Lisa Williams Kline
.
ELEANOR
HILL Reviews:
Booklist
/ Book Report / Horn
Book / Voice of Youth Advocates / Our
State Magazine
"Twelve-year-old Eleanor dreams of escaping from her small North Carolina village and seeing the world. Although family and friends don't understand or support her desire for education and independence, she perseveres, and five years of travel bring her unexpected joys, challenges, and rewards of the heart. This engaging novel, set in the early 1900's is both an homage to Kline's grandmother and a timeless story of a young woman trying to balance tradition and family loyalty with her wished for happiness and fulfillment. Clear, descriptive prose, realistic dialogue, and well-researched historical details immerse readers in the times. Appealing, dimensional characters represent diverse beliefs and conflicts without stereotyping. That's particularly the case with likable, determined Eleanor, whose growth and changes are sympathetically portrayed. Notably unsentimental and more mature in its treatment of adolescent physical and emotional changes that many novels for the age group, this satisfying, engrossing read will appeal to fans of historical fiction.'
"Twelve-year-old Eleanor Hill lives with her widowed father and her fifteen-year-old sister, Lila, in a small, isolated fishing village on the North Carolina coast. It is 1912, and many new things are happening in the world. Eleanor is influenced by her new teacher, who adds to her longing to leave her hometown. She runs away to live with her aunt in a town with a movie theater and indoor plumbing. A trip to California to see her dying brother provides Eleanor with a number of new experiences and a broadened view of her family and herself. After returning to North Carolina she takes a job driving cars for a car dealer to earn money to help her family. This story of historical fiction is loosely based on the author's grandmother's life. Descriptions of life in the early 1900s will interest today's ready and help make the story realistic. The author uses letters from the characters to move the story along and explain plot events in a natural manner."
"Eleanor yearns for bigger things than her North Carolina fishing village can offer, and with the encouragement of a progressive teacher, Miss Rosalie, Eleanor determines to find her 'chosen path' by pursuing her education. Set against the backdrop of World War I, the story spans Eleanor's adolescence, balancing her natural romantic urges and her desire to be an 'independent woman' with honesty and insight."
"Eleanor Hill is refreshing in its candor, emotion, and truly adventurous spirit. Born in the small fishing village of Atlantic Grove, North Carolina, Eleanor yearns for life in the bustling city of New Bern, where she attends high school while living with her Aunt Velma and Uncle Owen. Big brother Frank comes home for a visit and teaches Eleanor to drive an automobile, an unthinkable skill for a young lady in those days. Eleanor's characterization is authentic when she wonders about the mother she never knew, dreams about her future as an independent woman, and ably assists her sisters, her papa, and sadly, Frank, as he succumbs to tuberculosis in San Francisco. A particularly memorable moment occurs early in the story, when Eleanor and her sister Lila are given brassieres to wear for the first time. Love interests present themselves in Ray, the awkward son of the wealthy doctor in New Bern and in Niccolo, the roguish immigrant youth who boldly makes her acquaintance and wins her heart. These relationships clue the reader in to issues of social status and provide a historical perspective on the matters of the day. Letter writing and the lengthy time between communications move the plot along while keeping the flavor of its setting in 1913. Themes of family loyalty, friendship, and self-sufficiency are artfully woven through this delightful coming-of-age tale, with appropriate sentiment and historical detail for the middle school and junior high audience. Fans of Ann Rinaldi, Carol Matas, Isabelle Holland, and Katheryn Lasky will approve of Eleanor."
Young readers, especially young girls, will delight in Lisa Williams Kline's first novel. Set on the coast of North Carolina in the midst of women's suffrage and World War I, Eleanor Hill is a book about life, love, and overcoming obstacles. ...I definitely recommend this book to those who are interested in women's rights, particularly in the women's suffrage movement. The story provides a new twist to using your life, making you own decisions, and living the life you make. Kline has a very strong narrative voice, and her character Eleanor Hill is a memorable one."
THE
PRINCESSES OF ATLANTIS
School Library
Journal / Booklist / Kirkus
Review
"Best friends Carly and Arlene used to spend Friday nights together writing novels, but as they enter seventh grade, their relationship begins to change. Carly becomes interested in boys, clothes, and the popular kids in school, while Arlene continues to ignore her appearance and present long explanations in class, even when other kids make fun of her. Carly's desire to fit in gets her into trouble, but eh consequences of her actions, along with her forced involvement in the school play as punishment for skipping class, make her evaluate who her real friends are and who she wants to be. This narrative alternatives with the story the girls are writing about twin princesses during the destruction of Atlantis, and the relationship between them parallels and reflects the changing relationships and ultimate reconciliation between Carly and Arlene. This realistic depiction of adolescence benefits from detailed characterizations and clearly drawn supporting characters. Carly's teacher's interest in her is an unusual and heartening touch, and the fantasy within the story is well-constructed and add to this book's appeal. This is a good choice for girls who feel that no one is ever as confused about growing up as they are, and may catch the attention of reluctant readers."
