Focus On The Hocus Pocus

The room is darker.  Did the sun go under gathering clouds?  Your dog is staring at you and whining.  Didn't you just take her outside?  Your legs are asleep.  When was the last time you moved?  You look at the clock startled to see it's hours later; the afternoon replaced with early evening.  You look at the object in your hand realizing you've been lost...in a book.  You were captivated and captured by the writing, setting, plot and characters.  They invited you into their world and there was nothing else you would rather do.

Little more than one year ago readers were introduced to a resourceful, determined and caring eleven-year-old orphan in Audacity Jones To The Rescue (Scholastic Press, January 26, 2016).  The second book titled Audacity Jones Steals The Show (Scholastic Press, January 31, 2017) written by Kirby Larson is as suspenseful and charming as the first in the series.  You simply can't stop reading it once you start.

If you, dear reader, have not this very day observed at least three instances of the magical, the mysterious, or the miraculous, do set this book down right away.  Find a story more to your disposition.  Perhaps something about chalk.

Chapter One
A Somber Ceremony

Audacity Jones peered around the corner, examining the great hallway of Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls with utmost care.
"Is the coast clear?" asked someone standing behind her.
"Clear?" echoed the three small voices belonging to the triplets.
Audacity scouted left and right.  Not a kid-leather boot nor starched pinafore to be seen in either direction.  The dozen other Wayward Girls were no doubt hard at work on the morning lesson.

Audacity and Bimmy just informed Lavender, Lilac and Violet of their plans to leave Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls to assist Cypher, now a member of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, in his first solo assignment in New York City.  Next Audacity must convince Cypher of the need for Bimmy and Min, her constant companion and most unusual cat, to accompany her.  With all missions accomplished, Cypher, Audacity and Bimmy board the train to New York City.  Cypher forbid Min from going but resourcefulness is a strong virtue in this creature as is her ability to converse with other animals, even elephants.

As the foursome move toward their destination a citizen of the city is fretting in the early morning hours about an upcoming performance unlike any previously done.  He has employed a person of the highest scientific intelligence to assist in his next trick, the vanishing of a full-grown elephant.  Theo Quinn seems to be hesitant to reveal more than small portions of the idea at a time.  Harry Houdini has sought the services of a particular Pinkerton man to protect this Theo Quinn, the idea and Theo's silence for which he has paid a great deal of money.

Cypher's plan to have him, Audacity, Bimmy and Theo (a remarkable young woman to Houdini's surprise) pose as jugglers so they can be near Houdini at the theater puts them in the thick of the crowd of performers at their hotel and the Hippodrome.  It makes all their efforts more difficult especially when Theo disappears.  Someone wants Houdini to fail.  Someone will do anything to make this happen.

There are several other surprising threads woven into the main tapestry of this tale; an inheritance, a baby elephant, and an unexpected circus performance.  Audacity's ear buzzing is most welcome in assessing the veracity of villains Billy Bottle, Helmut, an elephant trainer, and one Wylie Wurmer posing as the Great Oberon, a famous magician.  A hazel-eyed street vendor, Bert, the theater manager and Jamie Doolan, assistant elephant trainer, work their own kind of miracles.

You literally cannot turn the pages fast enough to reach the resolution of not one, not two but three scenarios.  You find yourself holding your breath, waiting to see if each small piece falls into place.

"Look at this life---all mystery and magic.
                       ---Harry Houdini


One of the first names which come to mind when you think of outstanding middle grade historical fiction is Kirby Larson.  Her ability to blend details of the past into her narrative is indeed magical.  You step back in time, soaking in the descriptions of specific scenes, the architecture, the clothing, the methods of travel and the way people spoke.

We flawlessly move from one character to another, chapter by chapter, adding to our knowledge of them and their place in the overall story.  Their thoughts and conversations disclose their personalities.  Each character, good and bad, is fully alive.  Enjoy these sample passages.

Billy Bottle watched from the shadows as Mr. Houdini parted company with Theo, possibilities scurrying through his mind like rats through a dark alley.  Houdini thought he was Mr. Muckety-Muck, did he?  Maybe he'd like to be taken down a notch or two.  And Billy was the man to do it.

What Billy heard when he eavesdropped through the vent weren't dull as dirt as Theo's conversations with all them scientist types.  This time he could almost follow the conversation, and it perked his spirits up considerable.


Bimmy tugged on the dark curl over her right ear.  "Oberon wasn't robbed."
"You see, I warned you about jumping to conclusions," Cypher said.
"Oberon wasn't robbed because that wasn't Oberon."  Bimmy put her hands in her lap.
Audie's fork clattered to her plate.  "What?"
Cypher closed his eyes, as if in prayer.  "Ladies, if I may---"
"Oh, this is so thrilling!"  Theo clapped gleefully.  "I must get out of my laboratory more often."
Bimmy glanced at Audie and then at Cypher.  "Do you remember in the cab I told you Oberon and I had performed in the same circus?"
"Oh, yes!"  Audie's eyes sparkled with the memory.  "He gave you a rabbit.  Which you set free in the woods."
"Clever girl," Theo approved.  "Animals deserve to live in their natural environments.  I myself once rehabilitated a small barred owl.  Though it does return to my window from time to time, it seems to have fully embraced its natural state.  Quite remarkable, really."
Cypher rubbed at his temples with vigor.  "This is all fascinating, but might we return to the subject at hand?" Keeping a conversation on track with these three was more difficult than herding camels!


Oblivious to the workers' hopes, the cat forged ahead, motivated by one reason only:  the sad aroma signaling her new friend, Punk.  She turned down a dark hallway, and down a darker set of stairs.  Ahead was an enormous door behind which bubbled a stew of animal scents, including that of the baby she sought.
With purpose, Min padded forward.
Only to be stopped by a snarling pair of Dobermans.


