award-winning picture book and middle-grade author
Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine is a perfect read for cold winter nights and would be a wonderful holiday gift for a young reader in your life (if I do say so myself!).
If you’d like to receive the journal, sticker, and two bookmarks pictured above, simply order a copy of Jasper and send your receipt and your mailing address to carolinestarr@yahoo.com by December 14. It’s a wonderful way to round out your gift — for a young reader or yourself.
Here’s a roundup of Ride On, Will Cody! and Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine goodies that might interest you. I’ve included snippets from each and encourage you to click through to read or listen to more. Enjoy!
Books Between, Episode #26: Caroline Starr Rose + Favorite Fictional Dads
This week I am welcoming to the show Caroline Starr Rose – author of the recently released middle grade historical adventure Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine. We chat about the inspirations behind her latest novel, encouraging kids to read more, and we reminisce about Little House on the Prairie.
Caroline Starr Rose is back, and she’s joining me today to talk about her historical fiction, plus she’s sharing inspiration for young authors and tips for introducing novels in verse to our kids.
Caroline Starr Rose: An On-Going Private Conversation :: Sharing Our Notebooks
I write historical fiction, so the idea of keeping a notebook to gather my research and questions about a new project isn’t a new one. But over the years my notebooks have expanded into something other than just a collection of historical tidbits. They’ve become an on-going private conversation where I can noncommittally explore the fragile beginnings of a new idea or work out troublesome knots once the story’s under way.
Q and A with Caroline Starr Rose :: Albert Whitman blog
What makes your book stand out?
There are a handful wonderful picture books about the Pony Express — They’re Off!: The Story of the Pony Express, Whatever Happened to the Pony Express, and Off Like the Wind: The First Ride of the Pony Express come to mind. I wanted to write a book that went beyond the history and created an experience, that thrust the reader right into the ride alongside Will Cody. I hope readers feel energy, surprise, fatigue, and courage in the rhythm and movement of the words and art as they turn each page.
Getting to Know Caroline Starr Rose :: The Deliberate Reader
Has being a writer changed you as a reader?
Oh, yes. I used to be quite the reading snob (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). But the longer I’ve written, the more I’ve learned to appreciate books that I might not have picked up fifteen or twenty years ago. I think knowing the hard work that goes into writing has both broadened my taste and shown me plenty to admire in the books I’ve read. I’m constantly impressed with the way other authors tell a story through their choices with plot, structure, form, and point of view.
Bringing History to Life: Ride On, Will Cody! :: The Deliberate Reader
Can you tell us about the upcoming book?
Ride on, Will Cody! is a picture book about the third-longest ride in Pony Express history. According to legend, young Will Cody (later America’s greatest showman, Buffalo Bill) rode for the Pony Express at the age of fifteen. He claimed to have covered 322 miles in under twenty-two hours on a ride that required twenty-one horses. I should add that while most historians now believe Cody didn’t ride for the Pony Express, he no doubt had a huge influence on America’s collective memory of the eighteen-month venture through the reenactments he later included in his Wild West show. On a personal note, I’ve decided even if the story of his ride is more legend than truth, it still embodies the courage of the young men who rode for the Pony Express and gives a sense of Cody’s big, bold character. That’s enough for me.
Ride On, Will Cody! is an in-the-moment adventure as boy and horse (and reader) hit the trail together. I’m so happy readers will soon be able to jump in!
Friend Friday: Caroline Starr Rose :: Kirby Larsen
Ride On, Will Cody! languished for years on submission. I had plenty of time to wonder if the book was over and done with. Dead on arrival. Not. Gonna. Happen.
But this story about resolve and a long, long ride wasn’t finished yet. I asked my agent to try one more editor. Months passed. I finally let myself grieve. The story just wasn’t meant to be.
And then. (You know you want to click through to learn more!)
Coming October 12: An Interview with Caroline Starr Rose :: Falling Leaflets
Writing about historical figures can be daunting. What advice would you give writers who are looking to represent a person from history with limited text and just 32 pages to work with?
