Deborah Hopkinson

NonfictionHistory

The strange domestic life of royalty

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

What we usually remember about George III is that he was mad, but there was far more to this complex royal figure. As we learn in debut author Janice Hadlow’s fascinating account, A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III, he had much to keep him busy during his long reign, including a very large family. This biography was originally published in the U.K. as The Strangest Family. It’s an apt title. Hadlow takes as her canvas not simply the private life of one monarch, but the entire House of Hanover, a dysfunctional dynasty if there ever was one.

In fact, George III, who came to the throne at age 22, developed his rule in opposition to the intrigue and jealousies that marked his childhood. He determined that a king should be a moral force for good, providing a model of virtuous family life. This philosophy was to guide him throughout his life and would have unintended consequences for his children, especially his daughters, who struggled to create their own independent lives.

George was fortunate in his choice of bride for his experiment. Hadlow’s portrait of the long-suffering Queen Charlotte (who managed the nearly impossible feat of successfully giving birth to 15 children in the 18th century) also provides insights into educational and child-rearing practices of the time.

George III’s mental illness, the cause of which is still debated, did not come until later in his life. By this point in the book, the characters in this royal drama seem like familiar figures on a long-running television series. We are sad to see the old king fade, but immensely curious to see how his values and ideals shape the future.

 

This article was originally published in the December 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

What we usually remember about George III is that he was mad, but there was far more to this complex royal figure. As we learn in debut author Janice Hadlow’s fascinating account, A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III, he had much to keep him busy during his long reign, including a very large family. This biography was originally published in the U.K. as The Strangest Family. It’s an apt title. Hadlow takes as her canvas not simply the private life of one monarch, but the entire House of Hanover, a dysfunctional dynasty if there ever was one.
YA FictionYA

The dark reality of diamonds

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

The diamond mines of Marange in Zimbabwe serve as the setting for this portrait of a family in turmoil, which focuses on a tenacious 15-year-old boy named Patson Moyo. Patson and his little sister, Grace, adore their father, a man who has dedicated his life to teaching. But it is their new stepmother, known simply as “the Wife,” who compels her husband to leave his home and seek wealth by moving to Marange, where her brother James is involved in mining. In Marange, she claims, there are “diamonds for everyone.”

“I had never met Uncle James, but I knew I wouldn’t like him,” reflects Patson before the family sets off on their journey. From the outset, it is clear they have entered a treacherous world. Their driver will not even take them all the way to Marange for fear of danger on the roads. The school Patson’s father hopes to work at has closed; the government housing is an empty promise.

Patson and his father go to work in the mines, with Patson becoming part of a syndicate of teen miners who hope to pool their profits to get a chance at a better life—and find that one priceless stone. But when government soldiers arrive to put an end to the “diamond rush,” Patson’s world is shattered.

Michael Williams, who has written young adult novels such as Crocodile Burning and Now Is the Time for Running, is also the managing director of Cape Town Opera in South Africa. He brings a strong sense of place and authenticity to this gripping look into events that took place after the discovery of diamonds in Zimbabwe in 2006.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

The diamond mines of Marange in Zimbabwe serve as the setting for this portrait of a family in turmoil, which focuses on a tenacious 15-year-old boy named Patson Moyo. Patson and his little sister, Grace, adore their father, a man who has dedicated his life to teaching. But it is their new stepmother, known simply as “the Wife,” who compels her husband to leave his home and seek wealth by moving to Marange, where her brother James is involved in mining. In Marange, she claims, there are “diamonds for everyone.”

NonfictionHistoryAmerican History

First in war, first in peace

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

While we all know George Washington as our first president and leader of American forces in the Revolutionary War, in The Return of George Washington: 1783-1789, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson illuminates another key role he played: leading the Constitutional Convention.

It was, it turns out, a charge Washington took on reluctantly. After securing victory in the Revolutionary War after nine years of dedicated leadership, the towering 51-year-old general announced his retirement on December 23, 1783. But a private life was not to be his. Less than four years later, with health problems a continuing concern, Washington faced a dilemma: Should he attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia?

As Larson tells us, the future president realized that, “For his own sake and the sake of the country, he should not go unless the convention was likely to succeed, and yet it was not likely to succeed unless he went.”