"Twelve-year-olds Arlene and Carly have been best friends since second grade, but things are beginning to change. They continue writing their novel about twin princesses in Atlantis, but trouble erupts when Carly gets a crush on Zack and becomes friends with a new girl in school, who just might get Carly in with the cool crowd. Juxtaposed with this realistic thread is the fantasy story the girls are writing. The girls' "real-life" experiences are believable, though Carly's eventual epiphany is a little too tidy, and their novel, pure purple prose filled with clichés and illogically dramatic bits of action, is just what you might expect from young authors. Middle-graders will relate to Arlene and Carly's realistic reactions to the ups and downs of friendship and the effects of burgeoning hormones; some may even be inspired to try writing their own adventure tales."
Carly has lived in North Carolina all her life; her best friend Arlene moved there in second grade. At 12, Carly is beginning to realize that other kids make fun of Arlene's bony arms and legs and of her assuredness; short and plump and awkward, Carly longs to be liked. The girls' relationship is nicely plotted, and it is reflected in the novel they are writing of doomed Atlantis and its twin princesses, Eva and Lydia. The girls write together in Arlene's attic room with stars on its ceiling. Contemporary chapters in Carly's voice alternate with the Atlantis tale, mirroring the conflicts and resolutions in the girls' lives (mirrors play a big role in both stories.) Trying out for the class play, parental pressure to excel, and liking the boy who doesn't like you loom as large as they do in real-life seventh grade. As the girls' lives change -- Carly shifts her allegiance -- their princesses cope with their own crises, and eventually, everyone fins a new way to cope..(T)he language can be sharp and lovely...(T)he concept is appealing and will find its audience."
Write Before Your Eyes
School Library
Journal / Children's Literature /
Curled Up Kids
l:KLINE, Lisa Williams. Write Before Your Eyes. 178p. Delacorte. 2008. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73568-1; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90556-5. LC number unavailable.
Gr 6-8–Twelve-year-old Gracie is astonished to discover that her new journal has magical powers: it seems that if she writes something, it happens. At first, she is thrilled. The possibilities are endless; she can create a job for her unemployed dad, have her friend Dylan finally fall in love with her, and even secure world peace. But before long, things get out of control. Her entries have unforeseen consequences, and a strange Cheshire cat, visible only to her, seems to be after the journal. With the help of a wise English teacher, Gracie discovers that, even without magic, “writing can change the world,” and in the end she makes a decision that brings the novel to a satisfying close. Gracie is a sympathetic protagonist, and Kline tackles issues like fate and free will with equal parts humor and gravity. This is an engaging read for anyone who has ever felt powerless to change her own world.–Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Children's
Literature
Gracie is freaked out after she buys an old journal at a garage sale. In it is the inscription, "Remember what the dormouse said." She figured it was a karmic message just for her, since she was named after Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane and she sang "Go Ask Alice" and all. The bad news is that everything Gracie writes in this journal comes true. She begins writing very carefully, very intentionally, to make the world a better place, but she is horrified at the results. She writes that her brother makes an A on a test, but then he gets busted for cheating. Gracie wants her dad to have the job he always wanted…but the bad news is it is in another city. She wants to deal with global warming and stop world hunger but is having enough difficulty with local issues that she hesitates, not knowing what unforeseen consequences might result. A mysterious disappearing Cheshire cat with big square teeth who demands the diary back and the fact that Gracie is stuck and does not know how to get out of this situation, having nobody to turn to, add to the appeal and suspense of the story. It would be a great prologue read-aloud for a journaling unit or a creative writing class, and teachers could invent all sorts of prompts (well-meaning of course, like Gracie's) with unintended outcomes (this would be similar to the "what if" game that Stephen King talks about to writers in his memoir, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft). The ending is satisfying and sensible, and it is an altogether delightful little novel. Reviewer: Gwynne Spencer
The famous Spiderman Credo states: With
great power comes great responsibility. In Lisa Williams Kline’s new
book,
Write Before Your Eyes
When she buys an old journal at a yard sale, she soon realizes that
everything she writes in it comes true. Suddenly, this quiet,
unpretentious girl is given the power to change the world. At first,
Gracie uses the journal for small things, like helping her brother get a
good grade on a test or eliminating the school dress code, but she plans
to work her way up to the big stuff - ending hunger and global warming,
creating world peace.
But when the small changes prove to be disastrous, it’s up to Gracie and
her best friend, Dylan, to “fix” her mistakes and re-alter the course of
their lives. This is not an easy task, especially when someone else
gains possession of the journal.
Write Before Your Eyes
You can’t help but fall in love with Gracie and cheer her on as she
finds out the true power of the pen. After all, the shoulders of a
middle schooler aren’t big enough to carry the world’s problems, are
they?Niki
Schoenfeldt, www.curledupkids.com