Go deep rather than wide. A historical picture book isn’t meant to cover everything in a character’s life. Pick a moment and shine a light on the character’s response to the event. Show us her bravery or his curiosity, her commitment or his determination. Let us live the moment right alongside the character. Leave us feeling as if we’ve been there!
In July every year I take a break from blogging and social media (with the exception of Instagram, where I’ll probably share a picture or two). Every Monday I’ll run posts from the previous year. Enjoy!
My friend Jamie and I have dreamed about a Prince Edward Island adventure for years, so to see it finally come together this July was just plain magical. I flew into Connecticut and spent a day with her family (look at the gorgeous veggies those Martins grow!), and early the next morning Jamie and I jumped in a rental car and drove straight through to the Land of Maud.
You might remember I’m a tad obsessed with author L. M. Montgomery. I’ve read all of Maud’s novels, many multiple times. And I’ve committed to re-reading every ten years the journals she kept from the age of fourteen until her late sixties.
Jamie and I both agreed that though the drive was long, crossing the Canadian border and watching the gorgeous landscape grow more rural and hilly and somehow even more beautiful was the perfect introduction to PEI.
The island is rolling hillsides and lovely farms that stretch straight to red cliff beaches. We arrived at our rental — an nineteenth century farmhouse in South Rustico, PEI — during the sunlight’s golden hour.
There were four bedrooms to choose from. Look at mine!
Jamie and I spent the next day in Cavendish at Green Gables Heritage Place, which includes the home that inspired the setting for the Anne series. The home itself was owned by her cousins, the McNeills, and was was within walking distance of the Montgomery homestead.
It was a little strange knowing that while Anne Shirley was not a real girl, this house was set up to reflect her world. That red liquid in the cupboard is raspberry cordial — at least that’s what my imagination told me.
This was meant to represent Anne’s room. Less austere than the picture in my mind!
What’s fun is that Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood weren’t only places in the Anne books, they were very much a part of Maud’s real life. Here’s Lover’s Lane.
The Haunted Wood, just beyond this gate, led from the McNeill homestead to the Montgomery’s.
No house remains at the Montgomery homestead, but it’s not hard to picture young Maud’s love of nature developing on this land.
Maud’s childhood school (no longer standing) was near the Haunted Wood and within walking distance of her home. From its window she could see Cavendish Community Cemetery where her mother lay — where she is now.
Here’s a sweet token we found alongside the grave.
That evening, we drove to Charlottetown and saw Anne and Gilbert: The Musical.
It’s a blend of Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island with a few liberties thrown in and was beyond fabulous. Jamie ended up downloading the music, which we listened to during the rest of our stay. Perhaps now that I’m back home, I’ve been known to break into “Mr. Blythe” while making dinner.
On our second day we drove to Lower Bedeque to visit the Leard House, where Maud boarded while teaching at the school across the road.
Fans of the journals and the recent Maud biography, The Gift of Wings, know this house well. While Maud lived here, she and the Leard son, Herman, had a secret romance. Both were engaged to other people. Eighteen months later, Herman died. Maud, who by then had broken her engagement and was living back at home, was distraught but could never truly mourn him as she would have if their relationship had been public. Doesn’t this remind you a bit of Una’s inability to fully grieve Walter’s death in Rilla of Ingleside?
The Leard House opened to tourists just a few weeks before we arrived. Visitors can walk through the upstairs room where Maud boarded and eventually will be able to spend the night there. The downstairs has been converted into the Fable Tea Room.
Jamie and I might have been a little silly about the whole Leard House thing. Evidently, when we arrived, I told the woman who answered the door, “We’re here for Herman,” which entertained Jamie to no end.
Here’s Maud’s room.
And here I am, ridiculously posing with Herman. (At Jamie’s suggestion! I claim no responsibility for this goofiness!)
Downstairs we pored over old copies of Kindred Spirits magazine while eating an amazing lunch (I recommend the lobster roll).
