"A Drowned Maiden's Hair"

Schlitz, Laura Amy (2006). A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama. Grades 4-6.

Eleven-year-old Maud is known as a trouble maker at the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans. When we meet her character, she has been locked in an
outhouse (outdoor bathroom) by a teacher as punishment. Several girls are awaiting adoption by three wealthy sisters, but to her teacher's astonishment, Maud is chosen over the others. Maud can not believe her luck! New experiences await her, including a train ride, eating exquisite foods, wearing beautiful clothes, and having her own room. At first she does not question why her room is in the attic or why she can't be seen by the neighbors, but Maude grows curious and eventually the sisters inform her that they are spiritualists who hold seances and that she is needed to act as a spirit. Maud knows that what they are doing is wrong, but she decides to play along with their charade. Only when she is left behind during a house fire does Maud realize that the women do not share her affection and that she is nothing more than their prop.

Action, adventure, and a hidden diamond

Golding, Julia (2008). The Diamond of Drury Lane. 424 pages.
Grades 6-8.


Set in London c. 1790, Cat, who was orphaned as an infant, lives at the Drury Lane Theater under the care of Mr. Sheridan. One night, she stumbles upon a secret meeting and learns that there is a diamond hidden in the theatre. To protect the diamond, Cat embarks on an action-packed adventure with Pedro, an African violinist, her noble friends: Lord Francis and Lady Elizabeth, as well as her street friends. But is there really a diamond or is Cat protecting something else? From the boxing matches to the street gangs, this story is full of action and drama. Stay tuned for more books in this series.

The Power of Music in a Women's Prison

Karr, Kathleen (2003). Gilbert & Sullivan: Set Me Free*. 226 pages. Grades 5-8.

Experience the power of music and the injustice of being an inmate during the the early 1900s at the Massachusetts Sherborn Prison for Women (SPW). Libby Dodge arrived at SPW in her finest of clothing, but her story or the reason why she ends up in prison does not surface until halfway through the story. She is soon befriended by another inmate, Ma McCreary, who stands up for her when the other women treat her unkindly. Fortunately, Libby's luck is about to change when Mrs. Wilkinson, the new chaplain, arrives at SPW. She is forming a women's choir and begins recruiting the inmates. The choir gives these women hope and acts as an escape from their dreary lives in prison. Mrs. Wilkinson hopes to reform the inmates through the power of music and for the most part she succeeds. The women put on a successful performance of Handel's Hallelujah choir and take on Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance. In the process, Libby and the other women's talents emerge, as they learn more about each other and the world around them.

Karr's story is wonderfully written. She portrays the harsh reality of life in a women's prison during the early 20th century using characters based on real women who made significant changes in the Massachusetts women's prison system.

*Request this book through interlibrary loan.

Watch out Brothers Grimm, here come the Sisters Grimm!

Buckley, Michael (2005). The Fairy Tale Detectives. (The Sisters Grimm, bk. 1) 284 pages. Grades 4-6.


Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sisters who have been sent to live with their grandmother, whom they believed was dead. Their parents have been missing for over 2 years and they have lost hope of being reunited with them. When they arrive at their grandmother's home, Sabrina and Daphne find themselves in a fairy tale world complete with pixies, Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk), the Three Little Pigs, and of course Prince Charming. Before they have a chance to settle in, the Grimm family is on the case of a giant who has crushed a farmer's home. But, before the sisters can learn more about this unusal world and their new family,
their grandmother is kidnapped by the giant and the Grimm sisters must save her!

Recently Added Fiction

Barber, Tiki. Kickoff! 153 pages. Grades 4-6.

Tiki and Ronde's summer is winding down and it will soon be time to start junior high. This year they will tryout for the Hidden Valley Eagles team, but there is much more competition than in elementary school. Will Tiki and Ronde make the team or spend the season on the bench?

Berkeley, Jon. The Tiger's Egg. 400 pages. Grades 4-7.
In the second book from The Wednesday Tales, orphan Miles Wednesday joins the Circus Bolsillo with his angel-friend Little. Hoping to find out more about his parents, Miles joins Doctor Tau-Tau on a journey, which he believes will lead to his father, but he soon finds out that Doctor Tau-Tau is on a quest to find the Tiger's Egg instead.

Doder, Joshua. A Dog Called Grk. 241 pages. Grades 5-7.

When Tim Malt finds a dog called Grk near his home in London, he tries to find Grk's owner. After doing some detective work, Tim learns that Grk belongs to Natascha Raffifi who has been kidnapped along with her parents and taken back to their homeland in Eastern Europe. Tim is determined to return Grk to Natascha and manages to get to Stanislavia where she is being held prisoner. Will he rescue Natascha and reunite her with Grk?