Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman by Joanna Lapati

  Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman. Written and Illustrated by Joanna Lapati. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024.

When Rosetta Wakeman left New York to fight in the Civil War, she never thought she would end up in Louisiana, dead of dysentery. Joining the fight as Lyons Wakeman, she was never discovered to be a woman. The money she earned was sent back home to support her family. Actual letters she wrote were used in this book.

I wish I could express better just how much I love this book! It begins with end papers in the front that show what a Civil War soldier would carry with them. That peaks a reader's interest, but on the back end papers, the tools are numbered and inside an explanation is given of each one! A selected bibliography is included as are permissions from Rosetta Wakeman's family, the previous works on her, and even thanks to the cemetery where she is buried. Such attention to detail is highly unusual in a children's picture book. A glossary and timeline are included. An author's note explains more details. Perhaps most interesting of all, an illustrator's note tells about the careful research and ways the drawings were begun and done on scratchboard. And, the illustrations are expressive and delicate in the midst of the subject matter. 

And, to top everything, the author/illustrator not only carefully researched the places mentioned in the book, she spent six years as a Civil War reinactor, dressed as Rosetta Wakeman would have been. The authentic details came not only through careful research, but through actually coming as close to  living a soldier's life as possible in modern times. 

While I researched Civil War women for Beyond the Battlefied and A Country's Call, both quilt books by Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene with small vignettes about Civil War women, I read many books. None of the children's picture books show such passion and dedication to detail as this one. Hopefully, nonfiction committees will not overlook it!

Tree Table Book by Lois Lowry

 

 Tree Table Book by Lois Lowry. Clarion Books, 2024. Children's chapter book. Fiction.

Sophia Winslow is eleven. Her best friend, Sophie Gershowitz is eighty-eight. They have always told each other everything. Now Sophie is having trouble remembering a lot. Sophia and her not quite best friends, Raphie Mariani, and Oliver Voorhees, who also live on the same street, come together to find some answers. Sophie's grown son, Max, is coming soon and the children realize things can't always stay the same.

Two time winner of the Newbery Medal, Lois Lowry knows kids. This tale also shows she knows old people. The combination is dynamite. The stories in Sophie's memory are tragic, but young Sophia is finding ways to deal with the hard things in Life. This would make an excellent addition to middle school and high school units on WWII for less able readers. It is upbeat at times, sad at times, and always full of love and hope.

Eleanore of Avignon: A Novel by Elizabeth DeLozier

 

Eleanore of Avignon: A Novel by Elizabeth DeLozier. Dutton, 2024. Historical fiction.

In 1347, Eleanore Blanchet has learned midwifery and about herbs from her recently deceased mother. She lives with her father and twin sister and is busy with her work. When she meets Guigo de Chauliac, doctor to Pope Clement, he realizes the importance of her work and takes her on as his assistant. Life in hard in Provence and, because she is a woman, Elea has her hands full voiding being called a witch. As the plague comes to their area, Queen Joanna is pregnant and comes to the city. The doctor and his young assistant are called to tend her. 

This is a debut novel and bodes well for the author's future. While the details of suffering from the plague are realistic and sometimes rather gruesome, the story of the courage and determination of early medical practiioners ring true. Notes at the end tell which characters were historically real and which are made up. Can Elea escape the dreaded disease herself and find love amidst all the strife? Keep reading!

The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong

 

The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021. Adult historical fiction.

In 1926, Althea Anderson has almost completed her nursing degree and loves working in obstetrics. When she learns of Dr. Martin Couney's work with premature infants at Coney Island, she is intrigued. It breaks Althea's heart to think that babies in her care could be saved if only they had incubators and care like those in the experimental lab. It is controversial as some people liken the whole thing to a side show. But, when Althea has the chance to perhaps save a baby girl, she takes the chance.

In late 1950, Stella Wright's mother has recently died and her job as a teacher of children with disabilities gets little support. Her husband is home from WWII with some PTSD and things in her life just are not going well. When Stella goes to clean out her mother's belongings, she finds some unusual information and begins a quest to learn more.

A debut novel, this tale takes history and pairs it with fiction to complete a fascinating story. Readers who want to know more about the Coney Island work will soon be searching for the titles provided in end notes to learn the real story.

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor

 

 

Agony Hill: A Mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Minotaur Books, 2024. Adult fiction. Mystery.

When Franklin Warren moves to the village of Bethany, Vermont in the 1960's, he is immediately thrust into his work as detective. A fire up on Agony Hill has burned a barn and a body is found inside. Warren has moved to the area after finding his own wife in Boston murdered and has had little time to process her death. With the help of a neighbor, Alice Bellows, he begins to learn about the community and its residents. Suddenly, there is another fire. Can Warren figure out what is going on?

The time period is crucial to the story. The Vietnam War is raging. The interstate highway is about to change life in Vermont. Police work is becoming more organized and advanced. The setting is beautifully described. As an author of other mystery series books, Taylor surely has written what will become the first in a new series featuring Franklin Warren, a likeable character. 

After Oz: A Novel by Gordon McAlpine

  After Oz: A Novel by Gordon McAlpine. Crooked Lane Books, 2024. Adult fiction.

Most people know the story of young Dorothy Gale from Kansas who was swept up to the Yellow Brick Road after a twister carried her away. Although she eventually returns to the farm, she tells magnificent tales of a wizard, witches, flying monkeys, and talking creatures.

There Gorgon McAlpine picks up the L. Frank Baum tale and adds his own story. The townspeople in 1896 Sunbonnet, Kansas have searched for days for Dorothy. Just after Dorothy's homecoming, the town spinster, age 51 and named Alina Clough appears to have been killed by lye. Dorothy has confessed she melted "a witch". Is the child guilty of Alvina's murder?

They can hardly believe Dorothy's stories and think she must be mad. They hold a community meeting to decide what to do. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em's farm has been destroyed and is no place for a young girl. A newspaper reporter in Chicago tells his sister back East about it all.

The sister, Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford, is a doctor, a psychologist, who arrives in the area to examine Dorothy. She interviews Henry and Em, Reverend Richter and his wife, Elizabeth, Sheriff Hutchins, Dr. Ward, and Mayor Watt-Smith. She writes about her musings in extensive letters to her mentor, Dr. James, and tries to solve both the murder and to help Dorothy.

Is the Topeka Insane Asylum destined to be Dorothy's home? Is it true as Dorothy said, "There's no place like home." OR is another famous author correct in saying "You can't go home again."?

This a story that readers will think about long after turning the last page. 

 

Work: Interviews with People Doing Jobs They Love by Shana Feinberg. Illustrated by Julia Rothman.

 

Work: Interviews with People Doing Jobs They Love by Shana Feinberg. Illustrated by Julia Rothman. Candlewick Press, 2024. Children's picture book. Nonfiction.

In a series of interviews with people from around the world, the author and illustrator let the workers tell of their interesting jobs. This is NOT your average doctor, lawyer, nurse, teacher set of jobs either! Vegan butchers, alpaca farmers, muralists, surfers, candlestick makers, and bagel makers are among the twenty-eight interviewees. The author and illustrator even include themselves! The oversized book features full color, double paged spreads with realistic illustrations. It is indexed and has questions that lead young readers to think more deeply about themselves. While it might date the book, the only thing missing is a contact page in case readers would like to purchase handmade items or visit shops of the workers.