BOOKS: Picture Books |  Nonfiction | Other | Classroom Activities

Fiction

FINDING DAY’S BOTTOM
Carolrhoda Books, 2006
$15.95 Hardcover   ISBN 1575059339NN
Grades 4-6, Ages 9-12

      Jane-Ery’s heart is torn in two when her daddy dies in a sawmill accident. No more silly songs. No one to call her Miss Mousie. And no one to stand between Mama and her when their words run strong. Now Grandpap’s come down from Salter’s Mountain to help. Jane-Ery’s not much interested. But when he tells Jane-Ery about Day’s Bottom, “a place of light and wonderment,” she can’t help but listen. In Day’s Bottom, Grandpap says, a girl can find anything she wants… “In warm, lyrical prose, award-winning author Candice Ransom spins an enchanting, nostalgic tale of loss and healing in Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains.”

Why I Wrote This Book:  Years ago on a school visit, a woman gave me a tiny pine needle basket made by an elderly gentleman. The basket is the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. I promised the woman that I’d write a book about the basket. Like Jane-Ery, I tried to reach a mythical land. Along the way, I learned a lot about life…and myself.

“...an authentically drawn backdrop that embodies stillness and reflection...a novel full of insight and truth.” -- School Library Journal

“Ransom weaves tales unique to the Virginia/Carolina region into the intriguing plot...she creates vivid images, earnest characters, and memorable situations that will melt the hearts of readers.” -- Children's Literature

“Wonderful description, hill-country language, appropriate grief and honesty combine to offer a new take on an old story.” – Kirkus

Silver Medal winner, Independent Publishers Award 2007

SECRET IN THE TOWER
Time Spies Book #1
Wizards of the Coast, 2006
$4.99 Paperback   ISBN 0786940271
Grades 2-4, Ages 7-10

      When the Chapman family moves to rural Virginia to run the Gray Horse Inn, Mattie, Alex, and Sophie are sure it will be the most boring summer of their lives. Then they discover a hidden spyglass. In the blink of an eye, the children find themselves on the inn’s doorstep…in the middle of the Revolutionary War!

      The first book in my new Time Spies series. Time Spies blends fantasy, history, mystery, biography, and adventure!

Why I Created This Series:  When I was growing up, I loved “everyday” fantasy stories where ordinary kids would find a magic ring and be whisked off to another world. I looked for magic rings and secret panels, hoping to have adventures. Then I became a writer of children’s books. I wrote the Time Spies series as a way to travel back in time…and have fun!

BONES IN THE BADLANDS
Time Spies Book #2
Wizards of the Coast, 2006
$4.99 Paperback   ISBN 078694028X
Grades 2-4, Ages 7-10

      Their second adventure with the spyglass sends Mattie, Alex, and Sophie to Wyoming in 1898, where they meet “Dinosaur Cowboy” Walter Granger. As Granger unearths some of the most fantastic dinosaur skeletons ever found in America, the three kids uncover a spy on Granger’s dig who is trying to steal the bones—and the glory.

GIANT IN THE GARDEN
Time Spies Book #3
Wizards of the Coast, 2007
$4.99   ISBN 9780786940745
Grades 2-4, Ages 7-10

      When Alex, Mattie, and Sophie spy the giant vine sprouting in their garden, they find themselves climbing a beanstalk into the sky to chase their run-away cat, Winchester. A departure from the historical adventures, this book is based on the Appalachian version of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

MAGICIAN IN THE TRUNK
Time Spies Book #4
Wizards of the Coast, 2007
$4.99   ISBN 9780786940707
Grades 2-4, Ages 7-10

      At the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, Mattie, Sophie, and Alex stumble onto a magical mystery involving young Harry Houdini. The kids have been sent to help Houdini’s failing magic show but they are accused of stealing a priceless treasure.

SIGNALS IN THE SKY
Time Spies Book #5
Wizards of the Coast, 2007
$4.99   ISBN 9780786943531
Grades 2-4, Ages 7-10

      Whisked back to 1863 Virginia, Mattie, Alex, and Sophie meet John Doyle, a Civil War spy. On the eve of a big battle, the kids must reunite John with his brother, who is a spy for the other side!

SAM COLLIER AND THE FOUNDING OF JAMESTOWN
Millbrook Press, 2006
$23.93 Hardcover   ISBN 157505874X
Grades 1-3, Ages 6-8

      Twelve-year-old Sam Collier was eager for adventure. He came from England to be a settler in the new land of Virginia. But his life in the New World proved to be a harsh test. The settlers faced sickness, starvation, and sudden attack. Sam would have to use all his wits to survive.

Why I Wrote This Book:  When my husband asked me where I wanted to go on our honeymoon, I said, "Jamestown!" I had never been to the tiny peninsula where our country began. The region is beautiful but wild. Years later, I wrote this book to celebrate the bravery of the men--and boys--who sailed across the Atlantic. Some craved adventure, but others hoped to find a new life..

