Category Archives: Historical

Review: Sail Me Away Home by Ann Clare LeZotte

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Sail Me Away Home by Ann Clare LeZotte

Sail Me Away Home (Show Me a Sign #3)
Ann Clare LeZotte
Scholastic Press
Published on November 7, 2023

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About Sail Me Away Home

This gripping, stand-alone story, set in the world of the award-winning SHOW ME A SIGN and SET ME FREE, shines a light on the origins of formal deaf education and celebrates the fullness of the Deaf experience.

As a young teacher on Martha’s Vineyard, Mary Lambert feels restless and adrift. So when a league of missionaries invites her to travel abroad, she knows it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Paris is home to a pioneering deaf school where she could meet its visionary instructors, Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc—and even bring back their methods to help advance formal deaf education in America!

But the endeavor comes at a cost: The missionaries’ plan to “save” deaf children is questionable at best—and requires Mary’s support. What’s more, the missionaries’ work threatens the Wampanoag and other native peoples’ freedom and safety. Is pursuing Mary’s own goals worth the price of betraying her friends and her own values?

So begins a feverish and fraught adventure, filled with cunning characters, chance encounters, and new friendships. Together with SHOW ME A SIGN and SET ME FREE, this stunning stand-alone story completes an unforgettable trilogy that will enrich your understanding of the deaf experience and forever alter your perspective on ability and disability.

My Review

I loved revisiting Mary and her family in their island community. In this book, it’s not a terrible crisis that pulls her away from home, but a growing awareness of how some people are marginalized or excluded. In part, this happens as she teaches school for her community, and the local leaders only agree to keep her on as a teacher if she refuses to allow Irish children into the classroom. Mary balks at this and finds a way around this ruling, but she feels stifled and angry at the cruelty of it.

In some ways, this is a gentler story than the previous two in the series. It still reveals to readers some of the prejudices the Deaf faced in the early 1800s. This time, we’re introduced to the development of a formal sign language and a formal school for the Deaf.

I liked getting to see those historical moments brought to life through a character as vibrant and creative as Mary is. I also loved that the whole story reads as if it were Mary’s journal. The chapters aren’t written as journal entries, but the tone felt like that to me. It feels as if she’s speaking directly to the reader, the way someone might write in a diary or journal.

On the whole, I think this is a great series and I’ve really enjoyed reading it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Mary is Deaf and speaks only in signs. Other characters are Deaf and speaking or Wampanoag tribe members.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Mary travels with some pretty judgy missionaries. They turn their noses up at other Christian churches and shun anyone they deem not holy enough. They also manipulate and pressure others or flat-out try to control them. There is some discussion about the harm this high-pressure mission work can cause to the communities it infiltrates by forcing indigenous people to convert. Mary also worries about the construction of a school near an indigenous village. She worries the children will be forced to give up their culture or not allowed to return home.

Violent Content
Someone attempts to kidnap Mary. A few members of Mary’s community say harsh, judgmental things to her. Mary faces some ableist and prejudiced treatment from her traveling companions. She tries to write some of it off as well-meaning ignorance, but some of it is deeply hurtful and harmful.

Drug Content
Someone brings Mary a breakfast tray containing a glass of champagne.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything but help support this blog. I received a free copy of SAIL ME AWAY HOME in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

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The Birchbark House (The Birchbark House #1)
Louise Erdrich
Hyperion Books for Children
Published June 3, 2002 (orig. 1999)

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About The Birchbark House

Nineteenth-century American pioneer life was introduced to thousands of young readers by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books. With THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE, award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s first novel for young readers, this same slice of history is seen through the eyes of the spirited, 7-year-old Ojibwa girl Omakayas, or Little Frog, so named because her first step was a hop. The sole survivor of a smallpox epidemic on Spirit Island, Omakayas, then only a baby girl, was rescued by a fearless woman named Tallow and welcomed into an Ojibwa family on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island, the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. We follow Omakayas and her adopted family through a cycle of four seasons in 1847, including the winter, when a historically documented outbreak of smallpox overtook the island.

