The Academie by Susanne Dunlap

|Edition: Hardcover, 368 pages|Publisher: Bloomsbury|
|Release Date: February 2012|

|Genre: Historical fiction, 1800s, Napoleonic War, romance|

|Other Books: The Musician's Daughter, Anastasia's Secret, and In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap; Dancing Through Fire by Kathryn Lasky|
|Overall Rating: 5/5|

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Eliza Monroe-daughter of the future president of the United States-is devastated when her mother decides to send her to boarding school outside of Paris. But the young American teen is quickly reconciled to the idea when-ooh, la-la!-she discovers who her fellow pupils will be: Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Josephine Bonaparte; and Caroline Bonaparte, youngest sister of the famous French general. It doesn't take long for Eliza to figure out that the two French girls are mortal enemies-and that she's about to get caught in the middle of their schemes.
Loosely drawn from history, Eliza Monroe's imagined coming of age provides a scintillating glimpse into the lives, loves, and hopes of three young  during one of the most volatile periods in French history.

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Yet another tale of daring adventure, love, and history is spun by Dunlap, the author of The Musician's Daughter and In the Shadow of the Lamp. Set in the backdrop of a glamourous but uneasy time in French history, our four heroines will–all in a few short months–endure great adventure, scandal, danger, and love. Only some will survive.
A fan of Dunlap's since her first novel for young adults, The Academie is of course, no surprise, a favorite. Taking once again a unique, but exciting bit a of history and combining it with historically correct characters, you get a lovely fictionalized retelling. Sharing the spotlight with not one, not two, but three young girls' perspectives was a genius way of summing up a complicated, and sometimes two-faced story. Despite it skipping sometimes between two very different events, the book is very unified. Dunlap has pulled off the threesome nicely. The Academie  seemed to be a smoother read as well. In some of her other novels, specific plot climaxes were at times far between but with this one, everything flowed into one big finale!
I would have never thought to have included an American character among the daughters of the elite Frenchmen. Although taking place before the Monroes were White House material, James Monroe (more commonly known as just "President Monroe") was an important figure-head in both the American and French Revolutions. 
Of the two French girls–Hortense was my favorite. She is the quiet thinker of the foursome, she is also the most hesitant. Though wise beyond her years, Hortense must make a risky choice. One that may require her to make a terrible sacrifice. On the other hand, Madeline is the wild card. She pops up now and then but readers will not know how to place her until the final card is played. Love will spare no one! Dunlap will leave readers vying destiny of each girl with every twist and turn.


Overall, The Academie is Dunlap's best yet. There is a nice selection to chose from on Napoleonic literature but Dunlap's will be a favorite. Highly recommend to faithful fans, historical fiction lovers, and anyone else who may be intrigued. Ages 13+


Content Awareness
Some violence and some mild sexual references/sensuality. (PG)

In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap

It's 1854 and sixteen-year-old Molly would give anything to change her circumstances as a lowly servant in a posh London house. So when she hears of an opportunity to join the nurses who will be traveling with Florence Nightingale to the Crimea, she jumps at the chance. The work is grueling, the hospital conditions deplorable, and Miss Nightingale a demanding teacher. Before long, the plight of British soldiers becomes more than just a mission of mercy as Molly finds that she's falling in love with both a dashing young doctor and a soldier who has joined the army to be near her. But with the battle raging ever nearer, can Molly keep the two men she cares for from harm? A love story to savor, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes imagining of the woman who became known as "the lady with the lamp."

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Once again Dunlap entices readers with her dramatic historical settings. This time we travel to the war-torn fields of Turkey with Florence Nightingale, “the lady of the lamp”. Dunlap is one of my favorite historical fiction writers because I think teens who don’t normally read this genre will enjoy her books. Dunlap has a flair for the dramatic so expect an ending that will leave you hanging on the final page.

With the setting by far the strongest part of In the Shadow of the Lamp, Dunlap allows readers to venture into the hospital hallways and sickbeds where wounded soldiers are treated. The details of nursing duties and doctors are greatly outlined. However, the plot tipped on the weaker side toward the middle of the book. At times it seemed as if some things happened a bit too conveniently and it was definitely the “romantic” interest that moved the story along. While the characters are fairly well-developed, I felt like I didn’t quite understand Molly all the time, as if some of her thoughts and intentions were not quite clear.
With that being said, In the Shadow of the Lamp is still a nice novel especially if you are a fan of Dunlap’s. Compared to her first books, The Musician’s Daughter is still my favorite. The ending of In the Shadow of the Lamp is by far the best part of the whole book–loved it! Despite having some weakness in plot, Dunlap did create a vivid scene of a past history and executed it with adventure and a touching message. Can’t wait for her next book.

