A quick-paced foray into English history and one girl’s self-discovery.
The life of a butcher’s daughter is intertwined with those of the princes in the Tower of London.
Born during the tumultuous years of England’s Wars of the Roses, Nell, fictional daughter of John Gould, an actual historical royal butcher, grows up as a companion and dear friend to Prince Edward. Ned is the firstborn son of King Edward IV, but his uncle is Richard, Duke of Gloucester, portrayed here as grim and suspicious. When Ned is sent to the Welsh Marches to learn kingship, he writes to Nell in Latin and awakens in her a thirst for reading and writing. In short order, the king dies, Richard seizes the throne, and Nell and her little brother are given permission to visit Ned and his brother, who are being held in the Tower of London. The visit becomes a sojourn, and Nell acknowledges her love for Ned. Escaping to a nunnery after the royal murders, Nell finds sanctuary, witnesses the death of Richard in Bosworth Field, and finally understands that she can have a fulfilling, independent life. Characters both real and imaginary inhabit this multilayered, dramatic interpretation of royal intrigue. Nell has a keen eye for royal household details, adding depth and warmth to the tale. The afterword and timeline are essential reading for a full understanding of the story.
A quick-paced foray into English history and one girl’s self-discovery. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4607-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)
Traumatized by his father’s recent death, a boy throws a brick at an old man who collects junk in his neighborhood and winds up on probation working for him.
Pearsall bases the book on a famed real work of folk art, the Throne of the Third Heaven, by James Hampton, a janitor who built his work in a garage in Washington, D.C., from bits of light bulbs, foil, mirrors, wood, bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard—the titular seven most important things. In late 1963, 13-year-old Arthur finds himself looking for junk for Mr. Hampton, who needs help with his artistic masterpiece, begun during World War II. The book focuses on redemption rather than art, as Hampton forgives the fictional Arthur for his crime, getting the boy to participate in his work at first reluctantly, later with love. Arthur struggles with his anger over his father’s death and his mother’s new boyfriend. Readers watch as Arthur transfers much of his love for his father to Mr. Hampton and accepts responsibility for saving the art when it becomes endangered. Written in a homespun style that reflects the simple components of the artwork, the story guides readers along with Arthur to an understanding of the most important things in life.
Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-49728-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense.
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you’ve ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school–aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact.
Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: “See us….Hear us. Help us.” With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar.
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-88083-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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