The Candle Star – Divided Decade Trilogy

The Candle Star

Michelle Isenhoff, Author

Historical Fiction, 2011

Suitable for:  Middle Grade

Book 1 of the Divided Decade Trilogy

Emily Preston is a spirited 12-year-old southern belle living on a plantation in Charleston, S.C.   She is outspoken, sarcastic, mean and self-absorbed.  Her parents are disturbed by her behavior and send her to Detroit to live with her uncle, Isaac Milford, who runs a hotel.  Emily is horrified when she realizes that the employees are free slaves and she’s to join them in the daily work of running the hotel.  She misbehaves, skips school and treats the employees with disdain, hoping that her uncle will send her back home.   Her uncle sees his own reflection in Emily, and treats her with firmness and patience.

Detroit and the simplicity of her life begin to grow on Emily.  She would never admit it.  She befriends Malachi, the son of Julia, the hotel cook.  She  is shocked to learn he attends school, reads and writes and wants to be a doctor.  As she settles into her new life, Emily is challenged to come to terms with her southern upbringing.  While she develops relationships with the workers at the hotel, she begins to question everything she has known.  It is a confusing time for Emily.  Her bond with Uncle Isaac strengthens as he begins to teach and trust her.  Emily stumbles upon her uncle’s secret and finds herself involved in events that will change her world forever.   Emily transforms into a remarkable girl who listens with her heart.

Why I liked this book:  The Candle Star is a brilliant work of historical fiction.   Michelle Isenhoff offers a fresh new perspective on the differences between the north and south by focusing on those who risked their lives to help slaves find freedom, before the Civil War.  The setting is Michigan, Michelle’s home state, and many of the characters are based on real people.  Although Michigan wasn’t part of the battleground, it played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, with seven routes passing through Detroit.  Kudos to the author for all the detailed research that went into this book  and for teaching me something new.  Her writing style is vivid, her plot strong and her characters are rich and memorable.

The Divided Decade Trilogy:  The Candle Star is the first book in the Divided Decade Trilogy.  All three books are stand-alone novels that shed light on the role Michigan families played to support the war effort and freedom for slaves.  The second book Blood of Pioneers, is about Hannah, who tries to save the family farm when her father and brother go to war.   The third book, Beneath the Slashings, was released August 2012.   Grace wants her family to return to a normal life after the war,  but finds her life uprooted when her father seeks work in a lumber camp in northern Michigan.   Click here to visit Michelle Isenhoff’s website.   Make sure you check out the teacher’s resources for each book.  There also is an interesting “Author’s Note” at the end of each book detailing the historical information of that time in Michigan.

Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride

Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride

Andrea Davis Pinkney, Author

Brian Pinkney, Illustrator

Disney Jump at the Sun Books, 2009, Historical Fiction

Suitable for:  Ages 5 and up

Themes:  Slave, Abolitionist, Feminist

Opening/Synopsis:  “She was big.  She was black.  She was so beautiful.  Her name was Sojourner.  Truth be told, she was meant for great things.   Meant for speaking.  Meant for preaching.  Meant for teaching the truth about freedom.  Big. Black. Beautiful. True.  That was Sojourner.”  Sojourner was born a slave  in New York in 1797.  Her parents named her Belle.  She was a valuable slave because she was six feet tall, with size-twelve feet and she was strong and worked hard.   She wanted her freedom and ran away.  She stumbled upon a Quaker family who were abolitionists.   The couple bought her freedom.   She  believed freedom belonged to everyone.  She set out to speak her truth and help others.  She changed her name to Sojourner Truth because she intended to spread the word about freedom and the unfair treatment of black people and women.  In 1851, she stormed a women’s rights convention in a church Akron, Ohio and smashed the lies that were spoken about women that day.  She spoke her truth and marched out of the church.

What I like this book:  It shows the strength and determination of a black woman who was born a slave, could not read or write, yet became a very strong voice for freedom and equal rights for women, before the civil war was even fought.  She let nothing get in her way.  Andrea Davis Pinkney has done a beautiful job of captivating the spirit of this remarkable woman.  The text has a unique and wonderful rhythm and evokes a lot of emotion.  The illustrations by Brian Pinkney, are spirited, bold and emotive.  Together they have created a very memorable picture book that belongs in every school library.  Sojourner  is a leader for young readers today.

Resources:  There are pages of historical information and resources about Sojourner Truth at the end of the book.  An abolitionist friend, Olive Gilbert, wrote a book about her in 1850, “The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave.”  There also is a photo of her meeting with President Abraham Lincoln on Oct. 29, 1864.   He signed her book.   There is a teacher lesson plan for Sojourner Truth with many great activities.

To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.  Or click on the Perfect Picture Book Fridays  badge in the right sidebar.