Well, somehow in my childhood reading, Maude Hart Lovelace's books failed to appear. I used to worry that there were books out there that I wouldn't discover before I died (I was a bit morbid as a child). But now, I am happy to say, that Harper Perrenial Modern Classics is re-releasing the Deep Valley books just for me. Or those like me whose town library was a bit short on the must- reads for young ladies. And of course the generations of young readers to come who will delight in Maude's loveable characters and heart felt stories.
Emily of Deep Valley is Maude Hart Lovelace's first young adult stand-alone novel.
It follows the Betsy-Tacy novels which take place in the same town of Deep Valley, Minnesota. The books are based on the author's child-hood experiences and friends in Mankato, Minnesota.
There is a lovely forward by Mitali Perkins which sets the mood of the story and end notes afterward which give readers who are hungry for more some more tid-bits to ponder as you plan which book by this wonderful author to read next.
Christmas is coming and I highly recommend anything by Maude Hart Lovelace as gifts for those special women in your life.
Other fans include: Anna Quindlen, Meg Cabot, Nora Ephron, Bette Middler and Laura Lippman.
Read on for info on Mitali Perkins' forward and a brief summary of "Emily".
Happy reading!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
That's a good question. I've been trying to figure it out myself, spending most of my life crossing borders.
I was born Mitali Bose in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, and always tried to live up to my name—which means “friendly” in the Bangla language. I had to! Because my family moved so much, it was the only way I could make new friends.
By the time I was 11, I'd lived in Ghana, Cameroon, London, New York and Mexico before settling in California just in time for middle school. Yep, I was the new kid again, in seventh grade, the year everybody barely makes it through.
My biggest lifeline during those early years was story. Books were my rock, my stability, my safe place as I navigated the border between California suburbia and the Bengali culture of my traditional home.
After studying political science at Stanford and public policy at U.C. Berkeley, I taught in middle school, high school and college. When I began to write fiction, my protagonists were often—not surprisingly—strong female characters trying to bridge different cultures.
Mitali Perkins is the author of several books for young people, including SECRET KEEPER (Random House), MONSOON SUMMER (Random House), RICKSHAW GIRL (Charlesbridge), and the FIRST DAUGHTER books (Dutton).
ABOUT THE BOOK
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 a handsome new teacher at the high school to fill her days, Emily gains more than she ever dreamed...
In addition to her beloved Betsy-Tacy books, Maud Hart Lovelace wrote three more stories set in the fictional town of Deep Valley: Winona’s Pony Cart, Carney’s House Party and Emily of Deep Valley. Longtime fans and new readers alike will be delighted to find the Deep Valley books available again for the first time in many years.
If you would like to browse inside Emily of Deep Valley, go HERE.
3 comments:
I've learned of TWO new writers today.
The stack grows though I'm a reading fiend.
P
I am so glad I'm not the only one out there who is new to Maude's writing.
It's a bit like discovering L.M. Montgomery as an adult!
Such a treat.
Sounds great!!
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