Rejoice readers!  Audacity Jones Steals The Show written by Kirby Larson is a page-turner extraordinaire.  The final four paragraphs will have you longing for another book in the series with the air thick with mystery.  In an author's note Kirby Larson explains this book in its historical context; no specific dates are mentioned in the narrative.  You will enjoy her acknowledgments too!

To learn more about Kirby Larson and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  She further clarifies this book in a Friend Friday post.  Author Barbara O'Connor talks about this title on her blog, Greetings from Nowhere.

Of Coffins, Combustion, Chickens And Cursed Contracts

Illustration by Ben Whitehouse

We all know and admire people who look at the world as one large living, breathing machine consisting of a nearly infinite amount of parts working together.  They assess every situation seeking solutions.  There are no boundaries or limits to their imagination.  They are always thinking outside the box.

In The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin (Walden Pond Press, April 12, 2016) written by Elinor Teele with cover and interior illustrations by Ben Whitehouse, two orphans, an older brother and his younger sister, must use their best qualities to survive the clutches of a dastardly relative. A family ritual of storytelling bolsters their hearts.  What each one does and would do for the other is the soul of this story.

The Beginning
"Tell me a story."
"A story? Not now!"
"My dear boy, if not now, when?  Seize the carp, John. Seize the carp." ...

Chapter 1
Once upon a time there was a boy who made coffins.  His name was John Peregrine Coggin, and the Coggin family had been manufacturing wooden caskets in the city of Pludgett for over a hundred years. ...

With this introduction and the beginning of chapter one, your mind is already filling up with questions.  Who was talking to John?  Where are they?  When is this conversation taking place?  You are intrigued to the core.

John, now eleven and his sister Paige, nearly seven, have been living with his Great-Aunt Beauregard since the death of their parents when he was five.  Unfortunately with his brilliant mind and his aunt putting him to work long hours at an early age, he has become the best coffin maker in the swampy community of  Pludgett.  He detests making caskets, yearning for some kind of escape from what promises to be a life of drudgery for both he and his sister.  An unusual impromptu trip away from the shop to a hotel by the sea has the siblings hopeful for a brighter future but then again, this is Great-Aunt Beauregard in charge of the outcome.

Her proposals have John saying things he has never previously said to her face.  The children make an escape out of a locked room with the assistance of a new friend, Boz, an exceedingly long-winded, walking-dictionary and mischief-making scamp.  Where might their destination be, you ask?  They are headed for the company of The Wandering Wayfarers, a circus.  A non-functioning steam powered engine named Autopsy and an unfortunate episode with a local official's newfangled automobile have the children on the run again.  To make matters worse Great-Aunt Beauregard has an uncanny knack of locating them wherever they go.

John, Paige and sometimes Boz, find themselves in one calamitous mess after another, exploding chicken poo being the least of their worries.  Each situation and the characters they meet add to the escalating precariousness of their future.  Will forces for good, ingenuity and teamwork prevail against greed and deceitfulness?  Only a dragon, a shaggy dog and a flying coffin can supply the answer.


As soon as you read the first page, you are drawn into the story by the request for a story.  Without missing a beat Elinor Teele draws us willingly into places seemingly familiar but completely unique, describing the communities, residences and other modes of transportation in which our main characters find themselves.  The phrase, a cast of colorful characters, applies with gusto to this narrative.  John and Paige find themselves thrust not always by choice but more due to circumstances into the presence of diverse and multi-dimensional people.

John's thoughts, the conversations between all the characters and the language each uses create highly engaging and often comedic responses in readers.  You will find yourself mentally assigning voice qualities to the characters based upon their personalities.  Boz's persuasive, embellished observations and suggestions, Great-Aunt Beauregard's boisterous outbursts, Maria Persimmons quiet, loving words, Leslie's arrogant assumptions and Miss Doyle's wise counsel as well as the circus performers requests, insights and advice supply non-stop entertainment, a montage of ingredients in the siblings' stew of life.  Here are some sample passages.

And when that didn't work---and granaries and grannies took to mysteriously disappearing overnight---the settlers began building hovels on top of the ones that were sinking.  The whole city was a layer cake of decay.
Of course, living in a city built on a swamp meant the air smelled like rotten eggs and mosquitoes were the size of pumpkins.  But no one ever complained.  Pludgett citizens were terribly proud of Pludgett.

"Building a story is like any other invention, John my lad," he would say.  "Guts and gung-ho at the beginning, struggles and surprises in the middle, and the glorious moment when everything comes right."

When John found enough balance to peek back at the fence, he could just spy the top of the canary in Great-Aunt Beauregard's hat.  It appeared to be screaming.
"JOHN PEREGRINE COGGIN! I WILL ROAST YOUR GIBLETS FOR THIS!

He stood and began touching his toes.
"One, two, one, two.  A working bakery like this should give me exactly the capital I need to convert my castle at Howst into a showpiece for investors." He threw back his shoulders and pounded his chest for emphasis.  "Harry, you may not know it yet, but you are looking at the next real estate king of this country."
Then, as a fitting finale, Leslie farted.

"Euripides!" Boz blasted.  "By George, I think you've got it!"
John grinned, happiness rising in him like yeasty bubbles.  


The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin written by Elinor Teele with cover and interior illustrations by Ben Whitehouse is a stellar story of high adventure.  You are advised to be prepared to read on the edge of your seat from cover to cover in a single sitting.  As you move with the primary characters from escapade to escapade you, like them, will understand (or have your beliefs confirmed) there is more than one way to define family.

If you desire to learn more about Elinor and this debut title, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Please stop by the publisher's website to read an excerpt.  An activity guide, writing exercises, is available here.  To read the other posts by bloggers in this tour follow this link to the Walden Pond Press blog.


