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Coming of Age... In a Hospital Bed
by Martha Brooks
On the prairies of Canada during World War II, a girl and her two young siblings begin a war of their own. Stricken with tuberculosis, they are admitted to a nearby sanatorium. Teenager Marie Claire is headstrong, angry, and full of stubborn pride. In a new strange land of TB exiles she must "chase the cure," seek privacy where there is none, and witness the slow wasting decline of others. But in this moving novel about fighting a way back to normal life, it is the thing that sets back Marie Claire the most - the demise of her little brother - that also connects her with the person who will be instrumental in helping her recover.
"Overall, this is an interesting piece of historical fiction that is recommended for school and public libraries. The lack of controversial subject matter makes it appropriate for all ages." - VOYA
"Starred Review. It's a testament to Brooks's fine and empathetic writing that she's able to bring vividly and compassionately to life the parallel/alternate world of what Marie Claire calls 'TB exiles' and create an emotionally rich, stirring story about loss, friendship, love and healing." - Kirkus Reviews
"Brooks's (Mistik Lake) premise may not instantly click with readers, but they will sympathize with the book's prickly heroine, who feels as though 'my world as a normal person has just ended.'" - Publishers Weekly
"Brooks masterfully re-creates a TB sanatorium through the protagonist's experience and believable characters. A well-drawn, innocent, yet compelling work of historical fiction." - School Library Journal
This information about Queen of Hearts was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Canadian author Martha Brooks has penned award-winning short stories and several powerful novels for young readers, as well as several plays, all of which deal with the universal themes of love and loss. Her first collection of short stories, Paradise Cafe and Other Stories, was nominated for the prestigious Governor General's Award for Children's Literature in Canada, and in 2002, her young adult novel True Confessions of a Heartless Girl won the Governor General's Award for English Language Children's Literature.
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