It is such a pleasure to be part of the blog tour for Wheels of Change by Darlene Beck Jacobson! I have the grandson with me this weekend and I will be sharing the book with him (between bouts of lego).
I hope all of you either get a copy to read for yourselves and even better, to share with someone special. To help out with that I also offering a giveaway to one lucky commenter. The giveaway will end at the end of the tour.
A little more about what is now one of my favourites from 2014.
From the bookflap:
Racial intolerance, social change, sweeping progress. It is a turbulent time growing up in 1908. For twelve year old EMILY SOPER, life in Papa’s carriage barn is magic. Emily is more at home hearing the symphony of the blacksmith’s hammer, than trying to conform to the proper expectations of females. Many prominent people own Papa’s carriages. He receives an order to make one for President Theodore Roosevelt. Papa’s livelihood becomes threatened by racist neighbors, and horsepower of a different sort. Emily is determined to save Papa’s business even if she has to go all the way to the President.
And take a look at what Kirkus had to say!
Changes fomenting both locally and nationally during the final year of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency are seen through the eyes of feisty, bighearted Emily Soper, daughter of a carriage maker in Washington, D.C.
Twelve-year-old Emily loves helping her father in his barn; she even dreams, in futility, of becoming a blacksmith like her father’s beloved employee, Henry. She and her best friend, Charlie, ponder such things as gender roles, women’s suffrage and “horseless carriages.” She dutifully tries to become a lady even while working on a secret that uses her “masculine” skills. As the year progresses, Henry falls ill, and Emily and her family are subjected to the uncertainties of changing times as well as some nasty treatment from white supremacists. Resemblances to To Kill a Mockingbird are strong, especially during a tea party hosted by Emily’s mother. A nice touch: Throughout much of the book, Papa teaches Emily—and vicariously, readers—new vocabulary words. The strength of the text lies in Jacobson’s ability to evoke a different era and to endear readers to the protagonist. The prose is straightforward and well-researched, heavily peppered with historical references and containing enough action to keep readers’ attention.
Readers will empathize with Emily as she goes through her own changes, and they will applaud her heroism in more than one chapter. (author’s note, photographs, recipes, bibliography, websites) (Historical fiction. 8-11)
Before reading the book I had asked Darlene if she could talk a little bit about setting in historical fiction. After reading it I know she knows what she is talking about. Read on to find out what Darlene has to say.
Setting in Historical Fiction
Setting in historical fiction is just like setting a scene in any kind of writing. The writer needs to pay attention to details. As a reader, I’m more likely to immerse myself in a story universe that is believable and accurate. If I want readers of WHEELS OF CHANGE to follow Emily Soper’s adventures, they have to be grounded in the reality of 1908 Washington DC.
What was life like in the Nation’s Capital 100 years ago?
It was very rural for one thing. With the exception of Pennsylvania Avenue and a few streets bordering 7thStreet – the main street of commerce - there was only gas lighting and no electricity. Indoor plumbing was still a novelty. Many roads were unpaved or had cobblestones. There were farms and wooded areas surrounding the government buildings. Most people still rode in horse-drawn wagons, carriages, or buggies. Many goods were still made by hand. Incorporating these details into the story grounds it and fixes the time and place.
Since Emily’s Papa owned a carriage making business, Emily spent a lot of time in Papa’s barn. For many readers, this would be a foreign place and hard to imagine. Using the senses helped me bring the barn to life.
Here’s the opening scene from Chapter 1 that illustrates what I mean:
Chapter 1
Henry’s hammer hits iron – ping, pa-ping. Its music feels warm against my chest, like a wool sweater. A blacksmith is a magician. To bend iron like clay and make it hard again is the best trick.
“Is this carriage really for John Phillip Sousa, the composer of all those peppy marching tunes?” I ask Henry.
“One and the same, Miss Emily.”
“Mr. Sousa must want the best carriage he can find,” I say.
Henry chuckles. “He’ll get that sure enough.”
Papa is owner of the Soper Carriage Works and makes the fanciest, most expensive carriages in Washington, DC. I keep an eye out for him, since he would send me home, saying that the barn is no place for a young lady. The truth is, it's the perfect place for me.
Pulsing waves of heat makes it feel like summer year round. The fire needs to burn red hot to be the right temperature for bending iron. I stare into the fire’s belly, watching it move and change colors as if it were a living thing. Some folks might think the forge is dark and dreary with only one small window. But the fire is like a beacon that lights up the whole barn and makes it shimmer. Papa’s barn without the forge would be like Mama’s house without the kitchen. The heart would be gone.
The rhythmic tapping of Henry’s hammer is a symphony. If I had but one wish, here it is – to be a blacksmith.
Darlene Beck Jacobson has loved writing since she was a girl. She wrote letters to everyone she knew and made up stories in her head. Although she never wrote to a president, she sent many letters to pop stars of the day asking for photos and autographs. She loves bringing the past to life in stories such as WHEELS OF CHANGE, her debut novel.
She also likes hanging around forges watching the blacksmith work magic. She’s never ridden in a carriage like the one in the story, but hopes to one day.
Her blog features recipes, activities, crafts and interviews with children’s book authors and illustrators. She still loves writing and getting letters.
Check out her website at: www.darlenebeckjacobson.com
