Deborah Hopkinson

NonfictionHistory

The Marshall plan that failed

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, will always be remembered for the victory on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Perhaps less known is the fact that he wasn’t the only, or even top, candidate for the job. In fact, it took President Franklin D. Roosevelt a long time to select his commander. Most expected the role to go to General George Marshall.

As author Daniel Kurtz-Phelan puts it, the feeling was that since Marshall “had built the Allied war machine, he should lead it to victory.” In the end, though, his protégé got the command—and the glory. As Roosevelt told Marshall at the time, “I feel I could not sleep at night with you out of the country.” In the enthralling The China Mission, Kurtz-Phelan, executive editor of Foreign Affairs, uses archival sources and extensive research to give an in-depth look at Marshall himself, as well as a fascinating account of a little-known chapter in the history of that tumultuous era: Marshall’s difficult and complex postwar assignment in China.

Over the course of 13 months, Marshall sought to create unity in a chaotic China, prevent a Communist takeover and work with larger-than-life figures such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang. Ultimately, the mission failed. That failure followed Marshall the rest of his life and also made him a target of Joseph McCarthy.

In 1953, Marshall became the first military officer to win a Nobel Peace Prize, bestowed for work on the Marshall Plan, his design for the postwar recovery in Europe. Still, Marshall remains less known than many of his contemporaries in “the greatest generation.” As we approach the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, The China Mission is a timely reminder of the pivotal role George Marshall played in shaping the world we know today.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, will always be remembered for the victory on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Perhaps less known is the fact that he wasn’t the only, or even top, candidate for the job. In fact, it took President Franklin D. Roosevelt a long time to select his commander. Most expected the role to go to General George Marshall.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Finding solace in the scientific method

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

On the first day of seventh-grade science class, Natalie Napoli, the narrator of Tae Keller’s debut novel, learns that the scientific method begins with observation. And while Mr. Neely is a new teacher, and therefore “all optimistic and stuff,” Natalie finds herself drawn to his lesson on the scientific method. After all, she’s the daughter of a botanist who even wrote a book about miracle plants.

When Mr. Neely encourages Natalie to enter a city-wide egg drop contest, it makes her realize how much has changed since her botanist mother became depressed. “The old Mom would have loved this project. She would have sat with me for days, brainstorming different questions and experiments,” Natalie says. These days Natalie’s mother has all but disappeared into her room.

In attempting to apply the scientific method to her family’s situation, Natalie decides on a hypothesis and action plan. If her mom can once again connect with the miraculous Cobalt Blue Orchid she once studied, maybe she would be “excited by science and life and questions” once again. Natalie’s experiments lead to a daring break-in at a botany lab, and, in the end, the hope of an emotional breakthrough of another sort.

Natalie is an engaging narrator whose struggles at home and with her peers ring true. Educators will be especially pleased by the STEM connections in The Science of Breakable Things, as well as illustrations of experiments related to the egg drop contest. And as for a conclusion, it’s irrefutable: Readers will be eager to see what Natalie chooses to investigate next.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen.

On the first day of seventh-grade science class, Natalie Napoli, the narrator of Tae Keller’s debut novel, learns that the scientific method begins with observation. And while Mr. Neely is a new teacher, and therefore “all optimistic and stuff,” Natalie finds herself drawn to his lesson on the scientific method. After all, she’s the daughter of a botanist who even wrote a book about miracle plants.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Teamwork makes for sweet success

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Spanish illustrator Anuska Allepuz makes her picture book debut with That Fruit Is Mine!, a delightful offering aimed at the preschool set. Replete with bright colors and lots of fun alliterative phrases, the story follows five elephants who live in the jungle. Like toddlers claiming toys in a playroom, they’re all quite happy with the fruit they’ve chosen as their favorite meal. That is, until one day, the elephants discover a new fruit tree: “And on that very tall tree was the MOST delicious-looking exotic fruit the elephants had ever seen. EVERYONE wanted to eat it.”

Each elephant tries out his or her idea to nab that juicy golden fruit that’s hanging high out of reach. Each one is frustrated, and all are convinced of a fact: “That fruit is MINE.” But then the selfish elephants see the fruit being successfully moved by the collaborative efforts of five mice who carry it off together before indulging in a shared feast. “This fruit is OURS,” they say. Inspired, the astonished elephants find a way to work together in order to obtain their prize.