Recommendation: Highly recommend especially if you’ve enjoyed The Musician’s Daughter and Anastasia’s Secret. Great historical fiction novel for teens and has a good chance of holding interest for those who don’t normally read h.f. Ages 14+

Content: Descriptions of blood/surgery, some sensuality, references to prostitution (PG)

|Pages: 293|Release Date: April 12, 2011|Publisher: Bloomsbury|

|Genre: Historical fiction, war, 1800s|

|Content Rating: 4/5|Cover Rating: 5/5|Overall: 5/5|

This review is copyrighted © by Books and Literature for Teens. Special thanks to Kate.

Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent: Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY

The Boer War was disastrous for the British: 22,000 of them died. Close to 7,000 Boers died. Nobody knows how many Africans lost their lives, but the number is estimated to be around 20,000. This tragic, and little remembered, chapter in history is the backdrop for Trilby Kent’s powerful novel. 

Corlie Roux’s father has always told her that God gave Africa to the Boers. Her life growing up on a farm in South Africa is not easy: it is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies, she is left in the care of a cold, stern mother who clearly favors her two younger brothers. But she finds solace with her African maitie, Sipho, and in Africa itself.

Corlie’s world is about to vanish: the British are invading and driving Boers from their farms. The families who do not surrender escape to hidden laagers in the bush to help fight off the British. When Corlie’s laager is discovered, she and the others are sent to an internment camp. 

Corlie is strong and can draw on her knowledge of the land she loves, but is that enough to help her survive the starvation, disease, and loss that befalls her in the camp?

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After reading Kent’s debut novel, Medina Hill, I was excited to do another blog tour featuring her newest book. Once again Kent paints a unique time and place setting that holds a touching message of hope, survival, and family.

Similar to the war-torn stories like I Am David, Stones for My Father follows a young girl whose life is dramatically changed by violence and war. Corlie’s search for the truth also plays a wonderful part of the novel as she not only battles the hardships of an abusive parent but observes a changing culture. The descriptions of Corlie’s homeland of South Africa, its people–both native and of Dutch descent– and environment are nicely intertwined into the heart of story. Though the book slowed quite a bit toward the end and I wasn’t completely satisfied with what became of our heroine, Stones for My Father is still a well-written (and very informative) book for young readers; I greatly enjoyed it. I hope Kent continues her story-telling.

Recommendation: Although I can mostly see middle graders picking-up this book, it does have a very “mature” appeal to it in which enables “older readers”, such as myself, to enjoy it as well. Recommended for ages 10+

Content: Violence, death, war (PG)

|Pages: 170|Release Date: March 2011|Publisher: Tundra|

|Genre: Historical fiction, war, 1800s, middle grade|

|Content Rating: 5/5|Cover Rating: 5/5|Overall: 5/5

➩Blog Tour Giveaway!

Here's your chance to win a copy of Kent's latest novel, Stones For My Father. To enter, comment on my review then fill out this form. (CONTEST CLOSED)

• Open to CAN and US residents!!
• Ends May 11th, 12 pm EST
• Book will be mailed from publisher

Black Angels by Linda Beatrice Brown

It’s near the end of the war, and rumors of emancipation are swirling. Eleven-year-old Luke decides to run away to freedom and join the Union Army. But he doesn’t find the Yankee troops he was hoping for. Instead, he finds nine-year-old Daylily, lost in the woods after suffering an unspeakable tragedy. Her master set her free, but freedom so far has her scared and alone. Also lost in the woods is seven-year-old Caswell, the son of a plantation owner. He was only trying to find his Mamadear after the Yankees burned their house with all their fine things. He wanted to be brave. But alone in the woods with two slave children, he quickly loses all his courage, and comes to greatly depend upon his new friends. In the chaos and violence that follows, the three unrelated children discover a bond in each other stronger than family

Black Angels is a touching, war-torn journey of three children who are thrown together during the final battles of the American Civil War.

I have read quite a few books about the Civil War and its stories still continue to amaze me. Black Angels is one of the more "hard-core", if you will, books I've read about this subject because it carries the weight of young perspectives and a whole lot of gritty truth. Not only were Will, Daylily, and Caswell lost and alone, they faced things that many adults may not have ever had to go through. I think I liked this book because of it's vividness and honesty. If you don't have those things, you don't have a truthful story. Life was harsh back then and Brown did a fascinating job on capturing not only with the terrible battle scenes and struggles, but the language of the characters as well. I felt, even though Will (the oldest character in the book) is only eleven, his voice will hold an older reader's attention as well as someone as young as himself; and although the old timey language may put some off, I still think it's a great addition to the story and the character's personalities.
The only thing that I happen to dislike about Civil War era books is that they describe the Civil War as being about acceptance and freeing slaves. The Civil War was not about the slaves, it was about power and money--black slaves were just part of the bargain. I didn't much care for the ending either because it just stopped with Will, Daylily, and Caswell seeing each other again for the first time in ten years. I would have liked to find out what happened to them, but I guess Brown left that up to your imagination.
With that said, Black Angels is still a honest and breath taking story about the Civil War. I would recommend to tweens and young adults who like history or just a good timeless tale of courage and hope.

