The Linden Tree

Author's Bio:

Ellie Mathews has been published in Cricket and Cicada Magazine. Her previous book, Ambassador to the Penguins (2003), is an adult, nonfiction book about her grandfather, the naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy. She won first place for short fiction at Peninsula College and was a finalist in the 1999 Writer's Digest contest. She has also won a grant for the Seattle Artists Program for Literary Artists and a fellowship for the Fishtrap Writers' Conference. In addition to her literary endeavors, Mathews won the 1998 Pillsbury Bake-Off. She is currently writing a book on her Bake-Off experience. Learn more at elliemathews.com.

Quotes:

“Readers will find a quiet tale in Port Townsend author Ellie Mathews' first children's book, The Linden Tree (Milkweed Editions, 195 pp., $16.95, ages 8-12). Ten-year-old narrator Katy Sue feels "like a broken doll" after her mother dies of meningitis in 1948. As life continues on their small Iowa farm, her family learns to cope with the sudden loss — and adjust to new ways, when their aunt comes to stay with them.” —Seattle Times

“Ellie Mathews moves slowly and goes deep.” —Chicago Tribune


“Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s colorful stories of pioneer life may also enjoy this interesting and poignant novel about an Iowa farmgirl whose mother dies unexpectedly of meningitis in 1948.” —Jean Westmoore, Buffalo News

“It's easy to see why Ellie Mathews' young adult novel The Linden Tree won the Milkweed prize for children's literature. Her story of 9-year-old Katy Sue and her family in the aftermath of their mother's death quietly moves the reader along without getting overly sentimental or dramatic, giving a picture-perfect view of farm life in the 1940s with all of the toil it entails.” —Port Townsend Leader

“Full of powerful imagery and truly lovely language, this is a book which will continue to leave an impression on mind of the reader long after the book has been finished and set on the shelf.” —Through the Looking Glass Review

“A gentle, life-affirming tale that deserves to be shared and discussed.” —Kliatt

“Woven into the gently moving story of the family’s grief and recovery is a loving portrait of the rhythms of farm life at mid-century . . . Anticipating a taste for Willa Cather, readers who enjoy Patricia MacLachlan, Ruth White, and L. M. Montgomery will find themselves happily at home here.” —Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books

“In her debut novel for youth, Mathews tells a timeless, heartfelt story of family, loss, and love, set on a small family farm in the 1940s. . . . Readers will enjoy the clear details of farm living, the genuine characters, and the strong family ties. Katy Sue and her family are immediately likeable, and the well-drawn characters add depth and texture to the story.” —Booklist

“In Mathews's first novel for children, the heartfelt voice of Katy Sue reveals a family rooted in love and a charming look back at the pastimes, foods, manners and morals of a half-century ago. For fans of Sarah, Plain and Tall. (Fiction. 8-12)” —Kirkus Reviews