Allepuz’s elephants are a joy, and young readers will have no trouble discerning the emotions on their faces—from frustration to fruit-filled satisfaction. They’ll also enjoy discovering that the mice, who appear at the end, have actually been busy modeling cooperation throughout the story. With its simple phrasing, sly humor and lots of chances for audience participation, That Fruit Is Mine! will lend itself well to a preschool storytime reading or a bedtime story at home.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen.

Spanish illustrator Anuska Allepuz makes her picture book debut with That Fruit is Mine!, a delightful offering aimed at the preschool set. Replete with bright colors and lots of fun alliterative phrases, the story follows five elephants who live in the jungle.

YA FictionYAGraphic Novels & Comics

A poignant look at the life of Mary Shelley

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Award-winning author and illustrator Lita Judge is best known for her picture books, but her new work, Mary’s Monster, introduces teen readers to the brilliant Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Judge spent five years researching Shelley in order to create this dramatic, creative and fictionalized biography. (Frankenstein’s monster authors a prologue.) Narrated from Shelley’s point-of-view, Judge’s lyrical free verse is accompanied by more than 300 pages of evocative, black-and-white watercolor illustrations, and this innovative format will have special appeal for young graphic novel fans.

Judge divides Shelley’s story into nine sections, reflecting the number of months Shelley spent writing her draft of Frankenstein. The last pages include illuminating source notes, a bibliography and short bios of Shelley’s peers along with plenty of background information on Shelley and her classic novel. All of these educational additions should prove useful in helping teen readers appreciate the importance of both Shelley’s work and her struggle to lead a fulfilling creative life at a time when social norms severely restricted women’s options.

Mary’s Monster is aimed at mature readers, as Judge does not shy away from including details such as the death of Shelley’s first baby and the suicide of her half-sister. Instead, Judge weaves these personal losses seamlessly into her narrative, much as Shelley drew on her own struggles in order to breathe life into one of the most enduring books of all time.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen.

Award-winning author and illustrator Lita Judge is best known for her picture books, but her new work introduces teen readers to the brilliant Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
NonfictionScience

How past trauma can affect the present

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

The Deepest Well begins at a terrifying moment in the life of a healthy 43-year-old father the author calls Evan. As he wakes up one morning, he realizes his arm has gone numb—and then his leg, and then his face. Why is Evan, a man with no apparent risk factors, having a stroke?

As pioneering pediatrician and public health advocate Dr. Nadine Burke Harris reveals, millions of adults like Evan are at risk from a silent, invisible threat: the long-term impact of ACE, adverse childhood experiences.

Harris’ exploration of childhood adversity was launched when she met a little boy named Diego in her practice at Bayview Child Health Center in a low-income area of San Francisco. Although he was 7 years old, he was only as tall as a 4 year old. His mother indicated that Diego had experienced sexual abuse at age 4, leading Harris to begin questioning the connections between trauma and illness later in life. She notes that, “with every Diego that I saw, the gnawing in my stomach got worse.”

Harris is a compelling storyteller as she recounts her search for strategies to help patients like Diego. But The Deepest Well is not only a medical narrative but also a very personal one. The stroke victim that opens this book is her brother, who, thankfully, recovered. But like Harris, he spent a childhood living with a mother with mental illness. Harris notes, “My experience dealing with both sides of the ACEs coin is in part what drives my work.”

Childhood adversity takes many forms, and its impact can last a lifetime. Readers curious to learn more about how they may have been affected can find an ACE questionnaire in the appendix. The Deepest Well is more than a riveting medical story—it’s a must-read guide for recognizing, understanding and treating a condition that many will find in our own homes.

The Deepest Well begins at a terrifying moment in the life of a healthy 43-year-old father the author calls Evan. As he wakes one morning, he realizes his arm has gone numb—and then his leg, and then his face. Why is Evan, a man with no apparent risk factors, having a stroke?

Children's & YAPicture Book

Shelter from the storm

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

From its first page, Kate, Who Tamed the Wind might seem like a fairy tale about to unfold. There is a folk-art feel to the painting of a bearded man pedaling to his creaky house on the windswept top of a steep hill. But this clever collaboration between author Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrator Lee White is actually a delightfully original exploration of the role of trees in the environment, perfectly calibrated for children.