Linda Beatrice Brown is a professor of Humanities and holds the Willa B. Player Chair in the Humanities at Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Crossing Over Jordan; Black Angels is her first novel for young readers.

|Pages: 258|Year Published: Sept. 2009|Publisher: Putnam|
|Genre: Historical fiction, Civil War, 1800s, adventure|
|Age Group: Ages 11+|
|Content: Some sensuality and some graphic details of gore|
|Enjoyed It: 4/5|Content Rating: 4/5|Cover: 4/5|
|Overall|

Portraits: Dancing Through Fire by Kathryn Lasky

Welcome to 19th century Paris, and the world of Degas's dancers. 13-year-old Sylvie is one of the pupils at the Paris Opera Ballet, where tutus must always be starched and pointe shoes fresh. Sylvie dreams of being a prima ballerina, but her height is a problem: she is too little. When the Franco-Prussian war begins in 1870, Paris is soon under siege and Sylvie is thrown into turmoil and tragedy. Against the fiery backdrop of war, the beauty of the ballet sustains and strengthens Sylvie. Before long, her talent and drive allows her to achieve her goal--and she graces the stage as a star.

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When I first picked up Dancing Through Fire I thought it was going to be about the girl who posed for the artist Degas, but it was not. It did mention Degas and Marie (the girl who actually did the sculpture posing), instead the story was about a girl named Sylvie who also danced in the Paris Opera Ballet and who was inspired by the unnamed ballerina on the cover. I guess I got Dancing Through Fire mixed up with a book called Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer.

Dancing Through Fire is a short, but very detailed novel of a young ballerina during the French Reign of Terror in the 1870s. I liked this book mainly because it explored historical events and life behind the Opera stage. I danced for several years (had to stop because of a foot injury) and I know all too well the the pains of pointe shoes, fiddling with costumes, and standing still on stage for half and hour. Though ballet hasn't changed much in the past hundred years except for the invention of tights, we have it so much better when it comes to pointe shoes. Ugh. Can you imagine there just being cotton stuffed between your toes and hard block of wood? Now we have all kinds of padding, but of course it does not take the pain away.
The only thing that I disliked about Dancing Through Fire was that Sylvie was a bit too shallow and did not act like she was thirteen but much younger. The other characters though were much more realistic and with the tragic setting you got to see a whole different side of Paris. Forget the sparkling Eiffel Tower; during the Reign of Terror the whole city turned ugly and dangerous. Lasky had a great setting to play with, but I think she was holding back to try to make the story simple for a younger audience. I can understand that and even if some of the characters' personalities were a bit muffled, I still liked reading this book. Plus, the story behind the painting makes it even more intriguing.
Overall, Dancing Through Fire is a great book for historical fiction fans and both teens and tweens alike. 

|Pages: 176|Year Published: 2005|Publisher: Scholastics|
|Genre: Historical fiction, 1800s|
|Series? Yes, Portraits series|Age Group: Ages 11+|Content: Mild sensuality/graphic detail|
|Enjoyed It: 4/5|Content Rating: 5/5|Cover: 4/5|
|Overall|







Other Books by Kathryn Lasky:
Daughters of the Sea: Hannah

Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein

FROM THE BOOK JACKET:

Lizzie and Rosanna are cousins. But when the Civil War breaks out, fifteen-year-old Lizzie finds herself committed to the cause of the Union, while Rosanna is swept up in the passions of the old south—and in her love for a young Confederate officer. Torn in their alliances, yet as devoted as sisters, each girl finds herself grappling with the senseless brutality of war, and the sacrifices that must be made

 in order to su

rvive. It will take one of the war’s bloodiest battles—fought on the farmlands of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—to bring them together again. Unflinching in its portrayal of war, and inspiring in its depiction of two resilient young women, this is a historical novel of exceptional depth and reach.

The Review

Two Girls of Gettysburg was fairly slow and didn’t start getting interesting until half-way through the book. The book was way too long for it just to end after the Battle of Gettysburg. (I would have enjoyed the book even if it just was about the Battle of Gettysburg period.) The book really took off just before Battle of Gettysburg and proved itself a recommendation. The battle scene at the end of the novel was breathtaking. I really loved it the detail and emotion Klein put into the final battle of the Civil War. I really enjoyed Lizzie’s side of the story because Roanna’s was a bit too stiff and there towards the middle, she only talked about historical events.

Klein did do a good job at portraying two very different girls: with Lizzie there was a sense of hidden adventure; with Rosanna there was a sense of a fantasy gone haywire. Lizzie learned to dream and Rosanna got a reality check. Both girls saw and experienced the aftermath of battles: they walked through the bullets, watched people die, and lost loved ones.

Two Girls of Gettysburg was a stunning read about the Civil War and all it’s tragedies and yep, happy endings-despite it’s slowness in places. I hope Klein writes more HF!

Rating: 3 stars       Pages: 387       Year Pub.:2008   Level: YA   Fiction: Historical

Time Period: Civil War (1870s)         Recommend? Yes