To be able to chat with Elinor through a series of questions is an honor.  I know you are going to be as delighted as I am with her answers.

When I read a book as engaging as The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin (I did consume it in one sitting on a Sunday past.) I find myself marking passages with sticky notes.  One of the first pages I marked in this title referred to a rather vivid description of the town of Pludgett where John and his sister Page live.  I’m curious to know whether the world of Pludgett and the surrounding towns came first to you or did one of the characters present themselves to you? 

It’s been so long since the first draft that I had to go back and do some ferreting! John and Page are loosely based on reality, so they were in my head from the beginning.

But I always had Dickens in mind when it came to creating place. The opening passage of Bleak House and the description of the Thames in Little Dorrit are particular favorites of mine. I wanted Pludgett to be a city that reflected John’s trapped imagination—grime, grit, repetition, and layers and layers of rotting thinking. 

My original notes read:

“Unhappy, unhappy. Grind, grind, grind. Inventiveness frowned upon. Like rats in a maze, directed over the same lines again and again.”

Within the body of the story there seems to be a blend of the past, without our current inventions, with more iconic text.  An example is your description of John as a lean unkeen coffin machine.  Was this blend intentional and would you tell us why?

Yep, it’s intentional. Since I was writing the book for my relatives, I wanted Coggin to have some of the same flavor of The Princess Bride, a family favorite—

·        “Life is pain. Anybody that says different is selling something.”

·        “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.”  

And it seemed fitting that John, whose imagination is boundless, shouldn’t be restricted by historical “accuracy” in the tone or text. The book is about busting open the rulebook. 

From your bio on your website you have a keen interest in theater and the study of Anglo-Saxon literature.  Did this influence the character of Boz being verbose in exceedingly descriptive language with a flair for the dramatic? 

Probably, but my siblings will tell you that verboseness and the tendency to be a ham were obvious from my early years! Theatre and my studies in literature just seem to have compounded it.  

I don’t adore all my characters, but I do have a soft spot for Boz. Like Gonzo in The Muppets or Merlyn in The Once and Future King, he doesn’t belong to a particular time period or setting—he’s a master of doggerel and servant of none. I hope folks have fun with the Easter eggs (cultural references) embedded in his speech.

Did you have to do much research to create the scientific thinking of John’s mind? 

Some. I’ve never been good at engineering principles—that honor belongs to my father and my grandfather—and it took me a while to sort out internal combustion. I’m absolutely certain that I’ve made a few clangers in my descriptions. (My apologies to my science teachers!)

But it was intriguing to discover how John’s interest in “how things work” dovetailed with my own exploration of “how writing works.” The two disciplines aren’t that far apart. You have a large variety of component parts that you must put together in a particular order. One thing follows another, and small structural mistakes can be extremely costly.

Would you please describe your writing space for us if you have a specific area?  Do you have a special schedule for your writing? 

I write in an old chicken coop. It still has the faint scent of its former inhabitants, but it’s perfectly serviceable.

There’s no special schedule, other than achieving a certain word count by the end of the week. Hours don’t count—you can stare at the ceiling for a day and call it work. For my own sanity, I have to get something on a page.

Did your work in photography help in creating the places in this book?  Are they based on any actual settings?

Probably not. When I’m taking photos, I’m thinking about framing and light and technical bits; I’m not always concentrating on how to describe the scene in front of me. Sometimes I wonder whether it’s hindering more than helping. But let’s give it the benefit of the doubt—photography has taught me to be more careful about noticing hidden corners.  

And, yes, some of the places are based on actual settings. The street of bakeries where Maria lives is a mash-up of a backpacking trip through York in the U.K. and Hansel & Gretel’s stumble through the forest; the lunar landscape of Miss Doyle’s archeological dig was prompted by a memory of New Zealand; and the train scenes harken back to a cross-country trip through Canada when I was very young.

Is there anything else you would like readers to know?

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin has taught me nothing is perfect.  Every invention is an adventure.  Every book is about trying something completely new and hoping to hell it works.  I hope I've written something kids will enjoy, but if I've failed, that's okay.  Life would be awfully boring with no mistakes.

Two Halves Beating As One

When book nerds take a break it's a safe assumption reading will be involved.  Sometimes a couple of chapters stretch into an hour.  The task at hand is resumed but completed as quickly as possible so the reluctantly-paused reading can begin again.  An evening vanishes as well as most of the following morning until the final word is read.  In less than twenty-four hours a two hundred thirty-four page book is consumed.

This kind of book makes everything else disappear as you drop into the story.  This kind of book is worth SHOUTING about long and loud.  Some Kind Of Courage (Scholastic Press, January 26, 2016) written by Dan Gemeinhart, author of the highly successful The Honest Truth (Scholastic Press, January 25, 2015), is one of those books.

CHAPTER 1
OCTOBER, 1890
OLD MISSION, WASHINGTON

I reckoned it was the coldest, darkest hour of the night.  That still hour just before dawn.  Mama always called it the "angels and devils hour," on account of how only angels or demons would have any work worth doing at a time like that.

Twelve, nearly thirteen, Joseph Johnson is about to embark on a perilous journey but first he needs to escape the horrible clutches of his ne'er-do-well guardian, an avid fan of alcohol and plain questionable living.  Joseph aims to take the money and a gun.  Before you jump to any conclusions, the money was attained when Mr. Grissom sold Sarah, Joseph's horse, without his knowledge and the gun belonged to Joseph's deceased papa.  It's more than a little tense when Grissom wakes from a drunken stupor but the young man prevails determined with every fiber of his being to get his beloved pony back. Now he just has to track down the devilish scoundrel, Ezra Bishop, more thief than honest horseman who has Sarah.

