VIRGINIA

Big Green Pocketbook, The by Candice Ransom, illus. by Felicia Bond. Fiction, 3-6. On her day in town with her mother, a little girl starts off with an empty pocketbook, and along the way collects pieces of her day to put inside. (ABA Pick of the List) [HarperCollins 1993; ISBN hdbk. 006020849X $17, pbk. 0064433951 $6.95]

Christmas Dolls, The by Candice Ransom, illus. by Moira Fain. Fiction, 4-7. Claire and her mother find beauty and meaning in making new holiday traditions unique to their special family. Set in Centreville.[Walker 1998; ISBN hdbk. 082786618 $15.95]

I Took a Walk written and illustrated by Henry Cole, Fiction, 2-7. This story was inspired by the author's childhood in Loudoun County. A visit to woods, pasture, and creek, and pond brings encounters with various birds, insects, and other creatures of nataure. Flaps fold out to reveal the animals on each two-page spread. (Bank Street Best Books) [Greenwillow, 1998; ISBN 0-688-15115-9 $16.99 hdbk]

Liberty Street, by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Fiction, ages 6 to 9. Kezia, a slave in antebellum Fredericksburg, attends a secret school to learn to read, but must escape to freedom before she is bonded out to another family. [Walker, 2003; ISBN hdbk 0802788696 $16.95]

One Christmas Dawn by Candice Ransom, illus. by Peter Fiore. Historic fiction, 4-7. In 1917 Appalachia, the coldest winter on record, a little girl waits for her father to come home, and experiences a magical Christmas eve. (ABA Pick of the List) [BridgeWater 1996; ISBN hdbk. 0816733848 $14.95, pbk. 0816733856 $4.95]

Promise Quilt, The by Candice Ransom, illus. by Moira Fain. Historic fiction, 4-7. When Addie's father is killed at Gettysburg, her family learns how to survive in war-torn Virginia. Set in Loudon County. (Hodge-Podge Award) [Walker 1998; ISBN hdbk. 0802786944 $15.95]

Sparks Fly High: The Legend of Dancing Point by Mary Quattlebaum, illus. by Leonid Gore. Picture book folktale, 4-8. This lively Colonial American folktale re-tells the story of the legendary dance contest between Colonel Lightfoot and the devil for a spit of land called Dancing Point along the James River, close to Colonial Williamsburg. [Farrar Straus Giroux 2006; ISBN 0-374-34452-3 $16]

Across the Lines by Carolyn Reeder. Historical fiction, 8-12. Edward, the 12-year-old son of a plantation family, spends the last year of the Civil War with relatives in the besieged city of Petersburg while Simon, his companion and servant, has attached himself to the Union Army outside the city. Specific settings: Petersburg and City Point. [Atheneum 1997; ISBN pbk. 0-380-73073-1 $5.99]

Annie, Between the States by L. M. Elliott. Historic fiction, 12 and up. Based on the lives of real-life Virginia civilians and the Confederate and Union leaders fighting in the region, Annie, Between the States presents a teenaged girl's struggle to survive and understand the upheaval and moral dilemmas of the Civil War. Virginia Readers' Choice, high school master list, 2006-2007. [HarperCollins 2004; ISBN hdbk. 0060012110 $15.99, pbk 0060012137 $6.99]

Baron Von Steuben by Bruce Adelson. Biography, 10 and up. Biography of the Prussian general who trained the American army at Valley Forge in 1778 and commanded it in Virginia in the late 1770s, and to whom British General Cornwallis first surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia at the end of the Revolutionary War. [Chelsea 2001; ISBN pbk. 0791063925 $9.95]

Blood on the River: James Town 1607 by Elisa Carbone. Historical fiction, 9 and up. Be prepared to be taken back to the year 1607 when 104 settlers landed in the New World. [Viking 2006; ISBN 0-670-06060-7]

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Fiction, 10 and up. A boy and girl build a magic kingdom and a friendship, which tragedy disrupts. Also includes details of Washington, D.C. (Newbery Medal)
[Crowell/HarperCollins 1977; ISBN hdbk. 0-690-01359-0 $15.95, pbk. 0-06-440184-7, $5.95]

Care and Feeding of Dragons, The by Brenda Seabrooke. Fiction, 7-10. When school starts, Alastair McKnight's pet baby dragon Spike has abandonment symptoms, which Alastair must cure while coping with his dragon of a teacher. [Dutton 1998; ISBN hdbk. 0-525-65252-3 $15.99]

Chase: A Police Story by Alison Hart, photos by Dennis Sutton. Fiction 8 and up. Real Officer Amy Collins hunts down a fictitious car robber. Written with the assistance of the Staunton Virginia Police Department. [Random House 2002; ISBN ppbk 0-679-89367-9 $3.99]