And so it was. The delegates elected Washington president of the convention to lead them through the morass any rebelling society faces: It is one thing to achieve military victory, quite another to design a functioning government. In America’s case, there was also the need to balance the interests of the central government with the concerns of powerful, independent-minded states.

Larson brings readers into innards of the Constitutional Convention: the formation of committees to tackle issues such as presidential selection and executive power, debates on the power to tax and the length of the president’s term and the crafting of language to meet the desires of both nationalists and their opponents. There was even a “Committee of Style and Arrangement” charged with giving the draft document a “last polish.” And, of course, in the end, Washington accepted the mantle of leadership.

As elections role around once more, Larson’s impeccable research and impressive storytelling acumen may be just the thing readers need to restore appreciation for the system of government we inherited, and still strive to perfect. 

 

This article was originally published in the November 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

While we all know George Washington as our first president and leader of American forces in the Revolutionary War, in The Return of George Washington: 1783-1789, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson illuminates another key role he played: leading the Constitutional Convention.
Nonfiction

The rewards of delayed gratification

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Self-control. Whether it’s getting to the gym, sticking to that diet, quitting smoking or keeping our tempers under wraps at work, most of us wish we had more of it.  And certainly as parents we want our children to have the ability to practice self-control, set goals and be resilient in the face of failure.

Renowned psychologist Walter Mischel began studying this issue back in the 1960s in a series of experiments now famously known as “the marshmallow test.” Left alone in a room with three marshmallows, a child who rang a bell and asked the researcher to return would get to eat one marshmallow. But if the child waited on a chair until the researcher returned without being summoned, the reward was two marshmallows.

Mischel and his students later videotaped the children, and later still, tracked some of the original preschoolers, now in their 40s, in a follow-up study. The results, like Mischel’s new book, The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control, are fascinating and revealing. Those preschoolers who were able to delay gratification had attained higher educational levels, were less likely to be addicted and had lower body-mass indices as adults.

Now, before you begin panicking that your child who can’t wait a moment for a cookie is doomed to lifelong failure, take heart. How our brains work, as Mischel clearly demonstrates, is not so simple.

What makes The Marshmallow Test so remarkable is not simply this great psychologist’s ability to mine years of complex research to provide simple strategies anyone can use (such as setting up and practicing IF/THEN scenarios: IF the alarm goes off at 7 a.m., THEN I will exercise). More, it is Mischel’s compassion and commitment to making life better for individuals and society which shine through. Reading The Marshmallow Test is a little like sitting in a lecture hall listening to a brilliant researcher, and leaving inspired to lead a better life. Or at least to get to the gym the next morning.

Self-control. Whether it’s getting to the gym, sticking to that diet, quitting smoking or keeping our tempers under wraps at work, most of us wish we had more of it. And certainly as parents we want our children to have the ability to practice self-control, set goals and be resilient in the face of failure.
Children's & YAPicture Book

And away we go!

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Philip C. Stead, author of the 2011 Caldecott winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, brings his considerable talents to this fanciful story of a boy who goes in search of adventure. Sitting on his roof one night, Sebastian decides that there’s nothing very interesting to see on his street: It is definitely time for a change. What spells adventure more than a journey in a hot air balloon, especially one constructed from Grandma’s afghans and patchwork quilts?

Of course, as all intrepid travelers know, packing well is essential. After all, when you meet real bears, you want to be able to share a pickle sandwich together. And when your afghan has sprung a leak, it’s advisable to have knitting needles on hand so that three helpful sisters can help with repairs. And when the wind picks up, well, then everyone will want to pile in to see where the balloon will go next.

With its large format and appealing pastel and oil paintings, Sebastian and the Balloon is a perfect choice for story time—and for all young readers ready to undertake their own flights of imagination. As Sebastian knows, all it takes is to chart your course, check the breeze, cut the strings and float free.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

Philip C. Stead, author of the 2011 Caldecott winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, brings his considerable talents to this fanciful story of a boy who goes in search of adventure. Sitting on his roof one night, Sebastian decides that there’s nothing very interesting to see on his street: It is definitely time for a change. What spells adventure more than a journey in a hot air balloon, especially one constructed from Grandma’s afghans and patchwork quilts?

NonfictionNature

Fighting to save our feathered friends

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Michele Raffin was a suburban California mom who’d finally signed up to join a gym when, to her dismay, her personal trainer was extremely late for their session. When he finally arrived, he had a good reason for the delay: He’d come across a wounded bird by the side of the freeway. In what would become a life-changing moment, Raffin met that dove and tried to save it. And though it didn’t survive, she found herself a few days later responding to a newspaper ad seeking someone to rescue another dove. Her course in life was set.

