The Year We Sailed the Sun

April 27, 2015
Nelson's story of fiery, stubborn Julia Delaney ("She's a biter!" somebody warns early on) is set in St. Louis in the record-breaking cold winter of 1911â1912. After the grandmother who has been caring for Julia and her siblings dies, Julia and her older sister, Mary are sentâagainst Julia's zealous protestsâto the House of Mercy, an orphanage run by nuns; older brother Bill goes to the local priest's News Boys Home. While focusing on Julia's determined efforts to run away and reunite with Bill, Nelson (Earthshine) believably recreates the complex, dangerous world of Irish gang wars in St. Louis into which Bill and then Julia are drawn, as well as the era's Irish-Catholic milieu ruled by nuns, priests, and police officers. An endearing and high-spirited mute orphan, a gracious and compassionate society lady, and a fancy doll all play key roles in Julia's climactic adventure during the blizzard of 1912, which leads to an ending that seems too good to be true, until readers learn in a closing note that the story is based on the life of Nelson's mother-in-law. Ages 9â12.

January 1, 2015
Spitfire Julia Delaney is orphaned when her father dies in the gang-ridden Kerry Patch, an Irish neighborhood in 1911 St. Louis. Eleven-year-old Julia is quickly hauled off with her older sister, Mary, to the House of Mercy Industrial School and Girls' Home, while their older brother, Bill, goes with Father Dunne's boys. Julia immediately breaks records for escape attempts and waits for the sign Bill has promised, when they will run away together. She develops friendships despite herself, and she watches the gang war evolve through glimpses and rumors, coming to a clearer understanding of how and why her father died and who are the true heroes in her community. Julia's stubborn voice and limited perspective are evoked in Nelson's conversation-rich, first-person prose. A happy ending feels tacked on, though it is the only explanation for the otherwise incongruous prologue and cover image, but it's forgivable as the logical resting place for a story that is really about a character, her time and her place. Fans of historical fiction will find treasure here in a complex perspective that delivers both a satisfying arc and a desire to know more. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

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January 1, 2015

Gr 5-7-Fans of spirited heroines would do well not to judge this book by its cover. Instead, overlook the sweetly dressed girl running through a field on an idyllic day and crack open the book to get right to the feisty goodness on the inside. Julia is the youngest of three recently orphaned children. With no relations, save a heartless aunt not interested in adding three orphans to her financial burden, Julia and her sister Mary are sent off to the Sister's House of Mercy while brother Bill is off to the Priest's house with the rest of the orphan boys. Not one to let the formidable Sisters, or even the local gangsters, deter her, Julia doesn't plan on sticking around. She's hardened her heart against her enemies and even her friends. It's the only way she believes she can survive. She focuses on escaping with Mary, reuniting with Bill, and rebuilding her family. Unfortunately, things don't often turn out the way Julia wants. Multiple foiled escape plans, Mary's forced transfer, Bill's incarceration, a case of the measles, a deadly confrontation with two murderous thugs, and even the weather conspire against her. However, despite it all, things seem to turn out just as they should in the end. A collection of unique, memorable, three-dimensional secondary characters round out the cast and add depth and heart to a story already brimming with both. A warm, emotional tale to recommend to spunky kids everywhere.-Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2015
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Julia's grandmother was barely in the ground when the nuns arrived, one of them with a face like George Washington and the other like a pigeon with spectacles. In Kerry Patch, the crowded St. Louis slum bursting with Irish immigrants, 11-year-old Julia was now just one more orphan among many. Along with her older sister, Mary, Julia is taken to the House of Mercy orphanage, which promises a life choked with sacrifice and shame. But Julia will not submit quietly: escaping the orphanage and hopping trolley cars becomes her specialty. Through Julia's misadventures, Nelson introduces the frightening world of gang warfare and corruption that marked this early twentieth-century neighborhood. Julia's fierce and funny voice keeps readers engaged, whether she is smothering her laughter at an embarrassed opera singer or marching through a blizzard to give comfort to a friend. Grounded in plenty of research and packed with historical details, Julia's misadventures are based on the real life story of Nelson's mother-in-law, who lived in Kerry Patch and left for good in 1912. Middle-grade readers who enjoyed Kirby Larson's Hattie Big Sky (2006) or Jennifer L. Holm's The Trouble with May Amelia (2011) will adore this historical novel featuring a smart and spirited heroine.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)