Several early morning encounters bring him sadness and thankfulness in equal measure as he heads toward the nearest town, Wenatchee.  There, at the trading post, he befriends a Chinese youth about his age, "Ah-Kee", lost and alone.  Through Joseph's acts of kindness, the two head south out of town following the Columbia River in pursuit of what they love the most, neither understanding a word the other says but instinctively knowing they are better together.

Each day brings them sometimes closer, other times farther away from their individual goals.  A wake-up bathroom break is prelude to a too-close for comfort meeting with an angry grizzly.  They've hardly had time to recover from this when the next morning hearing calls of distress they offer assistance to a Native American youth, older and larger than either Joseph or "Ah-Kee" and his younger sister.  A race does result in them no longer having to travel on foot.  Their arrival in Ellensburg brings them heart-stopping near to death for the second time completely altering their plans.

Mother Nature levels huge distractions on the boys not once but twice where death and life hang in balance for them and others they meet in their further travels toward the town of Yakima. (By now I've had a map out following along with the duo.)  A parting of ways, a terrifying ride, and the ringing of gun shots will literally cause your heart to pause.  So will the conclusion.


As soon as I read the date and location on the first chapter page, I knew I was in for a wild ride back into the West. Within two paragraphs readers are transfixed by Joseph's situation.  This is the second paragraph.

I'd been lying too many sleepless hours in my sorry straw-stuffed bed, waiting for the old man to finally fall asleep.  My plan had been burning all night in my mind like the last glowing embers in the fireplace, keeping my heart awake.  Truth be told, my hands were a bit shaky as I finally crept, as quiet as could be, across the cabin's dirt floor toward where he lay snoring.  And it weren't just the cold making 'em shake, neither.  But my heart was as steady as a true horse, heading toward home.

This writing style supplied by Dan Gemeinhart gives us two things:  valuable insights into the character of Joseph and his dilemma and a vivid picture of his surroundings.  We are unquestionably captivated and compelled to keep reading.  He has a knack for ending and beginning chapters with white-knuckle sentences.

Throughout the story dialogue and first-person musings attach us to Joseph.  We cheer for those in his favor and condemn those who wish him harm.  As Joseph meets people, characters either kind and caring, too gruff for goodness, nasty to the core or one in particular whose goodness pierces his evil demeanor in slivers, he is in frequent conversations with his conscience relying on the voices of his parent's teachings to help him make decisions.  These perceptions engage readers, encouraging them to speculate how they might react in similar positions.

Gemeinhart allows us to see how Joseph's trek is not only measured in miles but in the growth of his personality.  We, like Joseph, are not only shaped but the physical places in which we reside and visit but in the people who cross those paths.  Another technique employed by Gemeinhart is to reveal Joseph's past as he converses with "Ah-Kee".  The Chinese youth can't understand Joseph but his facial features and body posture imply compassion, putting Joseph at ease.  Here are three additional passages from the book.

"Angel feathers," I said quietly, watching it fall.  Ah-Kee looked at me.  "That's what my sister called it. Katie."  Saying her name out loud like that, after so long, made me want to smile and cry at the same time.  It made me feel a whole different kind of alone.  "When there was snow like this in the morning, I used to say it looked like sugar, like the whole world had gotten candied overnight.  But she insisted it was feathers from the wings of angels, flying around at night watching over people."  Ah-Kee sat there and listened with his solemn eyes.  I blew my breath out in a foggy cloud.  "Let's stoke the fire and eat some grub and hit the road."

The air was a deep kind of cold, the sort of cold that tells your bones that fall is ending and winter is coming right up behind it.  A mostly full moon threw its silver light on the snow-topped hills, the pines, the grass around the cabin.  Off in the distance I could hear the river, tumbling its way through the night toward Yakima.
I stood alone in the darkness. Well, with the moon it weren't all-the-way darkness.  But I felt sure enough all-the-way alone.
I wanted my horse back right then more than ever.

The ax head shined bright as a bullet in the morning light.  It glinted as it rose up, swift and deadly, then flashed as it came slicing down.  I grunted and gasped. 


There is something for everyone in Some Kind Of Courage written by Dan Gemeinhart.  It's abundant adventure, total love of a horse for his boy and a boy for his horse, prevalent doses of how to decide right from wrong, inclusion of the discrimination against the Chinese and its introduction of persons residing in these particular Western settings, Native Americans, homesteaders, horse traders, agents, merchants and townsfolk, and outlaws, contribute to the excellence found within this historical fiction.  It's downright suspenseful and flawlessly heartwarming.

To learn more about Dan Gemeinhart please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.

UPDATE:  Dan Gemeinhart is interviewed at Book Q & A With Deborah Kalb.  

And The Plot Thickens

Every snapshot of life is composed of layers.  If we take any given scene revealed by a glance out the window of our home, a look across our yard at an unusual bird squawk, or a peek at people walking down the street when we are stopped at a light, we can expect there to be more beneath the surface.  The bird, a crow, upon further inspection is being chased by a bunch of smaller birds, probably for doing something pesky.  The tree, in which it takes sanctuary, now more than fifty feet tall, was planted decades ago by a little boy in memory of a beloved pet.  This pet was saved from...  Thankfully there will always be stories within stories.

When you have the opportunity to read a book with threads of history and mystery liberally woven into the fabric of a classic adventure, you can expect to have a page-turner on your hands.  Audacity Jones To The Rescue (Scholastic Press, January 26, 2016) written by Newbery Honor award winner Kirby Larson introduces readers to an eleven year old who more than lives up to her name.  Audacity Jones' predictable life at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls in Swayzee, Indiana is about to change on this Christmas Eve.

WARNING
If you are a reader whose knees wobble at the mere mention of adventure, danger and derring-do, close these covers immediately and select a tome more to your liking.

Perhaps something about pudding.

