I'm so pleased today to welcome Anna Rose Johnson, whose newest novel, The Blossoming Summer, releases tomorrow! 

Here's the publisher's description of Anna Rose's book: 

Life in England is all Rosemary has ever known. . . but as WWII changes the world, no one’s life is left unscathed. Suddenly, she’s sent away to escape the devastation of London. Her grandmother’s house on Lake Superior is safe, but unfamiliar, especially as she discovers her parents have kept a tremendous secret.

Rosemary and her family are Anishinaabe—and no one is supposed to know.

Far from home but newly connected to a once-hidden part of her family, Rosemary develops a warm, close relationship with her grandmother… and a local boy whose love of gardening helps her to see the beauty in her unexpected circumstances. As Rosemary grows into her new life like a flower in bloom, she realizes that maybe she’s not as far from home as she thought. 

FEH: And now onto the interview! Hello, Anna Rose, and welcome! I absolutely loved The Blossoming Summer and can't wait for everyone to be able to read it. Can you share a little about some of your inspirations for this story? 

ARJ: I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The Blossoming Summer is the story of thirteen-year-old Rosemary, who is evacuated from WWII London to her grandmother's home in northern Wisconsin. When they arrive, she uncovers the hidden family truth—that they are of Ojibwe descent. This discovery leads her to embrace her heritage, forge new bonds, and find beauty in unexpected places. I’m very excited about it!
My inspiration for the book began when I was doing research on a family who was of Ojibwe and British descent and moved to England in the 1800s. I was very fascinated by that, and I began to think: what if I wrote a book about a girl with Ojibwe ancestry who had grown up in England and knew nothing about her heritage? Rosemary’s story began to percolate in my mind. I also knew that I wanted to write a novel that explored gardening, flowers, and the delight that comes from spending time in the natural world, and incorporating those elements in this book was one of the highlights of the writing process!
 
FEH: Did you have any favorite bits of research that never made it into the story? 

ARJ: Yes, actually I had some specific radio programs that I wanted the characters to listen to, and I’d done quite a bit of research to make sure I got everything correct, and then later when I switched the year the book is set, I had to remove those programs. It was sad, but I still had fun researching them. 
 
FEH: One of my favorite things about all your stories is the realistic families you write, and the very unique ways that they live out that family relationship. In The Blossoming Summer, Rosemary’s relationship with her brothers grows and develops as they work together in their grandmother’s garden. Can you talk about that a little? Is gardening a love you share with your own siblings? 

ARJ: Yes! My entire family has always enjoyed gardening, and we have so many favorite plants that we’ve grown over the years. I’m delighted that you enjoy the families in my stories! When I began brainstorming this book, I knew I wanted it to be a story that focused on a family that’s been apart for a long time, and that has some challenging dynamics. I have found that sometimes with grandparent-grandchild stories, sometimes the parent isn’t really in the picture, and I’ve often thought that it’s more interesting when you have all three generations to work with. (Sometimes I that parents aren’t always included in a story because it’s a way to cut down on characters, but I love big casts  of characters!
I really tried to explore the story from different angles, and to help make readers able to understand how Rosemary feels, how her dad is feeing, and what her grandmother’s perspective is. Every character has their own spin on the events of what’s happened and what’s going on now, and it all makes sense to them. But I also do try to leave some things a little more ambiguous. I feel like especially for a middle grade book, a child character is not always going to understand the entire backstory, so I try to bring in some realism that way.
 
FEH: Was it ever hard for you to keep track of the three very different families you wrote? I was so impressed by how each of them is a GOOD family—yet they are all so different. It reminded me that there is no one way to be a good family, but that we all just have to follow where God calls! 

​ARJ: This absolutely makes my day! I really strive to make each character and family distinct, so I’m delighted to hear you say that. I don’t have trouble keeping track of characters from book to book, because once I invent them, they’re very firmly planted in my mind. But I do try to ensure that each character is different enough from characters I’ve written in the past, because that’s probably what I worry about more than anything else when I’m in the brainstorming/early writing phase. But I do like refining characters, and I often try to think of new, unexpected angles… I always look for contradictions with my characters. It’s my little trick: I try to find at least one thing about a character that does not seem to go with the rest of them, and that usually makes them click into place for me.
 