Readers will be riveted by the daily life of this Native American family, in which tanning moose hides, picking berries, and scaring crows from the cornfield are as commonplace as encounters with bear cubs and fireside ghost stories. Erdrich–a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa–spoke to Ojibwa elders about the spirit and significance of Madeline Island, read letters from travelers, and even spent time with her own children on the island, observing their reactions to woods, stones, crayfish, bear, and deer.

The author’s softly hewn pencil drawings infuse life and authenticity to her poetic, exquisitely wrought narrative. Omakayas is an intense, strong, likable character to whom young readers will fully relate–from her mixed emotions about her siblings, to her discovery of her unique talents, to her devotion to her pet crow Andeg, to her budding understanding of death, life, and her role in the natural world. We look forward to reading more about this brave, intuitive girl–and wholeheartedly welcome Erdrich’s future series to the canon of children’s classics. (Ages 9 and older) –Karin Snelson

My Review

This book has been on my reading list for a super long time. I’m really glad I was finally able to read it. I own a hard copy of THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE, but I discovered the audiobook version is included in my Audible membership, so I listened to it through that app.

For the most part, this is a really gentle story– the same sort of tempo as LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, but focused on the lives of an Ojibwa family. Omakayas navigates feelings of envy, annoyance, and love for her siblings. She discovers a connection with a family of bears in the forest. A crow becomes a beloved pet.

I loved the moments of mischief and childhood fun. Omakayas hears stories from her father and grandmother. She forges connections with her youngest brother and with an older woman, a hunter who leaves gifts with her family and seems to have a special place in her heart for Omakayas.

It’s such a sweet story, and so beautifully told. THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE is the first in a series of five books. After reading this one, I think I’d enjoy reading the rest of the series. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially life in America in the 1800s.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Omakayas and her family are members of the Ojibwe tribe.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Omakayas briefly worries about what will happen when her older sister marries and creates a home of her own.

Spiritual Content
Omakayas sees her grandmother leave tobacco as an offering when she takes birchbark from a tree. She prays to the spirits for protection and safety for her family. They celebrate the coming of winter with other families in the tribe. Omakayas begins to dream and connect with the spirit of the bear, a healing animal. This means she will be a healer, like her grandmother.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some descriptions of illness (smallpox) and death.

Drug Content
Omakayas’ grandmother and other adults smoke tobacco in a pipe.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros

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Wrath Becomes Her
Aden Polydoros
Inkyard Press
Published October 10, 2023

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About Wrath Becomes Her

FRANKENSTEIN meets INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

Vera was made for vengeance.

Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.

Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live. 

My Review

This is the first book by Aden Polydoros that I’ve read. I started BONE WEAVER, but got pulled away from the book before I could finish it. I knew from that that I liked the writing style, so I felt pretty confident that I would like this book– and I did!

The subject is pretty dark, and the story takes place in winter in Lithuania, so it’s freezing cold in the middle of a war in which the Jews aren’t guaranteed to be safe even from the soldiers fighting against the Germans.

Vera’s exploration of her identity and her desperation to understand humanity reminded me a lot of the book FRANKENSTEIN. She knows she’s other, but she has such deep human impulses and desires, and at first, she idolizes humans. The more she sees war and how people treat one another, the less enamored she is with people.

I thought the story might follow a well-established pattern in which the idea of personhood is explored and romance happens between a created being and a human. There are some hints of romance, especially on Vera’s side, but the story doesn’t center around romantic love.

I really liked the ending of the book. It wasn’t simple, but it felt right to me. I think readers who enjoyed THIS REBEL HEART by Katherine Locke will like this one, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to celebrating Shabbos. References to Jewish folklore, history, and religious texts.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Warfare. References to torture. Graphic descriptions of injuries sustained in battles.

Drug Content
A soldier drinks Vodka from a flask and uses it to wash a wound.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of WRATH BECOMES HER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Night of the Witch
Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
Sourcebooks Fire
Published October 3, 2023

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About Night of the Witch

A witch and a hunter. Vengeance is their mission. Love is their destiny.

Fritzi is a witch. A survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she’s determined to find her only surviving family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader—Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

Otto is a hexenjäger and a captain, the second in command to Dieter Kirch—but that’s just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjägers burned his innocent mother alive, and since then, he has been planning a move against the witch hunters that tore his family apart. And now, the time has come for them to pay for what they’ve done.