Children of the Civil War by Candice Ransom. Nonfiction, 7-11. Illustrated with photographs. [Lerner 1998; ISBN hdbk. 1575052415 $25]

Clara Barton by Candice Ransom. Nonfiction, 8-10. Biography of the founder of the American Red Cross. Set in Virginia, Washignton, D.C., and Glen Echo, Maryland. [Lerner 2003; ISBN ? $23.93]

Clay by Colby Rodowsky. Fiction, 10 and up. Elsie makes a courageous decision to save her younger brother after their mother abducts them from their Baltimore home. [Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2001; ISBN hdbk. 0-374-31338-5, $16]

Come Sing, Jimmy Jo by Katherine Paterson. Fiction, 10 and up. A shy boy becomes part of a country music act and learns the truth about his family. (ALA Notable) [Lodestar/Dutton 1985; ISBN hdbk. 0-525-67167-6 $15.99, pbk. 0-14-037397-7 $5.99]

David Farragut: Union Admiral by Bruce Adelson. Biography, 10 and up. Biography of the most decorated admiral in American history whose statue is at Farragut Square in Washington, DC and who lived in Virginia but sided with the Union during the Civil War. [Chelsea 2001; ISBN hdbk. 0791064166 $20.85]

Dear Ellen Bee: A Civil War Scrapbook of Two Union Spies by Mary Lyons and Muriel Branch. Historic fiction, 10 and up. This scrapbook novel includes reproductions of Civil War-period memorabilia and is based on the lives of Elizabeth Van Lew, a former slaveholder, and Mary Elizabeth Bowser, Van Lew's freed slave, who worked together as spies to help win the Civil War. (NY Public Library: One Hundred Books for Reading and Sharing) [Atheneum 2001; ISBN hdbk. 0-689-82379-7 $17]

Fires of Jubilee by Alison Hart. Historical Fiction 8 and up. "Abby is free from slavery but not from the secrets of her past." Set in Nelson County, Virginia, 1865. [Aladdin 2003; ISBN ppbk 0-689-85528-1 $4.99]

Flip-Flop Girl by Katherine Paterson. Fiction, 9-12. After Vinnie's father dies and her little brother becomes mute, her grief leads her into betraying a friendship that will ultimately heal her. (ALA Notable) [Lodestar/Econo-Clad 1994; ISBN hdbk. 0-525-67480-2 $11.10, pbk. 0-1-037679-8 $4.99]

George Meade: Union General by Bruce Adelson. Biography, 10 and up. Biography of the hero of Gettysburg, who commanded the Army of the Potomac in its campaigns in Virginia from 1863 until the end of the Civil War. [Chelsea 2001; ISBN hdbk. 0791064107 $20.85]

George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer. Nonfiction/Biography/History/Picture Book, 7-Adult. "… This carefully researched reminder that the Revolution was an "us vs. us" conflict, not an "us vs. them" conflict should be required reading for all young students of American history." Kirkus Reviews. Best Book of the Year - School Library Journal. [National Geographic Society 2004; 64 Pages; ISBN hdbk. 0-7922-7349-4, $16.95; ISBN LB 0-7922-6999-3, $25.90; ISBN pbk 978-1-4263-0042-4]

George Washington by Candice Ransom. Nonfiction, 8-10. Biography of the father of our country. Set in Virginia. [Lerner 2002; ISBN 0-8225-0374-3 $23.93]

Give Me Liberty by L.M. Elliott. Historic fiction, 9 and up. Indentured servant Nathaniel Dunn finds the courage to fight for liberty when revolution explodes in Williamsburg, and to face off with his oldest friend, a run-away slave fighting for the British Royal Ethiopian, at the Battle of Great Bridge, December 1775, just outside Norfolk. (HarperCollins 2006; ISBN hdbk.0060744219, $16.99)

Grandpa's Mountain by Carolyn Reeder. Historical fiction, 8-12. When 11-year-old Carrie arrives for her annual visit with her grandparents, she finds that her favorite place in the world is threatened because the government wants Grandpa's land for the new Shenandoah National Park. Set in Blue Ridge Mountains. [Simon & Schuster 1991; ISBN pbk. 0-689-84867-6 $4.99]

Gregory Howard's Story by Carolyn Reeder. Historical fiction, 10 and up. Thirteen-year-old Gregory finds himself living in an occupied city—as well as in a family with divided loyalties—when undisciplined Union troops march into Alexandria at the start of the Civil War. [Children's Literature reprint 2008; ISBN pbk. 978-1-890920-17-3 $6.95]

Grover G. Graham and Me by Mary Quattlebaum. Fiction, 8-12. In this humorous and poignant novel, an 11-year-old boy cares for the toddler in his eighth foster home--and begins to feel his first sense of belonging. Set in rural Virginia. [Random House 2001; hdbk. ISBN 0-385-3227-1 $14.95, pbk. ISBN 0-440-41918-2 $4.99].