We soon see that the man in the house has bigger problems than a steep bike ride. The wind never lets up! It makes his shutters bang, knocks his teacup off the table and blows his hat—and his words—right out the door. “What to do?”

Enter a little girl called Kate from the tiny town below. Kate brings back the man’s hat, along with a wagonload of saplings. The saplings are planted, and they grow into trees as the old man’s beard gradually turns white. Kate gets older, too, and one day she returns for a celebratory tea party under the shade of the sheltering trees near the quiet house on top of the now-green hill.

The fictional story is accompanied by an informative author’s note, “More About Marvelous Trees,” which provides background on the role of trees in the earth’s ecosystem as well as internet resources for budding environmentalists.

This is the perfect choice for tree huggers of all ages.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen.

This article was originally published in the February 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

From its first page, Kate, Who Tamed the Wind might seem like a fairy tale about to unfold. There is a folk-art feel to the painting of a bearded man pedaling to his creaky house on the windswept top of a steep hill. But this clever collaboration between author Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrator Lee White is actually a delightfully original exploration of the role of trees in the environment, perfectly calibrated for children.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Love in all its forms

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

“In the beginning there is light and two wide-eyed figures standing near the foot of your bed, and the sound of their voices is love.”

So begins the much-anticipated new picture book by Matt de la Peña, who won the prestigious Newbery Medal for Last Stop on Market Street, illustrated by Christian Robinson. Now teamed with New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long, de la Peña brings his compassionate sensibility to a moving and poetic coming-of-age story—with a twist.

For while the text of Love begins with a baby in a crib and ends with the moment a young person sets off on his or her own, the expansive illustrations go beyond a single child. Instead, each illustration helps to bring alive the author’s poetic exploration of love in all its forms and settings, from cityscapes to flower-strewn meadows. The illustrations embrace 21st-century America as a place of rich, multilayered diversity: We see a child in a wheelchair, a girl in a hijab, a picture of Jesus on a family’s wall, a child fishing with a grandfather and another watching a dad go off to work before dawn.

At the same time, de la Peña and Long don’t shy away from difficult subjects, making this a helpful book for initiating discussions with children. In one scene, a family is glued to the television during what appears to be an unnamed tragedy or disaster; in another, we see a child caught between angry parents.

Love is not simple, but it is enduring. And it is here, around us, sometimes in ways and in places we don’t even notice. Love reminds us of this in simple poetry and evocative illustrations, making it the perfect book to read and return to again and again, whatever age we might be.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Meet the illustrator of Love, Loren Long.

Matt de la Peña teams up with New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long to bring his compassionate sensibility to a moving and poetic coming-of-age story—with a twist.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

BookPage Children’s Top Pick, November 2017

The year is 1919. In Great Britain, World War I has ended, but the scars of that terrible conflict remain, both for veterans and bereaved families. Twelve-year-old Henry (short for Henrietta) and her family have come from London to spend the summer in the countryside. They’re seeking to heal from a different tragedy: Henry’s older brother has died in a fire, devastating them all, especially Henry’s mother.

“Coming to live here at Hope House was supposed to make Mama better,” Henry says, “but she wasn’t getting better, she was getting worse. It was as if she was becoming a ghost.”

Ghosts are an underlying theme in Lucy Strange’s poignant debut, published earlier in the U.K. to critical acclaim. At times, Henry imagines conversations with her brother. But one ghost in Nightingale Wood turns out to be real: a ghostly pale, witch-like woman named Moth.

When Henry’s father departs for several months of work abroad, he leaves the nanny in charge and his wife in the care of the disreputable Dr. Hardy. Increasingly, Henry feels like she’s losing control of her family. The situation escalates when the doctor insists Henry’s baby sister would be better cared for by his wife, and he commits Henry’s mother to a mental institution. Can Henry find adult allies to help her?

As with Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s The War I Finally Won, set during World War II, this evocative novel explores a time period little known to American children. And while a note on the historical period would be a welcome addition, young readers will nevertheless identify with Henry’s desire to find a way to hold her family together—and find hope again.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Independence Cake.

