Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats

  Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats. Candlewick Press, 2020. Fiction.        The teen heroine of this medieval tale, set in 1109 Wales, will need both spindle and dagger in order to  survive and make a life. A warband has set upon her home and killed her family. Elen is taken away to become the property of Owain, the son of the leader,  a son who longs to be recognized for bravery and prowess. Elen treats a wound that would have killed Owain and spins a lie to protect herself. Owain thinks if he keeps Elen near and safe that she will ensure that Saint Elen protects him.

So Elen has a home travelling with the violent band of brigands, but longs to get away and find a real and safe home. When Owain abducts Nest, a beautiful mother and her three small children who is the wife of a Norman warlord, Elen begins to see that she might have a better future.

The Welsh names are a bit confusing, but readers of medieval tales will relish this Welsh tale. The sexual nature of Elen's kidnapping and life make this at least a young adult tale, but her story is well written. It is refreshing that Elen is not a superheroine, uses no magic, and thinks much like a typical teenager might. A historical note in the back talks about the Middle Ages and the actual historical fighting and skirmishes that are the basis for these events.

Almost, Maine by John Cariani

Almost, Maine by John Cariani. Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan, 2020. Fiction, Young Adult and up.

Almost is a small town. It's so far north that it's almost in Canada. Its people are like people you will recognize. They live, work, fall in love, and have complicated lives that intersect with each other's. On one particular Friday night in the heard of winter when the Northern Lights shine their brightness over all, things get really strange. People fall in love. They fall out of love. They find new love. They find unexpected love. The whole book is based on a play by the author.

Honestly, this is the perfect book to read in the midst of a pandemic. Things happen. People react. It's easy to get lost in the sweetness and quirkiness of these characters. Certainly it makes readers think and gives a short vacation from current events!

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2019. Adult historical fiction.

When young Odie O'Banion, his brother Albert, his friend Mose, and little Emmy leave their Lincoln Indian Training School in 1932 Minnesota, they take a canoe down the Mississippi River. The first about a hundred pages have set up their relationships, their struggles, and what leads them to take such drastic measures. This is a quest book with adventure, friendship, love, and the unexpected. Kruger writes beautiful descriptions of land AND people. He places the reader right in the middle of these children and makes us root for them. If you have not read any of Krueger's other works, treat yourself to Ordinary Grace, too.

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten. Translated by
Marlaine Delargy. Soho Crime, 2018.

This petite book has several stories about the eccentric 88-year-old Maud. Maud lives alone in Sweden and manages her life very well. Readers may raise an eyebrow or just laugh aloud at her adventures and the ensuing murders that seem to give Maud no qualms. From a former student to a neighborhood antiques dealer, no one is safe when this little old lady is around.  The perfect gift for a mystery loving friend to slip into her purse!

Emily Writes by Jane Yolen

 Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings by Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Christine
Davenier. Christy Ottavino Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2020.

Of course, we don't really know how early Emily Dickinson began to write poems. But, Yolen has found inspiration for this picture book in Spring, 1934, where in Amherst, Massachusetts, a very young Emily might have scribbled on scraps of paper from her father's trash basket. Yolen has done her research and uses information known about Emily's life as well as words that have been used in real poems that Dickinson wrote. The result is a charming imaginative story. The softly colored illustrations add to the childlike appeal.  An author's note, examples of some of Dickinson's poems, and a bibliography are at the back of the book.

Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott

Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc. By David Elliott. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. Historical fiction.

This fascinating novel in verse tells the story of the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc. The flame, the sword, and a sewing needle all get their own voices to help tell what happened. Other poems feature each of her parents, the royalty, Saint Michael, and Joan herself, among other voices. Readers may gain a better knowledge of the history and as well as the people of the times. They will certainly have new understandings of the very sad and human nature of Joan's part in history as well as the many different kinds of poems that can be written. Some of the poems such as the arrow are shape poems. It would be interesting to have high schoolers do a readers' theatre with some of the selections. Definitely a good choice in teaching point of view!

"Who can say why some arrive and then depart forgotten while others fashion history?" page 14

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather. Alfred E. Knopf, 2017. Young Adult fiction.

It's hard to imagine a novel that can combine both witches in Salem and the Titanic, two of my favorites, but this one does! A typical high school story of girl wants to fit in and find love, but with some magical twists, the book includes a main character who "dreams" of being on the HMS Titanic itself. Set in modern day Salem, Samantha Mather lives with her father, after the mysterious death of her stepmother who was a witch. School chums include some of The Descendants who claim ancestry among the witches of the renowned Salem trials. Samantha has ties to the minister Cotton Mather AND a couple who survived the tragedy of the great ship's sinking. Teens will appreciate the young love, the clique of girls, and the high school scenes amidst the big dance that has a Titanic theme. Interestingly enough, the author herself explains her own family's connections with history in notes at the end.