Hear the Wind Blow by Mary Downing Hahn. Historic fiction, 11-14. At the closing months of the Civil War, Haswell Magruder shelters a wounded Confederate soldier on his family's Shenandoah Valley farm, and this generous act sets off a horrendous chain of events for him. Set near Winchester.
[Clarion 2003; ISBN hdbk 0618181903 $15.00]

Haunting of Holroyd Hill, The by Brenda Seabrooke. Fiction, 10-13. Melinda and Kevin discover their new house is haunted by the ghost of a Civil War soldier whose problem they have to solve in a hurry. Set in Fairfax County. (Shortlisted for Mark Twain Award) [Puffin 1997; ISBN pbk. 0-14-038540-1 $3.99]

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer. Non-fiction picture book, 6-12. Through quotes from the travelers' own journals and plenty of colorful, thoroughly researched artwork, you'll relive hair-raising adventures and narrow escapes as Virginia-born Lewis and Clark make the famous Voyage of Discovery that opened the West. (National Council of Social Studies/Children's Book Council Joint Committee Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies) [National Geographic Society 1997; ISBN hdbk. 0-7922-3738-2; ISBN pbk 0-7922-6726-5]

John Smith Escapes Again! written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer. Non-fiction/Biography/Historical/Picture Book, 7-14. John Smith, the man rescued by Pocahontas, was also America’s first superstar! An explorer, adventurer, writer, and fighter, his amazing life included a whole series of impossibly daring escapes from slavery, attacks by ruthless sea pirates, ambush by Indians, and more.
[National Geographic Society 2006; 64 Pages; ISBN hdbk. 0-7922-5930-0, $16.95; ISBN LB 0-7922-5931-9]

Lewis and Clark by Candice Ransom. Nonfiction, 8-10. Biography of the Virginia-born explorers. Partly set in Virginia. [Lerner 2002; ISBN 0-8225-0374-0 $23.93]

Martha Washington by Candice Ransom. Nonfiction, 7-10. Easy reader biography of America's first First Lady. Set in Virginia. [Carolrhoda 2003; ISBN ? $21.27]

Moonshiner's Son by Carolyn Reeder. Historical fiction, 8-12. In a clash of cultures, 12-year-old Tom and his pa find their traditional Appalachian values at odds with those of the mission preacher and his daughter as well as with the law of the land during the prohibition years. Set in Blue Ridge Mountains. (Sugarman Award) [Simon & Schuster 1993; ISBN pbk. 0-689-85550-8 $4.99]

Mystery at Peacock Hall, The by Gertrude Chandler Warner (aka Candice Ransom). Fiction, 7-11. In #63 of the Boxcar Children series, the Alden children are determined to help their cousin keep her home, Peacock Hill, and find its hidden treasure. [Whitman 1998; ISBN hdbk. 087554448 $13.95, pbk. 0807554456 $3.95]

Rescue: A Police Story by Alison Hart, Photos by Dennis Sutton. Fiction 8 and up. A fictional robbery requires a response by the Staunton, VA Police Department's Critical Incidence Response Team. Discusses real police equipment and procedures. [Random House 2002; ISBN ppbk 0-679-89366-0 $3.99]

Return of the Gypsy Witch by Alison Hart. Fiction 8 and up. "It all started with one mysterious briefcase." Quirky mystery set in the fictional town of Stanford, Virginia. [Aladdin 2003; ISBN ppbk 0-689-85527-3 $4.99]

Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder. Historical fiction, 8-12. Orphaned by the Civil War, Will Page must make a new life for himself with relatives in the war-torn Virginia Piedmont--including an uncle Will considers a traitor or coward because he refused to fight for the Confederacy. Specific setting: Culpeper County. (Scott O'Dell Award) [Simon & Schuster 1989; ISBN hdbk. 0-02-775810-9 $16, pbk. 0-689-82696-6 $4.99]

Shadow Horse by Alison Hart. Fiction 10 and up. After assaulting the owner of a horse farm where she works, thirteen-year-old Jasmine is placed in foster care at Second Chance, a farm for abused animals. A page-turning mystery set in the fictional town of Stanford, Virginia. [Random House 1999; ISBN ppbk 0-375-80263-0]

Twin in the Tavern, The by Barbara Brooks Wallace. Historic fiction, 8-12. This Dickensian tale is filled with imposters, scoundrels, and danger as a young orphaned boy tries to find his twin and learn the secret of his true identity. Specific setting: Alexandria. (Edgar Award) [Atheneum 1993; ISBN hdbk. 0-689-31846-4, $14.95, pbk. 0-689-80167-X $3.95]