The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023. Children's middle grade fiction.

After the death of their parents, Achilles and Hercules Beal run their family's nursery business on Cape Cod. Hercules is going into seventh grade in the Cape Cod Academy for Environmental Sciences this fall. His homeroom teacher is Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer and his English class will be studying classical mythology. Hercules, the smallest kid in the class, has the assignment of studying the labors of the mythical Hercules and reporting back on them and how his own life is affected by the study. 

Hercules is learning to deal with his parents' deaths, going to a new school, making friends, working hard at the nursery, and learning about his community and neighbors. Schmidt has done a masterful job of showing how his teacher's influence helps him become a better writer and person. From golden leaves on trees to making a noble gesture at an art auction to learning to like and understand his brother's girlfriend and understanding that people can stay in touch over miles and time, Hercules is a hero for the ages. He finds that a single person does not have to overcome all by himself, but can be made stronger by others.

This is a wonderful story of friendship, family, really hard work, and happiness beyond belief. It would make a great read-a-loud for a classroom.

Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer

 

 Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021. Nonfiction.

Most people recognize the name of writer Truman Capote for his works Breakfast at Tiffany's or In Cold Blood. Equally known for his gay lifestyle and appearances on television talk shows and at Studio 54 in New York City, Capote lived the high life, making friends with some of the world's most beautiful women. Their wealth and generosity allowed Capote to travel the world, sail on their yachts, meet their friends, and share intimate confidences.

The big problem was that Truman Capote loved gossip and he planned to write a "tell all" book about these "swans" as he called them. When Capote published proposed chapters of his upcoming "Answered Prayers", most of his women friends were horrified at his betrayal and shunned him. The book was never published. Leamer focuses on seven of these women as well as Capote's life. 

The Indigo Girl: A Novel by Natasha Boyd

 

 The Indigo Girl: A Novel by Natasha Boyd. Blackstone Publishing,   2017. Adult Historical fiction.

In 1739, it becomes necessary for Colonel Lucas to return to Antigua from America, he leaves his sixteen year old daughter Eliza in charge of their three plantations including slaves. With the son and heir in boarding school in England and her mother a less than stalwart presence, Eliza becomes a capable manager. With rice crops losing value and timber taking years to grow, she begins an indigo crop after learning how much the French pay for the dye.  Undercut at every turn, but with the help of a few others, she has much to learn.

Based on the life of a true woman, the author provides a few poems, prayers, and letters from one of South Carolina's true heroines. The state flag is blue after all!! The only negative, small but which drove this reader crazy, were the grammatical errors involving he and I and him and me. Eliza seems to have not made any other errors so it must have been a poor editing job that mars a terrific story well told.