FEH: In the story, Rosemary learns of her heritage through her grandmother, though her father had kept it a secret, and learns to honor it through language and tradition. Do you and your siblings have any special way of honoring your Ojibwe heritage? Was it always part of your life? 

ARJ: It’s really been a delight to be able to write about characters who share my Ojibwe heritage, as I’ve done with all three of my books now. I’m a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and it has been very interesting to explore my heritage through my writing. One of the major ways that I stay connected to my heritage is to learn from my tribe, and a few years back they had a language conference that was fascinating because I was able to learn from tribal elders. My family and I have learned some Anishinaabemowin, and I’ve had the chance to work with one of the language specialists at our tribe. She’s helped me with all of my books, to make sure that I’m getting the Ojibwe words correct—so that’s been very special to me! And it’s been wonderful to hear from some tribal members who have read my books, so I’m happy that people are enjoying them. 
 
FEH: Switching tacks from this particular story to writing in general, what is a piece of writing advice that you would like to share with aspiring writers among this blog's readership? 

ARJ: I think that a lot of writers wonder if they should be a discovery writer or an outliner, and I’ve found that you can do an in-between method. I try to make sure that I have all of the main elements of story structure in place when I begin writing, or at the very least, I know the main plot points that will comprise Act 1. These days, I like to divide the book into Act 1, Part 1 of Act 2, Part 2 of Act 2, and Act 3. Breaking a book down into four sections makes it so much more manageable for me, and I think it can be a really helpful method.
 
FEH: My readers may know already that you and I share a deep love for vintage children's books. What are five vintage books that fans of your books might like to discover? 

ARJ: I think that if you like my books, you would probably enjoy Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery, the Mitchells books by Hilda van Stockum (starting with The Mitchells: Five for Victory), Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace, and The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright!

FEH: Anna Rose, thank you so much for this lovely interview, and congratulations on The Blossoming Summer! I can't wait for everyone to read it and fall in love with Rosemary's story as I have.

​I have another wonderful historical fiction novel to share with you today: Light and Air, by Mindy Nichols Wendell. We have a lot going on this week (starting up homeschool with a senior in high school all the way down to a pre-pre-schooler!), so let's start out with the Publisher's description:

It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it?

When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned—and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital: far from home, far from family, far from the world.

Tucked away in the woods of upstate New York, the hospital is a closed and quiet place. But it is not, Halle learns, a prison. Free of her worried and difficult father for the first time in her life, she slowly discovers joy, family, and the healing power of honey on the children's ward, where the girls on the floor become her confidantes and sisters. But when Mama suffers a lung hemorrhage, their entire future—and recovery—is thrown into question....

Light and Air deals tenderly and insightfully with isolation, quarantine, found family, and illness. Set in the fully realized world of a 1930s hospital, it offers a tender glimpse into a historical epidemic that has become more relatable than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Halle tries to warm her father’s coldness and learns to trust the girls and women of the hospital, and as she and her mother battle a disease that once paralyzed the country, a profound message of strength, hope, and healing emerges.

My thoughts:

I LOVED Light and Air. It had all the atmosphere and quiet building of suspense that I associate with my favorite vintage stories; in fact, Light and Air felt more like a book actually written in the early twentieth century than a modern book set then. (I can say that about very few books, and the lack of it is not necessarily a problem as much as a recognition of style, but I sure do like it when I find it.) 

As a head’s up to parents, this book (as you can see from the description) deals with some heavy topics: a child dies, multiple miscarriages are mentioned, and a parent suffers from depression and anxiety. None of these topics is gratuitious, however, and the plot is beautifully woven around the idea that even the dark things we go through can make us better human beings if we allow ourselves to hurt and heal. 

