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 CÉCILE: Gates of Gold, France, 1711
by Mary Casanova
illustrated by Jean-Paul Tibbles
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584855185
Ages 9-12
194 pages
Living close to poverty in a small village in France, Cécile Revel has dreamed about how marvelous it would be to live in the royal palace. When the King's sister-in-law takes a bad fall from a horse, Cécile and her father come to her aid, and she repays Monsieur Revel by taking Cécile to live in the palace at Versailles as an attendant for her dogs. Cécile is dazzled at first by the glitter and elegance of the King's court, but she is soon dismayed to realize that living in the palace is not quite as wonderful as she had thought it would be.
As Cécile settles in to palace life, she finds that her benefactor, Madame, is a kindhearted lady as are the Prince and Princess and their two young boys. But there are many whispers and intrigues that go on inside the palace walls, and with the French people facing increased poverty and starvation, there is growing unrest outside the walls as well. Even Cécile falls under suspicion as a threat to the royal family which is somehow connected to father's mysterious past.
Readers will enjoy the rich and colorful history that surrounds CÉCILE, Gates of Gold, as this young French girl makes discoveries about herself and her father that surprise even her!
 ISABEL: Taking Wing, England, 1592
by Annie Dalton
illustrated by Mark Elliott
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584855177
Ages 9-12
182 pages
Isabel Campion dreams of freedom and adventure, but her father and aunt want her to learn to behave like a proper lady. When Isabel makes friends with one of the family maids and sneaks out to attend a Shakespearean play, her father sends her to live with a distant aunt on an estate in northern England. Isabel's mother died years ago, her older sister has married and left home, her brother is a spice merchant traveling out of the country and now her father has forced her to leave! She feels totally alone and abandoned by everyone.
However, Isabel's Aunt de Vere turns out to be a pleasant surprise --- a remarkable woman with a great deal of knowledge about many things including plants, medicines and the art of falconry. Before she realizes it, Isabel has made a home in the country, learning to train her own falcon and help heal the sick. When the plague begins to take the lives of many Londoners, Isabel returns to try and save her younger sister and make peace with her father.
The lives of city dwellers were not easy in London during the 16th century. The descriptions of the city and the people will give readers a clear picture of the hardships many had to face. Likewise, the glamor that is usually associated with a career on the stage is realistically portrayed revealing some fascinating details about the lives of the actors and how their magical productions were created.
 MINUK: Ashes in the Pathway, Yup'ik Alaska, 1890
by Kirkpatrick Hill
illustrated by Patrick Faricy
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584855207
Ages 9-12
210 pages
In the 1800s life in Alaska was pretty basic. The Yup'ik way of life honored hard work, respect for the rules, and the teachings of their ancestors. Minuk is only 12 years old but she is expected to take her place among the women soon. As the elders instruct the young girls in what they must do as wives and homemakers, Minuk longs to learn to read and write. The new missionaries that moved to their village have built a school and are teaching the young boys, but Minuk sew, cook and help the women store food supplies for the winter.
Trouble eventually erupts between the missionary and the Yup'iks over their religious beliefs and social customs, and Minuk is worried that she will never again get the chance to visit the missionaries' amazing house where she learned about so many wondrous new things. But when influenza comes to the little village bringing death to many, Minuk learns where her place --- and her heart --- really are.
 NEELA: Victory Song, India, 1939
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
illustrated by Troy Howell
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584855215
Ages 9-12
198 pages
As Neela's family prepares for her older sister's wedding day, Neela is constantly earning her mother's displeasure. Instead of showing an interest in becoming the proper young lady, Neela is far more interested in taking care of her cow and learning about India's battle for independence. Instead of learning how to dye silk, she wants to learn to read and write. Neela hates the idea of an arranged marriage and the sacrifices a woman must make. She wants to be free to speak her mind and join the freedom fighters' cause.
When Neela's father goes to Calcutta to join the peaceful protest marches, she becomes concerned over his long absence. Fearing something has happened to him, she runs away and persuades a 16-year-old freedom fighter and his cousin to help her find her father. Little does Neela know that the next few weeks will change her life forever.
 SPRING PEARL: The Last Flower, China, 1857
by Laurence Yep
illustrated by Kazuhiko Sano
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584855193
Ages 9-12
224 pages
After both her mother and father die, Chou Spring Pearl goes to live with her father's friend, Master Sung. The Sung family is wealthy, and the three daughters are very spoiled. They belittle Spring Pearl for her hair, her manners, and her desire to work in the garden. But Spring Pearl can speak and write English, and she soon makes herself useful helping Mrs. Sung with the family affairs when Master Sung is arrested as a traitor.
Master Sung has been very outspoken about the state of his homeland and the taxes being collected for a war with the British and French. Now his wife, son and daughters are fearful that all their possessions will be seized and they'll be left penniless. It's up to Spring Pearl to figure a way to get their father out of prison and protect the family until the war is over. But she discovers that beneath their arrogant ways, the Sung's have far more strength and heart than she had ever realized.
 SABA:
Under the Hyena's Foot, 1846
by Jane Kurtz
illustrated by Jean-Paul Tibbles
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584857471
Ages 9-12
224 pages
Saba and her brother, Mesfin, have been raised by their grandparents in a remote
area of Ethiopia. When they're kidnapped and brought to Gondar, home of the emperor
and his court, Saba learns things about her family and herself that turn her whole
world upside down. She must face her many fears to find her own strength and help
her brother and herself escape from the "hyenas" that want to see their family
destroyed.
 LEYLA: The Black Tulip, 1720
by Alev Lytle Croutier
illustrated by Kazuhiko Sano
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584857498
Ages 9-12
208 pages
After her artist father goes off to war, 12-year-old Leyla must help her family
earn enough money to survive. She makes a deal with marriage brokers --- but discovers
too late that she has sold herself into slavery instead! Her journey as a slave
takes her to faraway Istanbul, into the harem of the sultan. There she finds her
kismet, or destiny.
 KATHLEEN:
The Celtic Knot, 1937
by Siobhan Parkinson
illustrated by Troy Howell
Pleasant Company
ISBN: 1584858303
Ages 9-12
176 pages
Although life is noisy and complicated for 12-year-old Kathleen Murphy and her
family, it is also full of love. Kathleen dreams of living with her favorite aunt,
Polly, far from her crowded home and the strict nuns at the convent school. She's
surprised to find that she has a talent for dancing, and a chance to win the dance
competition! But Kathleen's family has no money for the costume she needs ---
until Aunt Polly comes to the rescue.
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