When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other despite their common enemy. But all they have is one another, and they both crave revenge. As truths come to light and trust shifts, Fritzi and Otto uncover a far more horrifying plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.

My Review

The story alternates points of view between Fritzi and Otto. Fritzi is the daughter of a powerful witch, but she doubts her own power because of a mysterious voice in her head she’s been taught not to trust. Otto also doubts the authorities in his life. First, because his father was cruel and then because he doesn’t even believe witches exist. He is sure the people the soldiers burn are innocent. And he’s determined to save as many as he can.

I really enjoyed the way the story is anchored both in history and folklore. It felt very immersive. I also liked that Otto separated his trust in the church from his own personal faith. It allowed the story to explore ideas about faith as something separate from an institution. I really liked how the narrative explored that theme with both Fritzi and Otto.

Something about the story reminded me a lot of the duology that starts with GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE by Beth Revis. Plotwise, the two have very little in common. The fact that both stories contain a strong, magic-oriented heroine alongside a politically strong/savvy hero might be why I kept making that connection.

The story is also a bit dark– delving pretty unflinchingly into the history of the witch trials in Europe. It’s got a pretty fiery romance in it, too, so it’s not all grim.

In any case, I think fans of that duology or of European history in the late 1500s will find this an engrossing story. I am really glad I read it, and I think if there’s a follow-up book, I’ll be sure to read that, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are German.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls. In one scene, two characters have sex in a bathing pool.

Spiritual Content
Fritzi hears a voice telling her to sever her connection with the Well, which she has always been taught represents good magic, and draw from wild magic, which she’s been taught is evil. Fritzi and her coven worship three goddesses: the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. Otto is part of a witch-hunting unit of soldiers under the Catholic church.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Witches and suspected witches are burned at the stake. Most scenes reference this without describing it, but there are brief, graphic descriptions in a couple of places. Graphic descriptions of torture. One scene describes a boy torturing and killing a kitten. Battle scenes.

Drug Content
Characters drink beer as a part of their meals.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of NIGHT OF THE WITCH in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt

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Buffalo Flats
Martine Leavitt
Margaret Ferguson Books
Published April 25, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Buffalo Flats

Based on true-life histories, BUFFALO FLATS shares the epic, coming-of-age story of Rebecca Leavitt as she searches for her identity in the Northwest Territories of Canada during the late 1800s.

Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Leavitt has traveled by covered wagon from Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canada, where her father and brothers are now homesteading and establishing a new community with other Latter-Day Saints. Rebecca is old enough to get married, but what kind of man would she marry and who would have a girl like her–a girl filled with ideas and opinions? Someone gallant and exciting like Levi Howard? Or a man of ideas like her childhood friend Coby Webster?

Rebecca decides to set her sights on something completely different. She loves the land and wants her own piece of it. When she learns that single women aren’t allowed to homestead, her father agrees to buy her land outright, as long as Rebecca earns the money –480 dollars, an impossible sum. She sets out to earn the money while surviving the relentless challenges of pioneer life–the ones that Mother Nature throws at her in the form of blizzards, grizzles, influenza, and floods, and the ones that come with human nature, be they exasperating neighbors or the breathtaking frailty of life.

BUFFALO FLATS is inspired by true-life histories of the author’s ancestors. It is an extraordinary novel that explores Latter-Day Saints culture and the hardships of pioneer life. It is about a stubborn, irreverent, and resourceful young woman who remains true to herself and discovers that it is the bonds of family, faith, and friendship–even romance–that tie her to the wild and unpredictable land she loves so fiercely.

My Review

While I liked the pioneering life on the prairie elements of this story, its true genius is in Rebecca’s voice. She’s quick-witted and wry and has big dreams. Her mother nurtures those dreams and makes space for Rebecca to figure out who she is and how to achieve her goals.

The author notes that though certain events in the book come from her huband’s family history, many things were left out or changed. For example, the relative who left Utah for the Northern Territories left one wife behind on his land and took another with him. Though the book explores other aspects of Latter-Day Saints culture, it does not delve into plural marriages, which were legal at the time.

