Review sponsored* by Dorothea Jensen
The Children’s Book Review | October 10, 2016
A Buss From Lafayette
Written by Dorothea Jensen
Age Range: 13 and up
Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Boutique of Quality Books Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-1939371904
What to expect: Historical Fiction
A Buss From Lafayette is a historical fiction novel that takes the reader through a week in the life of 14-year old Clara. The year is 1825 and Clara lives in the small town of Hopkinton, New Hampshire with her father, stepmother, and brother. The story centers on the town’s excitement surrounding the upcoming visit from General Lafayette, a hero and famous French aristocrat from the Revolutionary War.
The book is written from quick-witted Clara’s perspective, and each new day’s adventures are prefaced by an entry from her diary, which provides a clever preview of the events to come. Clara feels life is unfair because of her family life, her lack of traditional schooling, and her red hair, which she is plotting to try to change to “a beautiful shade of black.” Weaved through her story are the events leading up to General Lafayette’s visit, who is known for delivering to his many admirers a “buss”, which, at the time, was the word used for a playful kiss on the cheek.
The vivid descriptions of clothing, family relationships, period-specific customs, and daily routines create a charming picture of life in 1825, and these elements inform the senses while reminding readers that the scene is from a different era.
“How I loved the smells: cloves and nutmeg from the Spice Islands, cinnamon from Ceylon, ginger and pepper from South America, and coffee from the West Indies. It seemed to me that the general store smelt strongly of worldly adventure.”
As a historical piece, the book dives into rich detail on Revolutionary War tales. The characters retell stories of General Lafayette, General Washington, and others, providing readers with a thorough backdrop of history to accompany the book’s main storyline about Clara. Ms. Jensen also weaves throughout the story many words and objects that are common to the era, but are likely unfamiliar to the modern reader. A glossary included in the book provides a useful way for the reader to look up historical words, thus not having to rely upon context alone to interpret.
Recommended for teen readers that have an interest in history, this book is an enjoyable introduction to the post-Revolutionary War period in America, and provides a lovely story about family, determination, and how perspective can change everything.
Available Here:
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Classroom and Reading Guide: A Buss from Lafayette
Book Trailer:
About Dorothea Jensen
Dorothea Jensen, born in Boston, MA, grew up in Chillicothe, IL, the same little town where Zorro’s creator was raised. She earned a BA in English at Carleton College and an MA in Education at the University of New Mexico. She has served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Brazil, worked as an ESL tutor, taught middle and high school English, and written grants for various arts organizations. In 1989, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich published Dorothea’s award-winning novel for young readers about the American Revolution, THE RIDDLE OF PENNCROFT FARM. In print ever since, it has been used as an enrichment resource for the study of the Revolutionary War all over the U.S. Her new novel, A BUSS FROM LAFAYETTE, set in 1825 in her New Hampshire town, was released by BQB Publishing on April 22, 2016. (A guide for using A BUSS FROM LAFAYETTE in the classroom will be released this fall.) Besides historical fiction, Dorothea has written a series of award-winning illustrated modern Christmas stories in verse. These feature Santa’s Izzy Elves (Tizzy, Blizzy, Dizzy, Frizzy, Quizzy, Fizzy, Bizzy and Whizzy) who are all extremely savvy in 21st century technology. In addition to being a writer, Dorothea is an experienced actress/singer who played many Gilbert and Sullivan battle axe contralto and ingénue mezzo roles. She also performed in a baroque opera company. (She usually lost the hero to the soprano.)
For more information:
Bublish: Provides extensive background information pertaining to A Buss from Lafayette and some of Dorothea Jensen’s other books.
abussfromlafayette.com and dorotheajensen.com: Videos, audios, interviews, pictures of people, places, and artifacts mentioned in the story. Also links to all other sites.
Pinterest: Pictures about items, people, and places in Jensen’s historical fiction.
dorotheajensen.blogspot.com: Posts about writing, among other things.
Twitter: Tweets about books, writing, and other musings.
Facebook: Facebook pages for A Buss from Lafayette, The Riddle of Penncroft Farm, and the Izzy Elves stories.
YouTube: Dorothea Jensen’s channel has video blogs, music, and other fun stuff.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. Dorothea Jensen, the author of “A Buss From Lafayette,” sponsored* this non-biased review. Learn more about getting a book review …
