Synopses & Reviews
Kate Witherspoon has lived a bohemian life with her artist parents. In 1917, the new art form of the motion picture is changing entertainment—and Kate is determined to become a director.
Meanwhile, midwestern farm boy Julian Birch has inherited the wanderlust that fueled his parents adventures. A childhood bout with polio has left him crippled, but he refuses to let his disability define him.
Strangers driven by a shared vision, Kate and Julian set out separately for Los Angeles, the city of dreams. There, they each struggle to find their independence. When they finally meet, the teenage runaways realize their true magical legacy: the ability to triumph over death, and over time. But as their powerful parents before them learned, all magic comes with a price.
Review
Praise for The Springsweet: "A lovely historical romance. . . . The author conjures a convincing picture of life on the Oklahoma prairie, painting an absorbing portrait of the landscape and of the people there. . . . A high-quality, absorbing drama."—
Kirkus Reviews "
The Springsweet will steal your heart. Zora is a wounded heroine who had me cheering as she rediscovers the strength she thought she'd lost. Blend in a smoldering, yet refreshingly subtle hero, and add a twist of magic and you have a perfect romance in the Old West with another of Saundra Mitchell's signature rich and nuanced historic settings!"—Aprilynne Pike,
New York Times bestselling author of
Wings and
Spells "I didn't think YA historicals could get better than
The Vespertine.
The Springsweet proved me wrong. This is a gorgeous, unputdownable book that will stay with you long after it's through. Saundra Mitchell just gets better and better."—Sarah MacLean, NYT and USA Today bestselling Author of
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord "With Saundra Mitchells trademark evocative and gorgeous language, The Springsweet takes us across the plains, where the people thirst for love just as the land thirsts for water. I never wanted this book to end!"—Carrie Ryan,
New York Times best-selling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series
Praise for The Vespertine: "[A] richly conceived historical romance. . . . Fans of Libba Brays A
Great and Terrible Beauty will find themselves enchanted by this atmospheric tale."—
Bulletin "Equal parts vivid period detail, gothic melodrama, and foreboding premonitions coming true . . . an absorbing tale."—
Booklist "Written in a passionate, inviting voice, The Vespertine is a rich, historical novel of otherworldly power, forbidden romance, and questionable motives."
—Aprilynne Pike, New York Times Bestselling Author of Wings and Spells "Sheer pleasure from beginning to end."—TeenReads.com "I savored every word of The Vespertine; I knew it was an amazing book from the first page and I was entranced until the very last."—Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series Praise for The Elementals: "In The Elementals the worlds of The Vespertine and The Springsweet collide with glass-brittle hopes and devastating consequences. The children of the supernatural must learn what their parents have long known, that even the most innocent magic demands a cost. A sumptuous read, as bittersweet as it is beautiful."—Aprilynne Pike, New York Times bestselling author of Wings and Spells "Saundra Mitchell pulls off a thrilling conclusion to a mesmerizing series! She just gets better and better!"—Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series "Mitchell convincingly portrays the glittering, raucous L.A. of the burgeoning movie industry and the oppressive unease of looming war."—Booklist
Review
"This is a beautifully crafted novel to be savored for its symbolic language, historical atmosphere, and vivid characters."—
School Library Journal, starred review
"Laird celebrates courage, survival, and the spark of independence that carries Maggie through."—Publishers Weekly
"Fine and effortless prose, creating instantly gripping characters and setting ."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
The Amethyst Road by Louise Spigeler Junior Library Guild Selection IRA Notable Book SFWA Andre Norton Award shortlist/finalist NYPL Book for the Teen Age Kansas State Reading Circle Recommendation Puget Sound Council Best Book of the Year Amelia Bloomer Project List
"This work is not only unique in its smooth and imaginative integration of genres; it offers an original blend of societal grit and compelling fantasy-based spirituality. Serena and Shem are complex young people in a complex world, who both collide and collaborate on their shared journey to meaningful adulthood. A terrific read for teens." --ALA Booklist
"Those who appreciate bold heroines unwilling to accept society's dictates might wish to join Serena on her quest." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Synopsis
In this suspenseful companion to The Vespertine and The Springsweet, the teenage children of the characters in the previous novels—bohemian film maker Kate and disabled but determined Julian—embrace their true selves and their paranormal powers in Hollywood circa 1917.
Synopsis
Kate Witherspoon has lived a bohemian life with her artist parents. In 1917, the new art form of the motion picture is changing entertainment--and Kate is determined to become a director.
Meanwhile, midwestern farm boy Julian Birch has inherited the wanderlust that fueled his parents' adventures. A childhood bout with polio has left him crippled, but he refuses to let his disability define him.
Strangers driven by a shared vision, Kate and Julian set out separately for Los Angeles. When they finally meet, the teenage runaways realize their true magical legacy: the ability to triumph over death, over time. But as their parents before them learned, all magic comes with a price.
Synopsis
In this stirring historical paranormal romance, a companion to The Vespertine, a spirited young woman sets out on her own and finds her new love, a new home, and her extraordinary magical power—and experiences all the joys and hardships of pioneer life..
Synopsis
When seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart arrives in the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her widowed aunt, she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet" to advise settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Maggie, accused of being a witch in treacherous seventeenth-century Scotland, escapes imprisonment but brings disaster to her uncle's door. After she is betrayed, she must try to save her family from the King's men at all costs.
Synopsis
In seventeenth-century Scotland, saying the wrong thing can lead to banishment—or
worse. Accused of being a witch, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be
hanged. She escapes, but instead of finding shelter with her principled, patriotic uncle,
she brings disaster to his door.
Betrayed by one of her own accusers, Maggie must try to save her uncle and his
family from the kings men, even if she has to risk her own life in the process.
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Addie, an aspiring actress on a mission to save the historic Jewel Theater, time travels between Seattle at the beginning of the War on Terror and the Seattle of WWI, with the help of a magic mirror. In both times the existence of the Jewel is threatened, war is looming, and someone she cares about is determined to fight.
Synopsis
An earthquake and the discovery of a mysterious antique mirror unleash forces that jolt sixteen-year-old Addie McNeal back to 1917 Seattle, just as the United States is entering World War I. Addie finds herself shuttling back and forth between past and present, drawn in both times to the grand Jewel Theater. In both decades the existence of the Jewel is threatened and war is looming . . . and someone she cares about is determined to fight. Eventually, Addie realizes that only she has the key to saving the Jewel—and the lives of her friends. But will she figure out how to manipulate the intricately woven threads of time and truly set things right?
About the Author
Elizabeth Laird has been nominated five times for the Carnegie Medal and has won numerous awards, including the Childrens Book Award. She and her husband divide their time between London and Edinburgh.