This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

This evocative novel, set in England in the aftermath of World War I, explores a time period little known to American children.
Children's & YAPicture Book

Our precious planet

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

“Everywhere you look, there are living things.” So we learn in this latest offering from a talented author-illustrator team from Great Britain. It’s not easy to translate complex biological principles and concepts into a picture book, but Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton manage to do just that. Their previous collaboration, Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes, explored unseen organisms. Here, Sutton’s jubilant watercolors bring a classic, almost retro look to Davies’ simple, yet informative text about biological diversity.

One unnamed young girl appears in many of the illustrators. There’s a fanciful aspect to design, as our young guide appears in diverse settings and landscapes, sometimes as an observer, other times as a teacher, collector or investigator, complete with safari hat, notebook and pen. (The scene with the girl before a table of mushrooms of all colors and shapes is marvelous!)

The presence of a human in many of the landscapes also underscores an important message of this book. While new species may be found each year, extinction is a reality. In one scene, we find our human girl before a museum case full of extinct specimens. “We have learned that ever kind of living thing is part of a big, beautiful, complication pattern,” Davies writes. “The trouble is, all over the world, human beings are destroying pieces of the pattern.”

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth is especially appropriate for young children and offers numerous possibilities for learning about colorful plants and animals. And while a bibliography and information on environmental activism would have added to its usefulness in a classroom setting, it is sure to be enjoyed by nature lovers of all ages.

“Everywhere you look, there are living things.” So we learn in this latest offering from a talented author-illustrator team from Great Britain. It’s not easy to translate complex biological principles and concepts into a picture book, but Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton manage to do just that.

NonfictionHistoryBlack History

A charming, fascinating exploration

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

If you only know Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. as the engaging host of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” you might at first be perplexed by what he calls “the retro title” of his new work. It was, in fact, chosen in homage to a 1957 book by Joel Augustus Rogers entitled 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof, which was billed at the time as a sort of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! about black history.

If Rogers was a black history teacher for the 20th century, Gates is certainly one for ours. Like Rogers, Gates aspires “to be ever curious, open, and alive,” and his writing here showcases those qualities. Rogers based his book on his newspaper columns. Likewise, Gates’ selections first appeared as essays in his online magazine The Root.

A series of 100 questions with short answers, the book is a freewheeling exploration of black history. Gates takes on questions such as “Who was the first black saint?” as well as “Who was the first black person to see the baby Jesus?” and “What happened to Argentina’s black population?” An essay about the first black fighter pilot is followed by a question about slave ownership. Topics range from sports to civil rights and the slave trade, the Civil War, piracy and even the Salem witch trials.

Gates is a historian, but he is also a consummate teacher. And one of the charms of the volume is that the essays appear in no particular order, making it ideal for dipping into at will or keeping on a bedside table to pick up before bed. But be forewarned: In the hands of a skilled storyteller like Gates, this fascinating history will definitely not put you to sleep.

 

This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

If you only know Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. as the engaging host of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” you might at first be perplexed by what he calls “the retro title” of his new work. It was, in fact, chosen in homage to a 1957 book by Joel Augustus Rogers entitled 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof, which was billed at the time as a sort of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! about black history.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Hope on the homefront

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

“You can know things all you like, but that doesn’t mean you believe them,” says 11-year-old Ada Smith at the start of this luminous sequel to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s Newbery Honor-winning The War That Saved My Life, also set in World War II England.

The story, which spans three years, begins at a time when Ada knows many things she doesn’t truly believe: that she and her little brother, Jamie, are safe with their guardian, Susan, who loves them; that the operation on her club foot is successful; and that she no longer needs to be afraid of her mother. The novel also explores many things Ada doesn’t know: the meanings of words (leading to the much-appreciated gift of a dictionary); the complicated ways in which people can love; and the notion that people can have differing religious beliefs. She confronts the latter head-on when a Jewish refugee girl named Ruth joins their household to be tutored in math by Susan.

The novel also takes on class differences. Susan, Ada and Jamie are offered the chance to live in a cottage owned by Lady Thorton, who in turn joins the household when her manor is taken over by the war department. This leads (perhaps especially for adult readers, to some of the novel’s lighter moments, as Ada teaches Lady Thorton how to cook, and in return, Lady Thorton treats Ada to an excursion in London.

