C- Reviews / D Reviewsanimals / bigotry / children / children's book / classic / Edwardian-era / England / gardening / India / racism / secret28 Comments
Dear Readers, As a child, I loved Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. It’s considered a classic novel and is the story of children beginning to blossom as they bring a locked, abandoned garden to life. I was introduced to Burnett via a serialized reading of Little Lord Fauntleroy that ... more >
C- Reviews19th century / bigotry / diamond mining / Doctor / Historical fiction / racism / South Africa4 Comments
Dear Ms. McVeigh, I was interested in The Fever Tree, your first work of historical fiction, partly because of this beautifully written excerpt at your site, partly because the Booklist review mentioned that it had a social justice angle (the novel is mainly set in late 19th century South Africa), ... more >
B+ Reviews / Recommended Readsbigotry / dragons / Fantasy / murder-investigation / musician / prejudice / Recommended Reads / Renaissance setting / YA26 Comments
Dear Ms. Hartman, Your debut YA fantasy, Seraphina, set in a world based Renaissance Europe, is both a coming of age story and a tale of a clash between two species. Sixteen year old Seraphina Dombegh, the heroine of the novel, is the child of a human father and a ... more >