Audacity Jones has once again devoured every sprig of burned broccoli, even though clean plates simply were not tolerated at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls.
Miss Maisie's barley-water breath traveled the length of the scarred mahogany table, arriving well before her reprimand.

To her good friends, the triplets, Lilac, Lavender and Violet, and Bimmy, Audacity's fate on this holiday eve is upsetting at the very least.  To be sent to the Punishment Room is the worst sort of discipline any of the seventeen girls residing in this home can imagine.  In fact no one has ever been there and most certainly not with the regularity which seems to plague Audacity.

If they only knew what is within those four walls.  It's a magnificent library with books gathered by the late Mr. Witherton.  Audacity, like a particular rabbit begging not to be thrown into a briar patch, rather likes learning as much as she can.  She is frequently visited by a wayward cat, Miniver, with an uncanny amount of intelligence.  Her time this evening though is cut short by an unexpected visitor.

Commodore Crutchfield, a routine benefactor of the school, has arrived.  He is in need of a girl, specifically an orphan.  As Audacity's arch nemesis Divinity is so quick to point out, she, Audacity, is the only true orphan at the school.  Fueled by her constant reading and longing for adventure, Audacity agrees to go on this secret mission with the Commodore.  Besides the buzzing in her left ear, a predictor of usually bad news, is up at full volume.

It seems Audacity, Commodore Crutchfield, the driver of his touring car, Cypher, and Miniver, who smuggled herself aboard in the wicker trunk, are now traveling toward the nation's capital, Washington, D. C.   Once settled in their hotel there, other characters of decidedly dubious nature, the bellman, Stanley, and Mrs. Elva Finch, make an appearance as key players in a dastardly plan involving President Taft and his family.  There are new friends whose assistance is invaluable, Juice Johnson, a local newsboy whose grandfather Daddy Dub runs the stables at the White House and the French maid, Beatrice who has been hired to care for Audacity.  And who are the mysterious petite Madame Volta and the massive Igor?

Poison, locked, money and transatlantic are only some of the words found in a web woven of intrigue with the days and hours spinning toward the New Year's Day reception at the White House.  Efforts large and small on the side of good and evil will collide.  Resourcefulness will rule the day.


When Kirby Larson creates historical fiction readers can be sure of several things in her writing; painstaking research, a true sense of place and time in the detailed descriptions and characters indicative of the time period.  The conversations between the characters, the words they use and the manner in which they speak, flesh out their personalities in our minds.  Even though those living in the story might not immediately know who can or cannot be trusted we readers start to form our own opinions until we are surprised by Larson's cleverness.

We find ourselves championing for Audacity, cheering for her friends at the school, fist pumping for her new companions in Washington D. C. and gasping at the vileness of the villains.  There are layers to the events and also to the portrayals of the people.  Here are some sample passages.

More prudent minds might label the Commodore's request nothing more than a wild-goose chase.  But what good are wild geese, if not pursued upon occasion?  Audie reflected on a Chinese proverb she'd skimmed in The People's Proverbs: "Pearls don't lie on the seashore.  If you desire one, you must dive for it."  In her short life, she had noted that, oftimes, a person is put in difficult positions for good reasons.  Reasons that are beyond comprehension.  And more than having an adventure, Audie dreamed of doing some good in the world.  It appeared that in order to gather that particular pearl, she would have to dive.  "Bees and bonnets," she said.  "I'll go." ...

...The triplets' sniffles exploded into wails.  Bimmy threw her arms around Audie's waist.  "Don't go, Audie.  Don't!"
Audie patted her comrade's back.  "What have I always told you?"
Bimmy released her grip, drawing in a shaky breath.  "That everything will turn out splendid in the end," she said.  "And if it's not splendid, it's not the end."

Juice leaned the poker against the fireplace.  "I was just thinking." he began.
The old man lit his pipe, shaking the wooden match to extinguish the flame. " 'Bout the little gal you brought 'round today?"
Juice had long ago stopped being surprised by his grandfather's intuition.  He nodded.
"You didn't find her any too soon." Daddy Dub took three puffs on his pipe.
Juice picked up a stick of cordwood. "What do you mean?"
"She's going to need our help."  He tapped his pipe on the ashtray.
"Pretty darned quick, too, 'cording to my rheumatiz.  Best to keep an eye on her."
Juice managed to load the wood into the stove without dropping it.  How did Daddy Dub know such things?  That was a mystery.
But it was no mystery that he was rarely wrong.


Audacity Jones To The Rescue written by Kirby Larson is first-rate historical fiction packed with memorable characters real and imagined whose lives run together accidentally and on purpose.  Every nuance within the plot unfolds precisely as planned by Larson. Fortunately for readers this is the first volume in a series with a hint as to the next escapade on the last page.  In an author's note and in her acknowledgments Kirby Larson further endears readers to this book and its beginnings.

To learn more about Kirby Larson and her other wonderful novels and picture books, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Kirby Larson is interviewed about this title at author Janet Fox's blog.  Believe me; you are going to want to read this.  Author Barbara O'Connor talks about Audacity Jones To The Rescue on her blog, Greetings from Nowhere.

Sleuth And Truth

There are any number of reasons a book ends up on your to-be-read stack.  In the case of one of my most recently read titles, a middle grade novel, it was first a reference made on social media about the illustrator creating the artwork for the dust jacket and interior images.  This particular illustrator, John Hendrix, is respected for his signature depictions of history.  His interpretations and details direct our attention to the most fascinating aspects.  

. @hendrixart Lou Grant really likes your cover illustration for The Detective's Assistant. 😺 https://t.co/LPpCFhTSJR

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) April 4, 2015

When mystery, history, Chicago, and two spirited female characters are words used to describe the story, the intrigue heightened.


