immediately take off and offer to marry someone. It sounds like the sequel deals more deeply with this experience, so that might explain why Millie shoved it aside so abruptly and show her need for healing.
As Rosemarie’s eighteenth birthday nears, she prepares to fulfill the sacred vow her parents made and become a nun. She struggles to accept this role even as her kingdom is in turmoil at the hands of a sheriff who enforces cruel punishment and unexplained plagues that ravage the poorest citizens. Then, one month before her birthday, an old family friend rides into her kingdom with news: Rosemarie may have another option. If she can find and marry her true love before midnight on her eighteenth birthday, she will not have to enter the convent. Three knights accompany Rosemarie’s advisor. She must find out if one of them is her true love.
I felt like this story was kind of like the Ever After retelling of Cinderella, but with the Prince and Cinderella’s character kind of reversed? I really liked the concept of having this really short timeline to find out which man is Rosemarie’s true love and what is love and that sort of thing, with the clock counting down in the background.
One of the things I always struggle with in reading medieval stories is the way the writing, especially in dialogue, can be extremely stilted. I shall see what may be done about this unfortunate circumstance, etc. I tend not to enjoy that sort of thing because it’s just not how I imagine the characters talking and it sounds really forced to me. But that’s a personal preference. If you prefer that style, this is definitely a book to check out.
There were a couple of plot issues that I kind of hiccuped over, too. The largest was the idea that Rosemarie would become a nun and still also rule her kingdom. I guess I thought that you had to forsake worldly goods when you join a convent. I’m not sure if that’s a faulty perception on my part, or if I was supposed to willingly suspend my disbelief in the reading of this story. Either way, I understand why the stakes were set up that way, but it confused me. I kept wanting someone in the story to be like, yeah, but remember how King What’s-His-Beard was a monk and still ruled? Something to kind of let me off the hook for wondering. But alas.
The romance element of the story was very sweet. I liked that she had to kind of work out what was important to her in terms of choosing a husband and that her chosen knight shared her values. There were definitely some things that happened I didn’t expect, so that was good, too. The plot definitely wasn’t as simple as I expected it to be. I liked that.
The cover art and some of the way the story is told reminded me a bit of Melanie Dickerson’s novels. I’ve reviewed The Princess Spy here if you want to check it out.
Because of some brief graphic description of torture, this might not be a great pick for tweens, though the other parts of the story are certainly light enough. See below for more information on content.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content There’s some sexual tension between Rosemarie and the three knights. She wonders repeatedly what it will be like to kiss them. There is one kiss in the book.
Spiritual Content Rosemarie has grown up believing that when she turns eighteen, she’ll have to become a nun because of a vow her parents made when they received help from a holy artifact to conceive her. When Rosemarie feels troubled, she spends time in prayer and seeks council from a trusted advisor within the church.
Violent Content Rosemarie is passionately opposed to the use of torture to punish her people for even serious crimes. The local sheriff disregards her wishes and tortures several criminals by various methods which are described briefly. Torture comes up several more times throughout the story. The most graphic description, I thought was when a woman’s head is placed in some kind of restraining device so that her tongue can be removed. That scene lasts a bit longer than the others, and had more painful descriptions.
Drug Content
A goblet of ale is poisoned at a feast.
In 1943 Amsterdam, Hanneke is the girl who can help you find things like coffee, meat, kerosene. But when a lonely widow asks Hanneke to find a missing Jewish girl, Hanneke at first refuses to get involved. Locating a Jewish girl and trying to rescue her is far too dangerous.
On the other hand, maybe danger is exactly what Hanneke needs to distract her from the aching grief of her boyfriend’s recent death. Reluctantly, Hanneke agrees to investigate the girl’s disappearance. Her search throws her in the path of a well-organized group of resistance workers who beg Hanneke to help them. Soon Hanneke is up to her neck in activities that could get her shot at any time. As the days pass and the chance of finding the missing girl alive dwindle, Hanneke becomes desperate. She must find this girl before the Nazis do. She must repay her debt, saving this girl to atone for the life Hanneke’s responsible for ending.
I don’t read much historical fiction, but every time I do, I enjoy it and vow to include more in my reading lists. I grew up reading and listening to Corrie ten Boom’s memoir, The Hiding Place, so the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands holds a special interest for me. It always calls to mind the courage and perseverance of those involved in resistance and rescue efforts.
I loved that Hesse included sides of the resistance movement that I wasn’t at all familiar with, including the Underground Camera movement and the rescue of infants and small children from the major deportment site in Amsterdam.
The story has a lot of layers. On the surface, it’s about finding a girl with the help of various resistance efforts. But the story goes much deeper into how the Nazi occupation affected relationships between friends and lovers. The kinds of small betrayals that, due to the severe restrictions placed on the people by the German occupation, ultimately led to death. All those layers weave together to form an intricate story that kept me turning pages all the way to the end. I read this entire book in one sitting, and I’d probably read it again tomorrow.
The Girl in the Blue Coat will appeal to fans of Code Name Verity, though on the whole, it’s much cleaner in terms of language and violence. This is a great representation of an important moment in history, and because Hesse highlighted some of the lesser known efforts happening behind enemy lines, the tale felt fresh and new. I definitely recommend this one.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild swearing.
Romance/Sexual Content A couple of brief kisses. One boy confesses to being in love with another boy.