Today Pandemonium Aviaries (her kids chose the name) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to breeding bird species that hover on the edge of extinction. Through Raffin’s fascinating account, we get a glimpse of the challenges of breeding wild birds in captivity. We follow her story of how one bird led to another, and another, and we learn what it takes to bear the responsibility for hundreds of living creatures.

Along the way, we meet some endearing personalities including Sweetie, a tiny quail left in a paper bag at a supermarket on its way to become someone’s dinner, and Oscar, a flightless Lady Gouldian finch with an indomitable will to survive.

As Raffin (and her family) become increasingly committed to rescuing and caring for birds, they realize that their charges require ever more specialized knowledge and care. Slowly but surely, and not without some heartbreaking setbacks, Raffin takes her place in the rarefied world of aviculture. Her sanctuary is now known for its success in breeding vulnerable species such as the lovely blue Victoria crowned pigeon of New Guinea.

Packed with dramatic incidents and unforgettable characters, both avian and human, The Birds of Pandemonium is the engaging story of one woman’s journey and her commitment to conservation.

 

 

This article was originally published in the October 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Michele Raffin was a suburban California mom who’d finally signed up to join a gym when, to her dismay, her personal trainer was extremely late for their session. When he finally arrived, he had a good reason for the delay: He’d come across a wounded bird by the side of the freeway. In what would become a life-changing moment, Raffin met that dove and tried to save it. And though it didn’t survive, she found herself a few days later responding to a newspaper ad seeking someone to rescue another dove. Her course in life was set.
YA FictionYA

Out of a bad dream

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

BookPage Teen Top Pick, October 2014

Following the success of her best-selling adult novel The Interestings, Meg Wolitzer brings her considerable talents to her first young adult title, Belzhar. Wolitzer returns to a subject that occupied her as a senior in college, when she was completing her first novel: the poet Sylvia Plath.

“Big changes happen to young people when no adults are around,” notes Wolitzer, and that is certainly true for Jam Gallahue and the other students in Mrs. Quenell’s Special Topics in English class at The Wooden Barn, a boarding school for “emotionally fragile and highly intelligent teens.” It’s a last resort for Jam, who fiercely loved British exchange student Reeve Maxfield for 41 days, and has been unable to recover from his death.

Jam and the other students don’t know why they’ve been selected for Mrs. Quenell’s class. And they certainly don’t know what to make of the antique journals she hands out, along with the assignment to write in them twice a week. Even more puzzling is their teacher’s instruction to “look out for one another.” But soon after beginning her journal, Jam has no choice but to turn to her classmates for support, because what she experiences while writing is both frightening and exciting. The journals have the power to transport them into a world of the past—a world they call Belzhar, after Plath’s most famous work, The Bell Jar.

Enlivened by humor, memorable characters and a page-turning mystery only revealed in its final pages, Belzhar explores the role of trauma in young lives. Fans of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars need wait no longer for another novel to capture their hearts and minds.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

This article was originally published in the October 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Following the success of her best-selling adult novel The Interestings, Meg Wolitzer brings her considerable talents to her first young adult title, Belzhar. Wolitzer returns to a subject that occupied her as a senior in college, when she was completing her first novel: the poet Sylvia Plath.
NonfictionMedicineBiography

Medicine’s quirkiest visionary

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

While there’s something fascinating about old medical equipment and collections of oddities, it’s harder to truly appreciate the reality of life before modern surgery, let alone the ostracism and pain faced by individuals who suffered from conditions routinely corrected today. In this compelling biography of Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter (1811-1850), Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz brings a poet’s sensibilities to the life of an American surgeon who was at the forefront of advances in medical education and reconstructive surgery.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s medical college, Mütter was a brilliant and inventive teacher who introduced Socratic methods into his lectures, unusual for his time. He also became known for tackling complex surgical cases.

One of the most compelling aspects of Dr. Mütter’s Marvels is the inclusion of detailed accounts of actual surgeries Mutter performed. In one instance, the young surgeon tries to repair the severe cleft palate of 25-year-old Nathaniel Dickey, whose face is literally “split down the middle.” The surgery is made even more dangerous and difficult because it is being done without anesthesia—if Nathaniel vomits, for instance, the delicate surgical work could be ruined. Similarly, Mütter undertook to help women whose disfiguring burns in all-too-common household fires left them as “monsters” in the eyes of society.

