MIDDLE GRADE HISTORICAL READS BLOG TOUR w/ GIVEAWAY!
2015 Jabberwocky Time Warp Tour
Great writers bring history to life for young readers.
Whether it’s a daring story of heroism during the American Revolution, a tale
of the timeless and transcendent power of art set in WWI era Hollywood, or the
general ability to present events in history though different lenses and
perspectives, educators and parents rely on these writers to connect kids to
the past. Historical middle-grade authors Eric Pierpoint, J.B. Cheaney, and
Stephanie Bearce are helping us turn back the clock by answering the questions:
If you could spend a day anywhere and anytime in the past, where and when would
you go? What would you do on your excursion?
Eric Pierpoint
(The Secret Mission of William Tuck):
This is a tough question! Would I like to land on the moon? Be present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence? Could I have the knowledge to change history? I could perhaps prevent the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy or Martin Luther King. Well, that’s a heroic super power daydream. I think I would saddle up a horse and take my dog Joey on a journey through the Wild West. Like my pioneer ancestors in the 1800s, I love the grand scale of the western landscape. We’d ride along deep gorges, flowing rivers and great mountains. I would want to experience our beautiful country in its most pure and natural state before all the freeways, malls, and billboards popped up. I’d love to see the herds of buffalo and soaring eagles. Perhaps I would meet folks along the way and we could swap stories, learn about each other, and appreciate our similarities and differences. It sounds pretty ideal. Then again I’d have to keep an eye out for danger, for you never know what’s lurking out there, man or beast!
J.B. Cheaney (I
Don’t Know How The Story Ends):
You
didn’t limit me to one place, so I’ll take a grand tour! First stop, a trip on the Erie Canal, ca.
1840. I’ve always admired this triumph
of early-American can-do enterprise, and was enchanted by Peter Spier’s picture
book of the song. I’ll be sure and duck
when I hear “Low bridge! Everybody down!”
Next
I would dash over to the west coast in January 1848 and arrange to be nearby
when James Marshall spies some shiny flakes in the American River. “Looks like gold to me,” I’d remark. I have a soft spot for California, given that
it’s the setting of my new novel. How
cool to attend the birth of the golden state: San Francisco, Southern Pacific,
Jack London, John Steinbeck, and eventually, Hollywood.
For
a dramatic finish I would return to my home state, to a flat field south of
Beaumont, Texas on Jan. 10, 1901. It’s
no beauty spot; the only thing to catch the eye is an oil derrick and a few
prospectors operating a steam drill, hoping the next hundred feet will pay off
before their money runs out. I feel a
rumble underfoot. Could be anything;
maybe cattle stampeding. But it gets
louder. And louder and louder, as the
quivering earth gives way to roaring ground, and—“She’s gonna blow!” Lethal steel rods shoot from the derrick like
bullets—“Watch out!” And then a fountain
of tarry, greasy, beautiful black gold.
If Sutter’s Mill is the birthplace of California, Spindletop is where
Texas became Texas.
Stephanie Bearce
(Top Secret Files):
If could take a trip in a time machine I would program in
the date May 8, 1945 and step out into the singing and shouting crowds gathered
at Trafalgar Square to celebrate the end
of World War II. I’d squeeze past soldiers cheerfully sweating in wool uniforms
and past the shop girls and women factory workers who filled the streets. I’d
stare at all the red, white, and blue bunting that was hung everywhere to
celebrate – even on the carcasses of bombed out buildings. I’d listen as Winston Churchill’s voice rang
out over the loud speakers announcing the end of fighting and cheer with the
crowds when the King and Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham
palace. Then I would join in the conga
line of soldiers and girls who danced down the streets at Piccadilly.
But most of all I would keep my eyes for the Princesses
Elizabeth and Margaret who put on their khaki service uniforms and went out
into the streets with the rest of London.
The King and Queen had agreed that their royal daughters should be allowed
to celebrate with the rest of the world and the princesses enjoyed a night out
with the celebrating crowds. I would
love to see them walking through the streets singing Roll Out the Barrel.
BUY LINKS:
Rafflecopter Links
to #TimeWarpReads Prize Pack featuring titles from Eric Pierpoint, J.B.
Cheaney, and Stephanie Bearce:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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