A copy, ordered in February, of The Detective's Assistant (Little, Brown And Company, April 7, 2015) written by Kate Hannigan arrived shortly after the release.  Weeks went by with the cover and promise of a marvelous tale calling to me.  I finally ordered another copy in audio format so every time I drove my car, I could follow the adventures of the characters.  (At this point I have to admit, I did, more than once, sit in my driveway and garage unable to stop listening.)



Before the first page, a single eye looks directly at the reader with the words

"WE NEVER SLEEP"

written beneath the picture.  This is, as you will soon discover, the logo for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.  With a page turn, the narrator, Cornelia, begins the story.

Chapter 1
In Which I Find Myself on the 
Doorstep of a Pickled Onion

You're expecting me to do what?" snapped a peevish voice from the other side of the heavy wooden door.  It opened just a few inches to allow a single blue eye to survey me up and down.  "Take in this gangly urchin you claim is one of my kin?" One look tells me the child hasn't made the acquaintance of a bar of lye in a good many years, not to mention been in the same two-mile vicinity of a comb."

Cornelia, Cornie to her friends, has been left at her only remaining relative's door in a Chicago boarding house; the Right Reverend Abernathy having thrown paperwork toward the woman and skedaddled down the stairs and out into the street.  Her widow aunt, Kate Warne, who she calls Aunt Kitty, wants nothing to do with Cornelia including her name.  Within minutes Cornelia has been given the title of Nell Warne.  Now in all fairness to Kate Warne, you can understand her indifferent, rigid attitude toward Nell once the past is revealed.  Nell's recently deceased father, who was shot to death, had years earlier accidentally, under mysterious circumstances, shot his brother, Matthew Warne, Kate's husband.

To Nell's utter distress the next morning her aunt announces her intention to place her in the Home for the Friendless newly located on Wabash Avenue.  Thankfully a pickpocket, Nell's quick thinking and an injured knee alter the course of events for that day.  The next morning a routine is established with Nell helping the owner of the boarding house, Mrs. Wigginbottom, with shopping to help ease the newly inflated rent due to her presence.

Nell is astonished to learn during a trip to town her aunt's occupation as a detective in the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.  One thing you should know about Nell is while her command of the English language in speaking and writing is not refined, she enjoys keeping up-to-date on the latest happenings by being an avid reader of newspapers.  You can't imagine Nell's surprise when an ad in the paper announcing the presence of the Seventh Daughter of a Seventh Daughter, Madam L. L. Lucille, a fortune teller, turns out to be part of a plan to snare a criminal.  Aunt Kitty is masquerading as Madam L. L. Lucille and at the last minute Nell will be playing a part in the ruse.

This is the first in a series of cases in which Kitty and Nell work together along with the other detectives at the agency even though it's due to circumstances rather than choice by Kate.  Her determination to find another place for Nell is met in full measure with Nell's desire to stay with her at the boarding house.  The tension between them ebbs and flows as respect for each other grows.

In letters received and sent to her best friend Jemma, a free-born African American, now living in safety in Canada, we come to have a clearer picture of the night Jemma's family ran to freedom and Matthew Warne was killed.  As pieces in each case for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency are put together to create a solvable whole, Nell works to clear the name of her beloved daddy, Cornelius.  A meeting with the Maple Tree and a harrowing train ride with a disguised distinguished guest ease and elevate anxiety and fear. As the pace quickens when pages are turned, readers' hearts will race as we are lead to a conclusion blended in liberty, inevitable war and the strength of family.


When you read the words penned by Kate Hannigan you are well aware of two things:  her meticulous research and skill as a storyteller.  Like her character Nell she can tell a captivating tale.  Several techniques add to the experience of the reader.  Each chapter is captioned with a statement alluding to the nature of the events to come;

In Which I Share My Woe
with My Best Friend, Jemma

In Which I Fall Victim
to the Silent Sit

or

In Which Aunt Kitty Transforms 
into a Southern Belle, and 
I Get a Bit Choked Up.

Nell's descriptions of her surroundings, the details of the cases and disguises worn, and the conversations between all the characters are like stepping into the years of 1859 to 1861.

The letter writing between Jemma and Nell is a brilliant bridge between the present and the past.  The girls each hint at the truth of both their lives, then and now.  They devise a cipher system for conveying information.  Too much said by either of them could put family members in danger as well as themselves.

Here are some sample passages from the book.

Aunt Kitty pounced on me as if I'd uttered a profanity right there on Washington Street for all to hear.  Color rose up in her cheeks and turned them as red as radishes.
"Why would Mr. Pinkerton hire me, a woman?  Because I can go where a man cannot---I can befriend the wives and girlfriends of criminals, and I can worm out their secrets.  I can go where no one suspects me.
"And because I was not put on this earth to spend my days filing a man's papers or writing down every word he utters---nor washing trousers and darning his socks.  Because I can do most any job a man can do, and maybe even do it better.
"I can do great things, Nell Warne.  And so can you."

"School," she repeated.  "You need the firm hand of a schoolmarm, Nell.  We will enroll you today."
She sounded determined.  It was time to take drastic measures.
"Aunt Kitty," I began, trying out her same cool delivery just to see how it would go over, "these schools here in Chicago have seventy, maybe one hundred kids in each classroom.  If you make me go, I'll catch the croup and die before Christmas."
She did not look moved.
"Or I might pick up foul language and rough habits."
She merely cleared her throat and dusted at her sleeve.
I was not getting through.
"Or even worse," I whispered, watching her lean in a bit closer to hear me.  "Head lice."
Aunt Kitty gasped and shot both hands to her tidy brown hair.
Conversation over.  I would take my lessons at home.