Sadly, Thomas Mütter died at 48. His legacy lives on at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, which includes his own collection of unusual medical specimens, as well as exhibitions dedicated to exploring and preserving medical history. Dr. Mütter’s Marvels is both an insightful portrait of a pioneering surgeon and a reminder of how far medicine has come.

 

This article was originally published in the September 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

While there’s something fascinating about old medical equipment and collections of oddities, it’s harder to truly appreciate the reality of life before modern surgery, let alone the ostracism and pain faced by individuals who suffered from conditions routinely corrected today. In this compelling biography of Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter (1811-1850), Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz brings a poet’s sensibilities to the life of an American surgeon who was at the forefront of advances in medical education and reconstructive surgery.
Children's & YAPicture Book

A dog’s best friend

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

These days it seems dogs are everywhere. We have dog detectives (Spencer Quinn’s delightful Chet and Bernie mystery series for adults), lost dogs (Chris Raschka’s Caldecott-winning A Ball for Daisy) and even, apparently, dogs with blogs. So, do kids (and adults) need another dog book? The answer, as any dog lover will tell you, is a resounding yes, especially when the book is created by the talented David Ezra Stein, who won a Caldecott Honor for Interrupting Chicken.

The hero of I’m My Own Dog is a cocky, independent and supremely confident creature (not unlike many 5-year-olds, come to think of it), who is totally the boss of his own life. “If someone told me, ‘Sit!’ I wouldn’t do it. Even if they said, ‘I’ll give you a bone.’”

One day, though, our intrepid hero finds an itchy spot on his back he simply cannot reach on his own. Fortunately he finds a fellow at the park willing to scratch it for him. When “the little guy” follows him home, the dog takes pity on him. He gets a leash to lead his new friend around, and takes him to the park to show him things like squirrels and how to throw a stick. (Dog lovers, is this starting to sound familiar?)

Dogs, notes Stein, “make an excellent metaphor for a story about independence and love.” And as I’m My Own Dog reminds us delightfully once again, dogs also make excellent best friends.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

These days it seems dogs are everywhere. We have dog detectives (Spencer Quinn’s delightful Chet and Bernie mystery series for adults), lost dogs (Chris Raschka’s Caldecott-winning A Ball for Daisy) and even, apparently, dogs with blogs. So, do kids (and adults) need another dog book? The answer, as any dog lover will tell you, is a resounding yes, especially when the book is created by the talented David Ezra Stein, who won a Caldecott Honor for Interrupting Chicken.

YA NonfictionYA

Riveting Russian history for teen readers

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

The talented and versatile Candace Fleming, who writes novels and delectable picture books as well as groundbreaking nonfiction for young readers, shows why there’s so much excitement about nonfiction in children’s literature these days. The fall of imperial Russia and the fascinating story of the Nicholas II and Alexandra might seem more suited for a college history class. But in Fleming’s capable hands, readers will find themselves caught up in one of the most intriguing—and sometimes heartbreaking—stories of the 20th century.

Fleming reveals that her own fascination with the famed imperial family and the murders of Nicholas and Alexandra and their five children compelled her to undertake the project. “After some reading and research, I came to realize, more than anything, that I needed to find the answers to the question that kept nagging me: How did this happen?”

In tracing the complex answer to this question, Fleming deftly provides a portrait of the Romanovs and their times. The book is designed with young readers in mind. Historic photographs help make an unfamiliar time period vivid and real, and throughout the narrative, sections titled “Beyond the Palace Gates” illuminate the external events and the historical context that led to revolution and the fall of Russia’s last tsar.

Fleming’s meticulous research is documented in impeccable source notes and an impressive bibliography, making this a model for student researchers. All this and compelling storytelling make The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia stand out as a must-read for teens, and, of course, their curious parents.