Oh, Maud. You certainly did have a lively time in Bedeque!
The Fable Tea Room tables were covered with various pages from Anne books.
The Lower Bedeque Schoolhouse was a couple hundred yards down the road. Our tour guide was a charming college student who was working his way through the journals himself.
On our way back to Rustico, we stopped in Clifton / New London at the Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace museum.
That evening we had dinner at Dalvay by the Sea, which was the White Sands Hotel in the Anne of Green Gables movie.
As we were leaving, Jamie and I pulled off the road to capture one of the most gorgeous sunsets I’ve ever seen.
On our last day we visited Park Corner, a 110-acre farm which belonged to Maud’s cousins, the Campbells, and the place she felt most at home. While the Campbells still live here, the house is also open to the public as the Anne of Green Gables Museum.
Park Corner served as inspiration for The Story Girl and the Pat of Silver Bush books. If I remember correctly from the journals, it’s Maud who first referred to the Campbells’ house as Silver Bush.
We took a carriage ride past the real Lake of Shining Waters and down to the shore.
Maud was married at Park Corner next to this mantle, where avid fans sometimes hold their own weddings!
After Park Corner, we stopped at the Blue Winds Tearoom, where we were welcomed by this beautiful tangle of flowers.
The building has no direct Anne or Maud connection, but Terry, the owner, is a true Anne expert. She moved to PEI from Japan many years ago because of her love for the series. I recommend trying the New Moon Pudding, which is a recipe found in Maud’s journals and is similar to lemon meringue pie.
From there, Jamie and I visited the Cape Tyron Lighthouse, where the model for the lighthouse in Anne’s House of Dreams once stood. This new lighthouse doesn’t have a lightkeeper’s quarters as the first one did, but it’s easy to imagine Captain Jim there.
I was in the midst of third-round edits for Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine while on our trip and worked throughout our stay in this sweet room at “our” farmhouse.
On our final morning, we packed up our things and waved goodbye to our dear temporary home. Until next time, Prince Edward Island!
Thank you to Prince Edward Island Tourism for making our trip extra special.
Ride On, Will Cody! Is now available for pre-order. Click through to learn more!
The Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine Discussion and Activity Guide is now available. Simply click through to download your own copy!
The guide includes pre-reading activities, a vocabulary list, links to videos, maps, lesson plans, and Klondike short stories and poetry, as well as discussion questions and activities to consider after finishing the book.
And here’s an outrageous, only-in-the-Klondike link I’ve been holding onto forever. Now feels like a great time to share. Enjoy!
Man Fined 500 For Purposely Swallowing Toe at Yukon Hotel :: Global News
Two school visits (with one more coming). Three author events (with another next weekend). I think it’s safe to say Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine has officially made its way into the world.
I asked my son to take some pictures during Saturday’s launch party. You’ll see they’re very… animated. What can I say? I get excited when I talk books!
My son Noah says, “Sometimes you were doing something, like, normal, but when Caleb took the picture you turned to weird.”
Weird, for sure.
Here’s the front page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for July 17, 1897. It’s the news that set the Klondike Gold Rush — and Jasper and Melvin’s story — in motion.
This photograph is actually of the steamer Queen, the ship the Johnson boys take to Skagway, Alaska. While my characters are fictitious, I wanted to be sure their journey fit into the historical record.
And here is one of the most iconic images from the Klondike Gold Rush — the Golden Stairs at the top of the Chilkoot Pass. Jasper and Melvin pass through before the stairs were carved into the ice (and before there was this much snow), but their climb up the mountain is still was a tough one.
It’s been wonderful these last few weeks to hear so much enthusiasm from early readers. If you’re looking to buy an autographed copy, you can do so through Bookworks bookstore here in Albuquerque. Simply click through.
If you’re anxious to share a bit of background about the gold rush with your students, here’s a quick video with a great overview. I’ll be sure to share when Jasper’s educator’s guide is up and ready to go!
