MMGM: Vintage Children's Books for Modern Readers: Anna Rose Johnson

Do you like vintage children’s books? You know the books you or perhaps your grandmother grew up with (or were written about your great grandmother’s time) like Betsy-Tacy, The Secret Garden, or Anne of Green Gables. These were the books I lived in as a child, where the characters became as dear to me as real friends. I was so excited to discover a new-to-me author, Anna Rose Johnson, who shares this love and has written some beautiful modern books in this vintage style.

Today I’m featuring the two I’ve read, but Faith Hough, another MMGM blogger, recently featured an interview with Anna Rose about her latest book, The Blossoming Summer. 

If you like nostalgic reads like The Penderwicks or The Vanderbeekers series, but set in the early 1900s, you will love these books!

Synopsis for A Star That Always Stays:

 
Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories—stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage. 

Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all—even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It’s dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan.

Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings—all five of them—are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it... and upon her discretion. 

But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is?

 

My Take:

 
The writing style and the focus on the everyday elements of life reminded me so much of Maud Lovelace’s high school Betsy books. Norvia was an interesting heroine, because she was so shy, but I loved that because that was me as a young teen as well. I also loved how her heritage was natural to the story and though she encountered prejudice, the story showed who Norvia's true friends were. Faith was woven in as a natural part of life. I really enjoyed the chapters about the two Ojibwe grandmothers and their steadfast encouragement in Norvia's life. And although I am from a small family myself, I love reading about big families, and Norvia’s drama-loving sister, Dicta, steals every scene she’s in. There were a few minor things, like how divorce was handled for that period that didn’t ring true for me, and I wished we could have seen more of her dad and hear his side of the story. But overall, a lovely read. And Mr. Bingley, the family dog, was a delight!

Synopsis for The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry:

Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking…

Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor’s child should be) has been frightened of the water ever since she lost her father at sea. But with no one else to care for her, she’s sent to foster with the Martins—a large Anishinaabe family living on a lighthouse in the middle of stormy Lake Superior. 

The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake?

My Take:

 
While A Star reminded me of Betsy-Tacy, The Luminous Life reminded me of Anne of Green Gables and The Little Princess. The set up is similar about a spirited, imaginative orphan girl who goes to live with a family, but what I loved is that Anna Rose brings her own spin on the story. Lucy is imaginative and gets into trouble because she’s daydreaming, but one of my favorite parts of the book was how she often imagines herself as a Princess or a waif depending on her mood. Unlike the Little Princess, imagining herself as a princess doesn’t make Lucy a better person, although sometimes it does. She’s proud of her heritage and her Papa who died in a shipwreck. I loved the beautiful large family dynamics. It is difficult to have a large cast and keep each character distinct. But Anna Rose does it well. I also enjoyed the mystery of the necklace and the shipwreck which added a lot of peril, especially toward the end.

This is a much shorter read than A Star and would be wonderful for advanced readers who are ready to move up to middle grade, but not ready for any dark themes. 

Max, the Reading Dog*

 

 

 

Max’s Take on a 5 bone scale: 

A Star: Mr. Bingley! I love a dog that’s named after a book character, especially if it’s from my mom’s favorite book (Pride and Prejudice).

 🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴

Lucy Landry had some gulls, but no dogs. And lots of water! I do not like boats or water. 🦴

Your turn:

Do you like vintage reads? What books did you love as a child?  

 

 

Check out other fabulous middle grades at Always in the Middle!  

 

 

ISWG: What I've Learned from My Favorite Childhood Authors

Often, I get asked by other writers why I write for kids. My standard answer is that deep down I still feel twelve (or sixteen if the YA mood strikes me). Seriously, my best ideas are often based on my own or my sons’ childhood experiences. 

As Flannery O’Connor said, “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.”

This month’s question was relatively easy for me. These are books that not only impacted me as a person, but as a writer. When I think about what kind of writer I want to be, I think of a long list of authors who wrote so well for children that I still feel like these characters are my best friends. These are just some highlights.

