Historical Novel Society: May 2021 Magazine Review

On "Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride"

REVIEW BY DOROTHY MORGAN SCHWAB

         Millie Thayer is caught up in a dream, but world events may derail the plan to exchange her Maine farm life for more exciting adventures. In 1911, an interurban trolley system is being constructed to connect Lewiston with Portland, passing right through her family’s farmland. Millie, the imaginative seven-year- old, lovingly named “Spitfire” by her grandpa, envisions the electric trolleys as a magic carpet ride that will whisk her away to far off places.  Spanning the years of 1910-1920, including the entry of the United States into World War I, Millie feels her dreams are dashed.  Millie’s infatuation & adventures with the electric trolley, Narcissus, are based on a true, but little- known event of a young girl’s excitement in handing a bouquet of sweet peas to the “notable” Teddy Roosevelt.  He was on the “campaign trail’ for a Republican candidate for president, and a passenger on the trolley. Mr. Roosevelt had also been a frequent visitor to the area as a youth.  Bill Sewall, his guide and life-long friend, shared and taught young Theodore to appreciate the outdoors. Thus, begins Millie’s life-long admiration for “Mr. Teddy.”

Jean Flahive’s Teddy Roosevelt, Millie and the Elegant Ride, “intricately furnished” with insight into Presidential elections, the suffrage movement, the U.S entry into World War I, the Spanish Flu pandemic, and even the Camp Fire Girls organization, is a perfect match for teachers and librarians searching for identifiable characters in teaching history.  Middle Grade students and adults, alike, will enjoy the interview format as 96 -year-old Millie shares young Millie’s captivating account of this event filled decade in American history. Buy a ticket and enjoy an “elegant ride” with “Mr. Teddy” and Millie on the Narcissus!

 My historical fiction "Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride" hit the trifecta in literary awards!

Gold Winner - 2020 Eric Hoffer Book Award
Bronze Winner - 2020 Moonbeam Children's Book Award
Silver Winner - 2019 eLit Award

 AWARD NEWS!

I feel blessed to announce that my two recent books received some wonderful news over the past few months:

The Canoe Maker, David Moses Bridges, Passamaquoddy Birch Bark Artisan, was a finalist in the 2020 Maine Literary Awards. Additionally, Maine Humanities Council purchased a number of copies to distribute to elementary school teachers throughout Maine!

Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride was announced nationally as the 2020 Eric Hoffer Gold Book Award Winner in the Middle Reader category! The book was also listed as a Notable Book with Blueink Reviews, a starred review to about 5% of all books reviewed each year. And lastly, it was a Silver Award winner in the Transportation category for the eLit Book Awards.

Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant RideComing

Coming out this fall, my new historical fiction Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. Former President Theodore Roosevelt twice rode on an electric trolley that ran between Lewiston and Portland, Maine. The Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport is restoring the Narcissus, the only remaining trolley from this run--historical records show that while on the Narcissus, Roosevelt accepted a bouquet of sweet peas from a young farm girl. I was commissioned by the Museum to create a middle-grade novel around this event. Following is the short summary that will be on the back cover, including the two blurbs:
   
     

In 1911, young Millie Thayer witnesses the building of a rail line passing through the back pasture of her family’s farm in Gray, Maine. Electric trolleys that will run from Portland to Lewiston capture Millie’s imagination and dreams of faraway places. A chance encounter with a gypsy who sees the future sets Millie on a path that intersects with former president Theodore Roosevelt and his trolley ride on the new Narcissus as it passes through her town. Millie’s fascination with “Mr. Teddy” and her childhood fantasies guide her actions for the next few years. Ultimately, Millie is faced with one of life’s harsh realities that casts a shadow on her dreams. In a moving twist, her answer comes in an unexpected place.

BACK COVER BLURBS:

As she’s done in her previous books, Jean Flahive expertly rolls back the years, bringing us back to the arrival of interurban rail service in small-town Maine. These “electric traveling machines” change young Millie’s life forever, opening up new worlds of possibility. She visits the city, rides with suffragettes, and even meets Theodore Roosevelt. An eye-opening and entertaining ride—you won't want the train to stop! Highly recommended.

Andrew Vietze, award-winning author of Becoming Teddy Roosevelt.

As the great-granddaughter and current holder of the legacy of Sewall House, the history of TR’s friendship with William Sewall held within its walls, the chapters that include the story of their friendship is beautifully woven into the touching story of the girl with the flowers, reflecting both their friendship and my great-grandfather’s temperament as guide and mentor.

        Donna Sewall Davidge, Sewall House, Island Falls, Maine

From Islandport Press

South Portland author to write new picture book with Islandport Press

02/01/2017

Islandport Press is pleased to announce that it has signed South Portland author Jean Flahive and will publish her children’s picture book, The Old Mainer and the Sea, in October.

In the book, written for children between the ages of four and eight, Eben goes out fishing one day, rowing six miles from his island home toward the harbor on the mainland, hauling in cod as he goes. However, before he finishes his journey, a porpoise tangles his lines, fog rolls in, and an accident leads to a broken oar. Lonely, tired, and adrift, Eben is almost ready to give in to the embrace of the sea, when rescue comes in an unexpected form. The Old Mainer and the Sea is an allegorical tale about the circular nature of hope and deliverance.
“The background for the story is based on research the author collected about fishermen who hauled hand lines between Chebeague Island and Portland in the late 1800s,” said Islandport Press children’s book editor Melissa Kim, “which gives the book great authenticity. I was drawn to this because it has all the makings of a classic story—emotion, tension, and adventure—that children will ask for again and again.”

Jean Flahive has a passion for shedding light on lesser known pieces of Maine history, blending historical realities with works of fiction. She is co-author of two children’s picture books, Remember Me, Tomah Joseph’s Gift to Franklin Roosevelt, which won a 2009 Moonbeam Gold Award, and The Galloping Horses of Willowbrook. She is also the author of two books of young adult historical fiction, including Billy Boy, the Sunday Soldier of the 17th Maine, which was published by Islandport Press in 2007. She and her husband live in South Portland.

A new children's book coming this fall!

I am hopeful that my new children's book, The Old Mainer and the Sea, published by Islandport Press, will be out this September! While it is a fictional tale of a day at sea, I was inspired by a friend's grandfather, who rowed his dory several days a week from Chebeague Island to Portland harbor to sell his catch, a remarkable round-trip journey of 12 miles.

I regret to announce that copies of The Galloping Horses of Willowbrook will not be available for an undetermined period of time. Willowbrook Village Museum, which housed the 1894 carousel, has closed permanently. Fortunately, the 1894 carousel will remain in Maine under the ownership of the Curran Living History Farm & Museum in Orrington. When the carousel is ultimately relocated to its new home, we will reprint our little book with a few changes!