Rebecca faces hardship as a young unmarried woman in her community as well. When she goes to inquire about purchasing land, she learns that legally she doesn’t qualify as a person, so she isn’t eligible to purchase it on her own. Her father or another man could buy the land for ten dollars and “prove up” or develop it, but for her father to even purchase the land and add her name to the deed, he must buy it outright for nearly five hundred dollars.

Another young woman in the community believes in women’s rights, and Rebecca finds comfort in a friendship with her. Rebecca’s parents argue over doctrine about whether her father gets to make decisions about the family unilaterally. So, the story focuses a lot on women’s rights and women making space for themselves in a patriarchal community.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book, especially Rebecca’s strong, engaging voice. I wasn’t familiar with this author’s work before picking up this book. I will definitely read more of her books. If you’re looking for a light historical romance, especially for a reader transitioning to young adult fiction, this one would be a great fit.

Content Notes for Buffalo Flats

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white and members of the Mormon faith community.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used a few times.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. A girl gets unexpectedly pregnant while unmarried. She says she only made one “mistake.” During her pregnancy, her family keeps her at home, but after the baby is born, the community seems to rally around her again.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer, attending church, and reading religious texts. The faith community faces some prejudice from others who worry that the Mormons plan to take over the area.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Mentions of domestic violence. Rebecca’s family discovers that a neighbor abuses his wife. A man attacks two women with a whip. A woman shoots a man in the leg.

Also mentions of caring for the sick and assisting with childbirth. In one scene, a baby is stillborn. Not violence, but might make sensitive readers uncomfortable.

Drug Content
A man who routinely chews tobacco is described as having brown teeth and black insides of his mouth. Brief mention of a man who gets drunk.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of BUFFALO FLATS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: White House Clubhouse by Sean O’Brien

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , ,

White House Clubhouse
Sean O’Brien
Norton Young Readers
Published October 3, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About White House Clubhouse

From a former White House, a middle grade series following two First Daughters who team up with historical presidential children to save the nation.

Marissa and Clara’s mom is the newly elected president of the United States, and they haven’t experienced much freedom lately. While exploring the White House, they discover a hidden tunnel that leads to an underground clubhouse full of antique curiosities, doors heading in all directions―and a mysterious invitation to join the ranks of White House kids. So, they sign the pledge.

Suddenly, the lights go out, and Marissa and Clara find themselves at the White House in 1903. There they meet Quentin, Ethel, Archie, and Alice, the irrepressible children of President Theodore Roosevelt. To get back home, Marissa and Clara must team up with the Roosevelt kids “to help the president” and “to make a difference.” White House Clubhouse is a thrilling and hilarious adventure that takes readers on an action-packed, cross-country railroad trip back to the dawn of the twentieth century and the larger-than-life president at the country’s helm. Black-and-white illustrations throughout.

My Review

I’ve read a couple of books in the last few years that draw readers into the (fictionalized) lives of real historical figures, and I love that idea. While it isn’t the same as reading a biography of the people by any means, it does get readers engaged with historical figures and thinking of them as real people with feelings, desires, and flaws. It also creates a great opportunity to research and see which elements of a story are fact versus which are fiction.

In WHITE HOUSE CLUBHOUSE, two sisters, Marissa and Clara, travel back in time to help the Roosevelt children solve a problem: a giant tree is about to be destroyed in California, and the land developer who plans to destroy it will then destroy other natural spaces.

Along the way, they learn about Teddy Roosevelt’s life. They meet a Rough Rider who charged up San Juan Hill with him. Alice Roosevelt speaks about being left behind by her father after her mother passed away. They witness Roosevelt sketch and paint a falcon. The girls also learn to trust one another and work together to achieve something.

I think readers who enjoy books featuring real-life characters will enjoy this fun-filled romp through a moment in Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Marissa and Clara are Latina, and their mother is serving as the President of the United States. Other major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Clara calls her sister names, including “spazo” to try to wake her after she is injured.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A stern man chases children. A bull chases a man and children in a field. A man tosses two girls from a horse onto a moving train. An explosion injures a girl. Another child makes a dangerous climb up a very tall tree.

Drug Content
Two men smoke cigars under a tree. A fire starts when one doesn’t put out his cigar properly.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of WHITE HOUSE CLUBHOUSE in exchange for my honest review.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle grade posts called Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.