What I learned from my childhood friends books:

 

Description/Characters

Description has always been a challenge for me. My drafts are usually very sparse, just dialogue, action, and inner thoughts. I usually add description as layers in later drafts. But maybe because it doesn’t come naturally to me, I love reading authors who do lush description well. And many older books do. 

What I learned from Wilder and Mongomery and Lovelace:

• People will stay with a well-rounded interesting character, even if there’s not a lot of action.

• Everyday life is beautiful and full of drama and joy.

• To capture characters and description well, pay attention to the people around you.

• Women from the past wanted to be writers too!

Humor

 

I went through a serious Roald Dahl kick as a child. I loved his smarter-than-the-adults characters, and I delighted in how the awful adults always got their comeuppance. Recently, I got to see Willy Wonka the musical, and it brought back so many fond memories. Writing humorously is something I’ve had to work on, but it comes more naturally as I learn to take myself less seriously.

 

 

What I learned from Roald Dahl:

• Humor points out the truth but in a subtle way.

• It appeals to kids.

• It is good for the soul. (And there is a lot of research that it is good for our health, too.)

 

Imagination/Fantasy:

 

 

I loved the Narnia series as a kid, but I thought I didn't like other fantasy until I started writing it. My biggest struggle with fantasy is world-building and internal logic. My first attempt at a novel was a portal fantasy, and although it is littered with issues, I still want to go back and revise it. And then because of Gail Carson Levine, I have a soft spot for fairy tale re-imaginings. Someday!

 

 What I learned from C.S. Lewis and Gail Carson Levine (whom I discovered as adult):

• I like fantasy grounded in reality.

• Fantasy can be a portal (pun intended!) for teaching truth about the real world/life.

• The best fantasies have incredible characters, world-building, and all the other elements of a good novel.

What about you? What books inspired you as a child or a teen? 

If you'd like to read more ISWG posts or sign up, please go HERE. You won't be disappointed.

 

Why Best-Tacy Books are Still Relevant 80 Years Later

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of the Betsy-Tacy series, which was published in 1940, but the books are set at the turn of the last century. The series is loosely based on Maud Hart Lovelace's experiences growing up in this time period.

I fell in love with these books as a child and can still read them with the same wonder. I related to Betsy and her desire to be a writer from a very young age. And like Betsy, I have a friend like Tacy, a kindred spirit I met at six. We're still in touch (through snail mail, of course!), though we live miles apart.
 
If you’re looking for a comfort read, don’t look any farther. And since it’s Lovelace’s birthday on Saturday, I thought this would be a great time to revisit her.

But apart from the nostalgia and the desire to read about a simpler time, what makes these books relevant now?

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Betsy is a woman of her times, yet before her time. I love that Betsy never questions for a second that she can be a woman and a writer. A wife and a writer. She is a trail blazer, yet she doesn’t think family and a creative passion are mutually exclusive (unlike in the most recent Little Women.)

2. Betsy has wonderful, strong female friendships. It is so rare to see strong female friendships in  middle grade and young adult fiction. Boy-girl friendships are far more common. Maybe authors are trying to appeal to both boys and girls. But as some of my best memories of my childhood were with my girl friends, I’d love to see more of this in modern kidlit.

3. Betsy grows with you. Lovelace did something groundbreaking with her books for that time. The books when Betsy is young are simpler in language and plot for the younger middle grade reader. The books about her teens are geared in language, themes, and complexity to readers in what we now call the young adult genre. 

4. Betsy has adventures. One of my favorite books is Betsy Tacy and the Great World. This novel is loosely based on Lovelace’s travels in Europe. Who can forget the scene when Betsy is in England waiting to hear if England will declare war (WWI) on Germany? Betsy is the kind of character who goes places.

5. Betsy has the best family. It’s lovely reading about a family that has so much fun together as Betsy’s family with their music nights and Sunday suppers and muffins on the first day of school. Although think I might skip Dad's onion sandwiches myself. 

These books are rich in the details of ordinary life. And that’s why we love them. They make us feel like our lives, however ordinary, can be exciting too.


If you'd like to celebrate Maud Hart Lovelace's 128th birthday next Saturday, here more information about the virtual celebration: Betsy Tacy Society Page.


