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ELEANOR HILL 2000 NORTH CAROLINA JUVENILE LITERATURE AWARD
"Eleanor Hill is refreshing in its candor, emotion, and truly adventurous spirit....Themes of family loyalty, friendship, and self-sufficiency are artfully woven through this delightful coming of age tale...Fans of Ann Rinaldi, Carol Matas, Isabelle Holland, and Kathryn Lasky will approve of Eleanor." --Voice of Youth Advocates
Twelve year old Eleanor Hill knows that women in other places do more than hang laundry, tend gardens, and fry fish for dinner. But in Atlantic Grove, her isolated North Carolina village, most girls see nothing more in their futures than marriage to a fisherman and the meager existence that goes with it. Eleanor longs to experience the fast-changing world beyond Atlantic Grove -- she'd like to drive an automobile, see a picture show, and most of all, attend high school. At last she has her chance. Without her papa's permission, Eleanor leaves home to live with her aunt and uncle in nearby New Bern. As she discovers the satisfactions of higher education, Eleanor also attracts the attentions of a handsome Italian immigrant boy and a prominent doctor's son. While spending her teenage years in New Bern, Eleanor begins to realize how valuable love and family are in her struggle for self-reliance. Set against the exhilarating backdrop of 1910's America, this engaging novel vividly portrays one girl's search for identity and experience. Copyright 1999 by Lisa Williams Kline Published by Front Street/Cricket Books To buy this book, click here. Reviews BOOKLIST "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 wishes 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 than many novels for the age group, this satisfying, engrossing read will appeal to fans of historical fiction." BOOK REPORT (STARRED REVIEW) "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 theatre 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 1900's will interest today's reader 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." HORN BOOK "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." VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES "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 Kathryn Lasky will approve of Eleanor." OUR STATE MAGAZINE "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 your own decisions, and living the life you make. Kline has a very strong narrative voice, and her character Eleanor Hill is a memorable one."
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