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BOSTON JANE

Name: BOSTON JANE
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
ISBN: 0-06-029043-9

WILDERNESS DAYS

by Jennifer L. Holm ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2002

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It’s now several months since Boston Jane (Boston Jane: An Adventure, 2001) arrived in Shoalwater Bay, Washington Territory, having traveled from proper Philadelphia to marry William and having found William married to another. She’s no longer puking on board during the long voyage and is resolved to try life on the rough frontier without a chaperone. What Jane needs, though, is more than the ability to bake pies and sew. She just doesn’t see that Jehu of the deep blue eyes loves her or that Mr. Russell of the flea-infested, tobacco-stained wardrobe cares so much about her well-being. And she doesn’t see that the well-dressed, polite Mr. Black, who arrives one morning at the settlement, is a dangerous killer out for revenge against Mr. Russell. Mourning the death of her dear sweet Papa, she resolves to board the next boat for a return trip to Philadelphia. At the very last moment, she turns back and runs after Jehu and Keer-ukso, one of the neighboring Chinook, who have set out to warn Mr. Russell that his life is in danger. He’s gone to a rendezvous between the whites who want all the Indians on a reservation and the Indians who want to continue living on their ancestral homeland. What follows for Jane, Jehu, and Keer-ukso is a perilous trip on water and land, with a snowstorm thrown in for good measure. There’s an exciting combination of danger, humor, misunderstandings, first kisses, and a growing awareness of the goodness of those who happily will be Jane’s territorial neighbors. She won’t return to Philadelphia. True love is here, and proper Miss Sally Biddle of the perfect blond corkscrew curls has arrived from Philadelphia. More to come? We can only hope that the endearing and occasionally improbable adventures of Boston Jane, with their nicely blended mix of real events and characters inspired by actual pioneers, will continue. (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-06-029043-9

Page Count: 256

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BIG ADVENTURES OF BABYMOUSE
by Jennifer L. Holm ; illustrated by Matthew Holm

- BOOK REVIEW
SUNNY MAKES A SPLASH
by Jennifer L. Holm ; illustrated by Matthew Holm & Lark Pien

- BOOK REVIEW
TURTLE IN PARADISE
by Jennifer L. Holm ; illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau

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THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE

by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2024

A rich, enthralling historical mystery that engages and educates.

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Siblings decode familial and wartime secrets in 1940 England.

Headstrong 14-year-old Lizzie Novis refuses to believe that her mother, a U.S. embassy clerk who was working in Poland, is dead. After fleeing from her grandmother—who’s attempting to bring her back to America—Lizzie locates her 19-year-old brother, Jakob, a Cambridge mathematician who’s stationed at the clandestine British intelligence site called Bletchley Park. Hiding from her grandmother’s estate steward, Lizzie becomes a messenger at Bletchley Park, ferrying letters across the grounds while Jakob attempts to both break the ciphers generated by the German Enigma machines and help his sister face the reality of their mother’s likely fate. With a suspicious MI5 agent inquiring about Mum and clues and codes piling up, the siblings, whose late father was “Polish Jewish British,” eventually decipher the truth. Shared narrative duties between the siblings effectively juxtapose the measured Jakob with the spirited Lizzie. Lizzie’s directness is repeatedly attributed to her being “half American,” which proves tiresome, but Jakob’s development from reserved to risk-tolerant provides welcome nuance. The authors introduce and carefully explain a variety of decoding methodologies, inspiring readers to attempt their own. A thoughtful and entertaining historical note identifies the key figures who appear in the book, such as Alan Turing, as well as the real-life bases for the fictional characters. Interspersed photos and images of ephemera help situate the narrative’s time period.

A rich, enthralling historical mystery that engages and educates. (Historical mystery. 10-14)