Spiritual Content There’s a brief discussion about the fact that at first non-practicing Jews thought they might be safer from Nazis than practicing Jews.
Violent Content A teenage girl is shot in the head.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When Jacqueline and her mother receive news that her father, a French soldier in World War II has been shot down, she refuses to give up hope that he’ll return home. She studies hard, prays to the saint in the book her father gave her, and visits the train yard where wounded prisoners arrive. As the Nazis who occupy her small French town begin to remove local Jews from the neighborhood, Jacqueline and her mother hide a boy in their home. Soon the Americans come to liberate France from German control, and Jacqueline befriends an American soldier who promises to help her find word about her father. The friendship changes both their lives.
I love World War II stories, and this tale is no exception. My daughter (in fifth grade) and I read Number the Stars this year, and I think Jacqueline would make a good companion novel to read as part of a World War II unit in the classroom as it shows a similar story about what was happening in another country during the war. The fact that this tale is based on a true story also gave it special meaning to me. I enjoyed feeling like I was sharing in a piece of history and one of those moments that humanity and generosity crosses national lines. Very cool stuff.
As far as the writing, the characters were entertaining. I especially liked the banter between Jacqueline and David and the way their relationship develops, particularly in the way they share the experience of grief.
Language Content
None.
Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Interview with Author Jackie Minniti
Hi Jackie! Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions about your book. Can you tell me a little bit about the story of the real WWII veteran who inspired you to write Jacqueline?
Jacqueline is based on an experience my dad (a WWII vet, age 99) had while stationed in Rennes, France with the 127th General Hospital shortly after D-Day. Rennes had just been liberated after a brutal period of Nazi occupation, and the citizens were desperately poor. A little girl named Jacqueline began following my father to and from the military hospital where he worked as a pharmacist. Dad said she was like a little lost puppy. Since he spoke very little French, and she spoke no English, they learned to communicate by teaching each other words and phrases and using hand gestures. Their friendship blossomed, and when the 127th was transferred to another city, Jacqueline came to the hospital carrying a loaf of bread and a book as goodbye gifts. This was a huge sacrifice since she had so little. It was New Year’s Day, and sleet was falling. Jacqueline was wearing a sweater and was shivering with cold, so my dad wrapped her in his coat. He was so touched that he promised her if he ever had a daughter, he would name her Jacqueline. This was the only war story Dad was willing to share, and it became part of our family lore.
That gives me chills. How awesome to be able to take that cherished family memory and share it with th world in your book. What was it about this real life event that inspired you to write a novel for middle readers?
After I retired from teaching and began writing, my father started “hinting” that I should write a book about Jacqueline. I explained that while there might be enough material for a short story, there wasn’t enough for an entire novel, and though our family loved the story, there wasn’t an audience for it. But this didn’t deter my dad, and the hints continued. Several years later, at my son’s wedding reception, one of the guests approached me. “Your father’s been telling me the most amazing story,” he said. “He tells me you’re a writer. You should write a book about it.” I started to explain why it couldn’t be done, but he stopped me. “I have a daughter in 6th grade. She doesn’t know anything about WWII, and she’d love to read a book like this. It could help her learn history.” That was the “Eureka!” moment for me. I can’t explain why it never occurred to me to write the book for younger readers, especially since I’d spent so many years teaching reading in middle school. And the real Jacqueline was the same age as my students, so she’d make a perfect protagonist for a middle grade novel. Once I started thinking of the story in those terms, the plot began to take shape, and I couldn’t wait to start writing.
Haha! That’s awesome. It’s funny how sometimes all it takes is that pivotal change in our expectations that really kicks inspiration into high gear. Were there things about your favorite character which couldn’t be included in the novel?
Jacqueline was definitely my favorite character since I feel like I’ve known her all my life. I would have liked to include more detail about her life before she lost her father, but I didn’t have any information to base it on. And I felt that the day she received the news about him being shot down was a natural place for the story to begin.
I can see how you’d feel that pressure to stay faithful to the real story and yet also have that curiosity about her larger life. That definitely resonates with me as a reader of the story. But I think you made the right choice for the point at which to begin. What do you most hope that readers take away from Jacqueline?
We are losing our WWII veterans at over 600 per day, and their stories are disappearing with them. I think it’s essential to preserve these stories for future generations. I want kids to understand and appreciate the sacrifices that the Greatest Generation made to secure the freedoms they now enjoy and how blessed they are to live in this country. I don’t think today’s students have a thorough understanding of American history, and I see that as a problem. I’m a firm believer that if we don’t learn from history, we’re doomed to repeat it, and I hope that Jacqueline will help keep that from happening.
Wow. I didn’t realize we were losing so many veterans so quickly. My grandfather was a navigator during World War II and was shot down. He survived and returned home to us, but passed away several years ago. Reading stories about servicemen always makes me think of him. I agree with you about how important it is for us to remember our history. What are you most looking forward to reading next?
I’ve been wanting to read The Book Thief because a lot of people have compared it to Jacqueline. I didn’t read it while I was writing Jacqueline because I didn’t want it to bleed into my story, but I plan to read it soon.
That’s a GREAT choice. It’s my number one favorite book. I can see why people compare it to Jacqueline because of Liesl’s character, the loss of her family, and the friendship between her and Rudy. The style and voice are very different. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again for your time.
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