Petals in the Ashes - Hardcover

Grade 6-10–After surviving the plague in London and using health certificates belonging to others, Hannah and her older sister Sarah manage to escape the city and take the baby of a noblewoman to her aunt. However, the anticipated warm welcome is not forthcoming, and the girls are quarantined in a pestilence house for 40 days to make sure that they are free of infection. When their good health is finally proven, they return home to Chertsey before returning to their sweetmeats shop in London. When Sarah decides to remain at home, Hannah returns to London with her younger sister Anne. Shortly thereafter, the Great Fire breaks out. In this sequel to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum (Bloomsbury, 2003), the chaos, terror, uncertainty, and horror of that tragedy are vividly portrayed. Hannah is a determined, sensitive, well-drawn heroine who deals courageously with the disaster. Hooper weaves an engrossing, fast-paced tale steeped in historical detail. Though it seems a bit too convenient when Hannah finds Tom, the boy she is fond of and who supposedly perished in the plague, this subplot simply adds another absorbing dimension to the story. This is exemplary historical fiction, skillfully combining reality and imagination. Quotes from Samuel Pepys's diary introduce each chapter, giving an even greater tone of authenticity.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
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