The Detective's Assistant written by Kate Hannigan is an action-packed adventure brimming with suspense, larger-than-life characters and historical figures, humor and the importance of making and keeping family ties.   Hand this title to anyone who craves a mix of the past with excitement and fear and questions and answers.  As a read aloud this will be outstanding.  It not only gives us glimpses into important places of the day, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, the first female detective in the United States but also addresses slavery, abolition and the Underground Railroad.  At the conclusion Kate Hannigan provides an extensive Author's Note, Answers to Ciphers and an If You Want to Read More section.

To discover more about Kate Hannigan please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  You can read several chapters from the beginning of this book at the publisher's website. (Trust me; you will not be able to put this book down once started.)  Take a moment to read this article and interview, Kate Hannigan on Kate Warne: New book brings 19th century detective to life, in the Chicago Tribune.  Enjoy this video interview with Kate Hannigan by Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshop.

As The Sun Sets

Darkness closes in.  Listeners press closer together around the flickering light of the fire.  A sudden breeze rustles the fallen leaves along the forest floor.  Deep among the trees a branch snaps, breaking the relative silence.  Faces turn, wide frightened eyes look at one another.  It's time.

The moment has come to begin the story; a most anticipated tale of ghosts, houses held together by ancient promises, children all alone and a family caught in a deadly web.  All you have to do is be brave enough to be scared.  All you have to do is open the cover and turn the page of Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener (Amulet Books, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., May 20, 2014).

1
Storyteller At The Crossroads
The calendar said early March, but the smell in the air said late October.  A crisp sun shone over Cellar Hollow, melting the final bits of ice from the bare trees.  Steam rose from the soil like a phantom, carrying with it a whisper of autumn smoke that had been lying dormant in the frosty underground.

Siblings, red-haired Molly and Kip, seeking employment, are making their way in a fish cart, drawn by a rather stubborn horse they have named Galileo, to the Windsor estate.  They have come to England from Ireland hoping to be eventually reunited with their missing parents.  Having traveled for days they are cold and hungry; Kip is ill with his lame leg feeling worse.  Along the way, asking for guidance, every person has urged them to turn around, to avoid the sour woods.  An elderly woman, a local storyteller, Hester Kettle, finally gives them the correct directions amid warnings, eliciting a promise.

Their arrival at the manor is not as they anticipated. Next to and growing within the structure is an ageless towering tree.  Mistress Windsor is not expecting them; her now absent husband having failed to inform her of their new household help.  A boy, Alistair, about Molly's age, has an air of entitlement about him.  Only the younger girl, Penny, is excited about their coming.  Already Molly has won her over with one of her special stories.

Constance Windsor, against her better judgment, allows Molly and Kip to stay.   After touring from room to room with her, Molly is certain this family and this house are shrouded in evil.  Further incidents confirm her assumptions; a tall, dark-clothed man wearing a top hat wandering about after dark, deep holes dug around the base of the tree, a small secret room behind a locked green door, and dreams; all the family members, Molly and Kip have bad dreams.

Further complications are Master Windsor's financial problems, a mysterious moonlit garden in the woods and the physical changes creeping over all who sleep in the mansion.  As secrets are revealed unease turns to terror, the line between stories and lies blurs, and your heart's desire has horrific consequences.  As a legend lives, love must fight its biggest battle.


In a four page author's note at the book's end Jonathan Auxier chats with readers about the nine year journey taken to bring this book to them. Evidence of those nine years speaks eloquently on every single page. A deep sense of atmosphere emanates immediately continuing to build even with the final sentence.  Many chapters end with a suspenseful thought.  Your senses are on high alert.

Each character is realistically and fully developed complete with strengths and weaknesses.  As readers we come to understand why they do what they do, even those driven by malevolent desires. These beings stir up feelings of compassion, deep respect, sadness, affection and fear.  We cheer for our champions; when goodness strikes out against the wicked.

That Jonathan Auxier chooses to have two of his characters be tellers of tales, storytellers, is of importance.  One speaks of what was and is; the other weaves words as moments dictate.  More than once the characters (and readers) are challenged as to the use of stories, their place and purpose. Here are some sample passages.

The tree was enormous and looked very, very old.  Most trees cast an air of quiet dignity over their surroundings.  This one did not.  Most trees invite you to climb up into their canopy.  This one did not.  Most trees make you want to carve your initials into the trunk.  This one did not.  To stand in the shadow of this tree was to feel a chill run through your whole body.

Molly turned onto her back and slowly shut her eyes.  For the first time, she let herself feel the exhaustion that she had been fighting for weeks.  Every part of her was worn out.  Her hands, feet, legs, arms---even the tips of her hair felt tired.  Molly was too tired to think about the strange pale family or the strange ugly tree or the strange portrait in the library.
She was too tired, even, to register the sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps entering the house.


Nearly a week has passed since I completed the reading of The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier in one sitting; the story consuming me and my day.  The images of the manor, the tree, the gardener, the Windsor family, Fig and Stubbs, Hester Kettle, Kip and Molly are as real to me now as when I was reading the book.  There is nothing better than a good scary story.  This one lingers asking you to read it again...and you will.  This is classic storytelling.  This is the best.

The dust jacket artwork and book case design add to the overall spookiness of this title.  Leaves in gray and black on the endpapers as well as swirling about each chapter continue creating a sense of foreboding.  Several double page spreads of the tree, the night gardener and a full moon provide a backdrop for the title, verso, dedication, quotations and contents pages.  This is excellent bookmaking.

Please take the time to visit Jonathan Auxier's website linked to his name above.  He has graciously included a post of the playlist; songs he listened to while writing this book.  This is a link to his post at the Nerdy Book Club about The Night Gardener.  Stop by and listen to Jonathan Auxier's podcast interview at Let's Get Busy hosted by teacher librarian, Matthew C. Winner.  This link will take you to a series of posts Jonathan Auxier did about his road to publication.  Enjoy the video below which was posted on YouTube about a Skype visit Jonathan Auxier had with a group of students.