WILLIE McLEAN AND THE CIVIL WAR SURRENDER
Lerner/Carolrhoda, 2004
$23.93 Hardcover   ISBN 1575055880
$5.95 Paperback   ISBN 1575056984

      Eleven-year-old Willie McLean knows that General Lee will defeat the Yankees and win the Civil War, he just knows it. When a battle moves to the fields near his home in Appomattox, Virginia, Willie's thrilled--especially when General Lee, himself, comes to Willie's house! But then General Grant comes, too. Overhearing the two men talk, Willie hears one word: Surrender. Is the war really over?

Why I Wrote This Book:  I love looking at old photographs from the Civil War era. When I found a photograph of the McLean family sitting on their front porch four months after Lee surrendered his army, I wanted to know more about those people. In my research, I came across references to a "silent witness" to the solemn procedure. In addition to the officers present, Lula McLean's rag doll had been left behind when soldiers took over the McLean parlor. The doll's role and travels after the war spurred me to write this story.

RESCUE ON THE OUTER BANKS
Lerner/Carolrhoda, 2002
Grades 1-3, Ages 6-8
$21.27 Hardcover ISBN 0876144601
$ 6.95 Paperback ISBN 0876148151

            It’s October, 1896, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  Through the howling wind and lashing rain of a hurricane, ten-year-old Sam Deal and his horse, Ginger, watch as the brave surfmen of Pea Island struggle to save the lives of nine people stranded on a shipwreck.  Sam has dreamed of becoming a surfman just like Keeper Richard Etheridge and the rest of the all-African-American crew and this is his chance.  Risking his own life, Sam learns the true meaning of courage.

Why I Wrote This Book: The first time my husband and I vacationed on the Outer Banks, I fell in love with that special place.  We ate dinner in a converted life-saving station.  The old photographs and artifacts on the walls fascinated me.  We saw wild horses grazing by the roadside.  Later I read about the pony herd and the U.S. Life Saving Stations.  When I came across the story of Richard Etheridge and his men, I had to tell it.  Sometimes I put personal things in my books.  When I was Sam’s age, my father’s boss went to Chincoteague Island (as in Misty of Chincoteague) and brought back two ponies from the famous pony swim and auction.  We took care of the ponies.  Soon we had three ponies, wild as the ocean.  The baby was named Ginger.  I put her in my book.

DANGER AT SAND CAVE
Lerner/Carolrhoda, 2000
$22.00 Hardcover ISBN 1575053799
$ 5.95 Paperback ISBN 157505454X
Grades 1-3, Ages 6-8
Nominated Virginia Literary Award

When Arly’s friend Floyd Collins is trapped by falling rocks in Sand Cave, Arly rushes to help.  It is a race against time, so Arly decides to try to help his friend but ends up in danger himself.  This story is based on the actual 1925 cave-in that sent rescuers, reporters, and on-lookers from all over the country to a remote site in Kentucky.

“Ransom effectively conveys Arly’s frustration but refrains from turning his foolhardy act into a dramatic rescue and instead sticks with the historical conclusion of the event . . . it shows a respect for those who prefer endings that reflect what really happened rather than what one might wish happened.” -- Horn Book

Why I Wrote This Book:  I first read about Floyd Collins in a Smithsonian magazine in a car dealership in 1990.  I didn’t even care about the new car we were  buying—I was hooked by this story.  I read everything I could find about that event and then wrote about it for younger readers.  There is nothing from my life in this book—it strictly came from a story that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go until I told it.

FIRE IN THE SKY
Lerner/Carolrhoda, 1997
$19.93 Hardcover ISBN 0876148674
$ 5.95 Paperback ISBN 157505079X
Grades 3-5, Ages 8-10
Notable Trade Book in Social Studies, 1998
Prairie State (South Dakota) Master List
Sunshine State (Florida) Master List

            Nine-year-old Stenny can think of little but the expected arrival of the Hindenburg at the naval air station near his New Jersey home.  When he sneaks away from home to watch the landing, he witnesses the Hindenburg disaster and finds himself drawn in the rescue effort.  Though a loser at marbles and a liar, Stenny finds that his world turns around when he discovers he’s no coward.  

                “. . . this chapter book succeeds in creating believable characters and an exciting story, as well as a sense of the times . . . This involving historical fiction choice for younger readers would make an exciting read-aloud to a class studying the period.” -- Booklist

Why I Wrote This Book:  I’ve always loved watching reruns of “Movietone News,” originally shown in movie theaters in the 30s and 40s.  Reporting the news in those days was exciting and no story was more thrilling than the Hindenburg.  The announcer’s emotional report stayed in my mind until I had to write about it.  I did lots of research.  Then I carefully placed my fictional characters into that fateful day.  The difficulty in this is that whatever Stenny saw, really happened.  Even the day and time of his favorite radio program is accurate.  The hardest part was describing how the crew docked the airship.  I thought they put it on the ground like a plane!