The talented and versatile Candace Fleming, who writes novels and delectable picture books as well as groundbreaking nonfiction for young readers, shows why there’s so much excitement about nonfiction in children’s literature these days. The fall of imperial Russia and the fascinating story of the Nicholas II and Alexandra might seem more suited for a college history class. But in Fleming’s capable hands, readers will find themselves caught up in one of the most intriguing—and sometimes heartbreaking—stories of the 20th century.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

History and mystery in a touching tale of friendship

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Sam Angus, author of the World War I historical novel Soldier Dog, takes readers to World War II-era Great Britain in her new novel. Like other children, Wolfie and his older sister Dodie have been sent by their caretaker to the countryside to protect them from London bombing raids. Their beloved Pa has returned safely from the war, but their joy is short-lived, as Pa is being held and tried for cowardice.

While Pa tries desperately to prove his innocence, the shadow of suspicion follows the children to the countryside. They are turned out of their first home, but not before Wolfie finds an abandoned foal he fights to keep alive. Hero becomes the light of the young boy’s life, and when Hero and other ponies mysteriously disappear, Wolfie is determined to find his horse again.

Angus intertwines Wofie and Dodie’s story with actual events from World War II, as well as facts about the Exmoor pony, one of Britain’s native breeds that was often used as pit ponies in mines. Fans of War Horse will enjoy this heartfelt coming-of-age story.

 

This article was originally published in the July 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Sam Angus, author of the World War I historical novel Soldier Dog, takes readers to World War II-era Great Britain in her new novel. Like other children, Wolfie and his older sister Dodie have been sent by their caretaker to the countryside to protect them from London bombing raids. Their beloved Pa has returned safely from the war, but their joy is short-lived, as Pa is being held and tried for cowardice.
NonfictionHistory

Travel back to Charles Dickens’ London

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

At the age of 12, when his father was imprisoned for not paying his debts, Charles Dickens was sent to work in a factory. He walked to his job, to his meager lodgings, to find his dinner in a market stall and to visit Marshalsea prison, where the rest of his family was living. Dickens never lost this habit of walking. And as Judith Flanders reveals in her stunning new book, The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London, the sights, sounds and smells of the city that infuse his novels were not simply the work of a brilliant imagination but “the reportage of a great observer.”

No mean observer herself, Flanders packs her narrative with intriguing details that bring the Victorian streets alive. She begins, as working people did, in early morning, when long lines of carts and costermongers converged on Covent Garden. Weaving a tapestry as colorful as a market flower display, Flanders not only describes such things as changes in transportation but takes us right into the streets, to battle the mud and to be smothered in dust.

The Victorian City is social history at its finest, a must-read for Dickens fans or anyone who loves London. It reminds us why this time period is endlessly fascinating to read about, but probably not a place we’d really want to live.

 

This article was originally published in the July 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

At the age of 12, when his father was imprisoned for not paying his debts, Charles Dickens was sent to work in a factory. He walked to his job, to his meager lodgings, to find his dinner in a market stall and to visit Marshalsea prison, where the rest of his family was living. Dickens never lost this habit of walking. And as Judith Flanders reveals in her stunning new book, The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London, the sights, sounds and smells of the city that infuse his novels were not simply the work of a brilliant imagination but “the reportage of a great observer.”
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Unearthing spooky secrets in the garden

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

From the title of Jonathan Auxier’s fascinating, original (and more than a little creepy) version of a Victorian ghost story, one might suppose that The Night Gardener is, like The Secret Garden, a sweet, perhaps a bit sentimental, coming-of-age story. And while the novel does share some elements with the classic tale, including orphans (Molly and her little brother Kip); a creepy mansion; spoiled children (Penny and Alistair Windsor); and somewhat magical growing things, The Night Gardener is decidedly darker—in the most delicious and delightful way.

When Irish orphans Molly and Kip arrive to work at the Windsor estate, they find a family out of sorts, a father in financial trouble, curious muddy footprints and, of course, a mysterious room at the heart of the house. As Molly and Kip seek to free the Windsors and themselves from the malevolent presence that stalks the family, they find unexpected sources of courage and allies, including an old storyteller.

This is exactly the sort of scary, spooky story kids love.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

This article was originally published in the June 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

From the title of Jonathan Auxier’s fascinating, original (and more than a little creepy) version of a Victorian ghost story, one might suppose that The Night Gardener is, like The Secret Garden, a sweet, perhaps a bit sentimental, coming-of-age story. And while the novel does share some elements with the classic tale, including orphans (Molly and her little brother Kip); a creepy mansion; spoiled children (Penny and Alistair Windsor); and somewhat magical growing things, The Night Gardener is decidedly darker—in the most delicious and delightful way.

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