No Serenity In Solace

When entering a world unlike our own you take a leap of faith.  In real time you place your care in the hands of a capable guide or if venturing alone, you rely on the research of others to supply answers to your questions.  When you open the covers of a book, you explore based upon a blurb, jacket flap summary, review or recommendation of trusted readers.  You do this with a sense of building excitement.

You are a wayfarer in a realm created by an author.  Sometimes you walk more slowly than others, soaking up the words like sunshine after a long cold winter.  Then there are times you inhale the words as if they are food spread before you like a feast after a fast.  In The Mark of the Dragonfly (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, March 25, 2014) written by Jaleigh Johnson thrill-a-minute action will have you racing alongside the dynamic characters as fast as you can turn the pages.


Scrap Town Number Sixteen
Merrow Kingdom

Micah brought the music box to her on the night of the meteor storm.  Piper never slept on these nights, when debris from other worlds fell from the sky.

Micah and Piper are two of many scrappers living in their community in The World of Solace eking out a living by scavenging in the fields after the meteor storms.  The storms are extremely dangerous not only because of the falling meteors but the green poisonous dust brought with them.  The townspeople by decree of the Consortium hide in an underground shelter during the storms.  There is a race to get to the fields when they are released; those getting there first get the best treasures.

Piper finds herself running outside the shelter as the meteors begin dropping from the sky when Micah's older brother Jory says Micah is missing.  Discovering him hiding beneath a narrow ledge, hoping to arrive at the fields before anyone else, they witness a caravan crossing the field during the storm; another breach of Consortium law.  What they are not prepared for is the largest meteor they have ever seen heading straight for the caravan.

As the dust clears after the shower Piper is horrified to see the caravan destroyed; Micah is now unconscious having been struck by debris from the caravan.  One person, a girl about Piper's age is still breathing in the wreckage.  Using a tarp she gets the two back to town before the townspeople leave the shelter.

The discovery of a mechanical dragonfly tattoo on the girl's (Anna's) arm and another survivor of the storm, an evil man who terrifies Anna and threatens Piper, have the two girls fleeing for their lives. Anna can't remember much about her past but the tattoo signifies she is under the protection of King Aron of the Dragonfly Territories to the south.  Piper is confident there will be a reward for the return of Anna.

Their only hope of getting to the capital city of Noveen as quickly as possible is to sneak aboard the 401, an old black steam engine pulling cars a mile long behind, which has recently arrived in Scrap Town Number 16.  Strangely enough Piper is able to by-pass the security system getting them on the train as it leaves.  This small victory is over before it starts as the chief of security, a scruffy looking boy, Gee, about Piper's age catches them.  As they say readers, the plot thickens.

You will hardly be able to draw a single breath as secrets Piper, Anna and Gee carry with them are revealed.  Slavers, Raenoll, the sarnun with incredible powers, dust poisoning, and the inevitable raiders, after the cargo on the train, flying in gliders keep the adventure at the high octane level.  As the 401 journeys toward its destination, you can feel the tension building toward a conclusion with more twists and turns than the track upon which the train rides.  It's full steam ahead.  Hang on tight!


Jaleigh Johnson's Realm of Solace is a fantastical steampunk extravaganza.  Descriptions of place are detailed, creating pictures in your mind of the towns and terrain.  Her three main people, Piper, Anna and Gee, are resilient, determined and full of heart.  All have risen from dire circumstances adapting to the situations presented in this story; digging deep to be their best for each other.

Characters so intrinsic to the plot it's impossible to call them secondary, Master Doloman, advisor to King Aron, Jeyne Steel, engineer of the 401 and Trimble, the train's fireman, are strong in their representation of good and evil.  It's the conversational interactions and thoughts of all the personalities which make this narrative sizzle.  Here are several passages from the book.

At the edge of town, Piper found a set of fresh tracks.  The land was completely devastated.  The assaults by the meteors meant no trees or grasses would ever take root here, and wild animals avoided it even when the air wasn't choked with poisonous dust.  Craters littered the ground, some of them glowing with a faint emerald light.  Piper didn't stop to look at what treasures they might contain, though for an instant, she was tempted. She'd been poor for so long it was hard to step over what might be a trinket worth a month's supply of food.
The pockmarked ground made the footing chancy, but Piper couldn't slow down.  She jumped from the lip of one crater to the next, her foot sinking in mud and snow.  Her ankle twisted.  She fell on her hands and knees.  Stifling a cry of pain, she got up and went on, half running, half limping.
"Micah, if you can hear me, I'm going to beat you until you can't hold a thought in your head! They'll slide right out your ears!" 

"Don't worry," Piper whispered.  "I'm going to get us out of here."
"Chances aren't good," Anna said breathlessly.  "The knots are too tight.  Cow hitch, square knots, perfect loops---we're the cows, and they're taking us to the slaughter."
"That's good," Piper said.  "Keep talking strange---that way I'll know that you're not panicking."
"I'm scared." the girl's voice was smaller and it made Piper's chest feel tight.
"I am too," Piper admitted. She levered herself upright on the bench.  Anna was right.  The knots were tight; her fingertips were already starting to go numb.


As I was rereading portions of The Mark of the Dragonfly written by Jaleigh Johnson for this review I found myself falling into the story all over again.  You simply can't resist the energy of the adventure, the attractions and interactions between the characters and this marvelous world designed by Jaleigh Johnson.  This is a book destined for a permanent place on my personal bookshelves.  I highly recommend you get multiple copies for your libraries.

Please follow the link embedded in Jaleigh Johnson's name to access her personal website.  Follow this link to the publisher's website to read several of the beginning chapters.  Here are links to an interview of Jaleigh Johnson at SFFWorld.com and a guest post at The NOOK Blog.