What kind of book to you like to read for comfort? Have you read any Maud Hart Lovelace? What is your favorite? Tell me in the comments!

MMGM: If You Like the Betsy-Tacy Books …

Bear with me as I take a break from my usual highlight of modern, just-published kidlit to travel back to the last century to share a beloved author with you...

I discovered the Betsy-Tacy-Tib series  in elementary school. Like Betsy, I wanted to be a writer and had a friend like Tacy, a girl who loved to play pretend and listen to my stories. She’s still a treasured friend after all these years...and I still love these books.

Betsy-Tacy doesn’t get as much attention as Anne of Green Gables or Laura Ingalls, but she should. Like those books, Lovelace offers a character-rich slice of life in different era. But if like me, you can't get enough of Lovelace, did you know she wrote other children's books--some set in Deep Valley?


Picture Book

The Trees Kneel at Christmas

 

After Grandmother explains why the trees in Lebanon kneel at Christmas, Afify and Hanna hope to witness a similar miracle in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. (synopsis from Amazon)


This is a picture book Christmas story about Lebanese refugees and their traditions, a beautiful book written with Lovelace's wonderful ability to portray children's experiences in thoughtful ways.

Middle Grade

Winona’s Pony Cart

   

Winona Root is almost eight years old. More than anything in the world, she wants a pony for her birthday. She wishes so hard for a pony that she's sure to get one--at least, that's what she tells her friends Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. It's only when the exciting day grows near that Winona begins to wonder: What if her father meant it when he said she couldn't have a pony? (synopsis from Amazon)

This is the most “middle grade” of the extra books about Deep Valley. While I love Winona in the Betsy books, especially how she stands up to Betsy in elementary and is full of fun in high school, I didn’t love her in the Pony Cart. Like a lot of girls, Winona wants a pony, and her parents respond in an interesting way. However, I didn’t like how this story ended. Not my favorite of the “extra” books.

Young Adult (though these might appeal to middle grade readers as well)

Carney’s House Party

 

It is the summer of 1911, Carney Sibley is back home in her beloved town of Deep Valley, Minnesota. She's looking forward to hosting a month-long house party, with guests including her Vassar college roommate Isobel Porteous and old chum Betsy Ray. With lots of the old Crowd and a new friend--wealthy, unkept, but loveable Sam Hutchinson--around, the days are filled with fun. And romance seems to be in the air. But Carney can never be romantic about anyone but Larry Humphreys, her high school sweetheart, who moved to California four years ago. Then Larry returns to Deep Valley and sets the town abuzz. Will Larry purpose? And will Carney say yes? (synopsis from Amazon)

This was the book I expected not to like. A book about a month-long sleepover? But it is so much more than that. I loved the depictions of early days at Vassar (an all-women’s college at the time) and the resolution of the Carney-Larry question. But mostly, I found Carney to be an interesting character. She's one of the smartest of the girls in the “crowd” and attends an exclusive college, even though she just wants to be a housewife. In Lovelace books, girls can like embroidery and be smart. The romance in this book is very sweet and gives an interesting glimpse into dating rituals of those times.


Emily of Deep Valley

 

Emily Webster, an orphan living with her grandfather, is not like the other girls her age in Deep Valley, Minnesota. The gulf between Emily and her classmates widens even more when they graduate from Deep Valley High School in 1912. Emily longs to go off to college with everyone else, but she can't leave her grandfather.

Emily resigns herself to facing a "lost winter," but soon decides to stop feeling sorry for herself. And with a new program of study, a growing interest in the Syrian community, and handsome new teacher at the high school to fill her days, Emily gains more than she ever dreamed... (synopsis from Amazon)


This is probably my favorite extra book, if not my favorite Lovelace book. Emily sacrifices her dreams for her family and is put upon by her insufferable high school friends. But eventually she learns to make the best of staying home from college by reaching out to the Syrian refuges in Deep Valley. It inspires me every time I read it to bloom where I’m planted.  Well worth your time.

Have you read the Betsy-Tacy-Tib books? What is your favorite classic author for children or adults?

(This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!)

To check out more Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Always in the Middle.