Have you read Light and Air yet? What did you think of it? Personally, I’m tucking it neatly away in my “2025 Newbery Hopeful” shelf!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, be sure to visit Always in the Middle: http://gpattridge.com

(Note: The publisher's description says the book is set in Upstate New York. The book itself gets it "right:" the setting is near Buffalo, in Western New York. We had a fun, friendly little argument about this over on Instagram, but all the people who actually lived near Buffalo--like I used to!--agree that Western New York is the correct term.  ;)

After a long hiatus, I'm back with Marvelous Middle Grade Monday—and it's good timing, because there are some amazing books that have come out this year and I can't wait to share them with you!

First up, a spectacular WWII Historical novel: The Night War, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 

Confession: I wasn't a huge fan of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's other historical fiction. For a variety of reasons, despite the fact that *everyone* seemed to love ​The War that Saved My Life,  I simply couldn't connect to the main character (this says a lot, author friends, about why you have to find the right agent/editor/readers for your book and not judge its value on one opinion!). But I decided to give her another chance with The Night War, both because the description was so alluring and because I'd heard so much buzz about its merits and controversy about its authorship. (Briefly, and I'll get into this later, some readers were put off by the fact that a non-Jewish author depicted a Jewish main character.) And I'm glad I put my pre-conceived ideas aside, because I loved The Night War from the very first chapter.

Here's the publisher's description:
It’s 1942. German Nazis occupy much of France. And twelve-year-old Miriam, who is Jewish, is not safe. With help and quick thinking, Miri is saved from the roundup that takes her entire Jewish neighborhood. She escapes Paris, landing in a small French village, where the spires of the famous Chateau de Chenonceau rise high into the sky, its bridge across the River Cher like a promise, a fairy tale.
But Miri’s life is no fairy tale. Her parents are gone—maybe alive, maybe not. Taken in at the boarding school near the chateau, pretending to be Catholic to escape Nazi capture, Miri volunteers one night to undertake a deadly task, one that spans the castle grounds, its bridge, and the very border to freedom. Here is her chance to escape—hopefully to find her parents. But will she take it? One thing is certain: The person Miri meets that night will save her life. And the person Miri becomes that night could save the lives of many more.
In her return to the era of The War that Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley brings a new and different story, one with a mystical twist, that explores a little-known slice of World War II history, a highly unusual friendship, and the power of choosing courage even when—especially when—there are no good choices to be had.
​
Like most WWII stories, I would recommend this to mature middle grade readers. Besides the usual WWII prejudice and violence, there are some mentions of the mistress of King Henri of France in the 1500's, mentions of menstruation (not exactly a mature topic but one I feel children have the right to hear about from their parents first), and many theological questions that might be overwhelming for young children without guidance (though they're EXCELLENT conversation starters, and I think this would make a perfect parent-child book club or family read aloud). 

Back to the topic I teased before… The author is neither Jewish nor Catholic, and, yes, she gets some details wrong on both counts. (I have heard many people talk about the Jewish elements, but so far no one has mentioned the Catholic ones, like the fact that baptisms were not celebrated during Mass in the 40's, or that the rosary does not begin with the first Hail Mary of the first decade). Here's the thing. As a Catholic, I appreciate that an author tried to represent members of my faith and to do it honestly and fairly. I loved that alongside the stereotypical "mean nun," you have several spectacularly brave and kind nuns. I feel the same when male authors tell a story about a female character, or when non-homeschoolers try their best to honestly represent homeschooling, or when non-Americans make the effort to get American culture right. Especially in historical fiction, I think we have to acknowledge that NONE of us truly knows what it was like to live in a different time. No matter how much we may have in common with our characters, we historical fictions writers are stuck in the dilemma—and with the advantage—of needing to use research and imagination to get us through. I'm willing to accept a few mistakes because no one but Kimberly Brubaker Bradley could have imagined and researched and told this unique story. If I had written it, the prayers of the rosary would be correct, but the heart would be different. If a Jewish author had written it, they wouldn't have made the same mistakes about the Jewish experience, but it would be a different story. This story came to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and no one else, and I'm very grateful that she chose to tell it. 

Have you read this book yet? Do you agree or disagree with my opinion? I'm always happy to have respectful conversation in the comments, and I certainly think this topic has room for varying opinions.

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, visit Always in the Middle, at http://gpattridge.com.