In fact, while Ada is at the center of the novel, each member of this thrown-together family ends up fighting his or her own war—journeys through grief, loss and acceptance. By the end, Ada is able to conquer her own fears and garner the ability to help others begin to heal.

Bradley has crafted a remarkable and accessible story of resilience, friendship and acceptance of others. The War I Finally Won is not only a compelling look at history but also an important book for our time.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Independence Cake.

“You can know things all you like, but that doesn’t mean you believe them,” says 11-year-old Ada Smith at the start of this luminous sequel to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s Newbery Honor-winning The War That Saved My Life, also set in World War II England.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Jump into the creative process

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

“The thing that is essential to becoming an artist, something kids do and artists keep on doing after they grow up, is play,” writes Vik Muniz at the start of this fascinating, innovative (and, as evidenced by the title, most definitely playful) book. Defying simple categorization, it’s a combination of autobiography and personal memoir, art lesson and reflections on making art in today’s world.

Perhaps most of all, it’s like being on a studio visit. And that, in fact, is what inspired the project. We see the Brazilian-born Muniz talking to children in his studio, along with pictures of his early drawings. The feel of a personal, dynamic question-and-answer session is enhanced by photos of the artist as he leads viewers and readers on a journey through his artistic process.

Muniz encourages young people to try out ideas on their own, as readers are invited to participate directly. “One of the ideas I play with is RECOGNITION,” he writes, opposite a photo of a cloud shape. “What do you see here?” Lifting the flaps provides three possible shapes for the cloud formation. It’s unusual to have such an interactive design in books for this age. It’s not only fun, but it also works on many levels.

Another appealing aspect is the way the format makes the artistic process so accessible for children. On one page, for example, Muniz explains, “I don’t want people to simply see a representation of something. I want them to see how it comes about.” To do that, he tells us, he decided to use thread as a medium. Readers see not only a photo of a finished work but the artistic context and creative steps that underpin it.

With a glossary and guide to museums and further online reading, Jelly, Garbage + Toys is a rich visual treasure-trove, a book to be savored not just by young artists but by art lovers of all ages.

With a glossary and guide to museums and further online reading, Jelly, Garbage + Toys is a rich visual treasure-trove, a book to be savored not just by young artists but by art lovers of all ages.

NonfictionBiography

The trials of a complex president

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

BookPage Top Pick in Nonfiction, October 2017

Move over, Hamilton! Might there be room for a Broadway musical about Ulysses S. Grant? There’s certainly a vast treasure-trove of material in Grant, a stupendous new biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow, whose book Alexander Hamilton inspired the hit musical.

Grant is a larger-than-life figure, and Chernow has no difficulty crafting a fascinating and immensely readable (and immense) book. The author is aided by the existence of 32 volumes (comprised of 50,000 documents) of Grant’s papers, as well as Grant’s own memoirs, which he wrote while dying of throat cancer, spurred by a determination to provide for his wife, Julia.

Grant’s life was marked by sometimes bitter failures and hard-won accomplishments. By sheer grit, he managed to succeed in his courageous final endeavor, penning what Chernow calls “the foremost military memoir in the English language.”

Chernow’s biography is replete with fascinating details and insightful political analysis, a combination that brings Grant and his time to life. Grant played a key role in post-Civil War politics, battling Andrew Johnson in order to uphold the terms of surrender he’d negotiated with Robert E. Lee at Appomattox. Later, Grant came to believe Lee harbored a fantasy that his “defeated cause would rise anew.” (Lee, Chernow tells us, testified in Congress against suffrage for former slaves. As for Johnson, Chernow says, “No American president has ever held such openly racist views.”) Grant sought instead to preserve the Union and safeguard the rights of those freed from slavery. He supported federal funds for African-American education and counted Frederick Douglass as an ally in the effort to stop the atrocities of the Ku Klux Klan.

While Chernow’s biography may be hefty, it is also uncommonly compelling and timely. Perhaps a Broadway adaptation wouldn’t be such a bad idea. . . . In the meantime, put Grant on your must-read list.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Move over, Hamilton! Might there be room for a Broadway musical about Ulysses S. Grant? There’s certainly a vast treasure-trove of material in Grant, a stupendous new biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow, whose book Alexander Hamilton inspired the hit musical.

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