If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. Rudyard Kipling
Interested in more Canadian novels for kids about the immigrant experience? Check out 49th Shelf!
WALTRAUT, my middle grade novel —inspired by my childhood heroine, Nancy Drew— with Heritage House is now available along with a study/discussion guide. I'd be thrilled to join your class or book club to talk about the book.
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| Waltraut has arrived at Mcnally Robinson's |
Trailer for Waltraut from Heritage House
Some Good News about Waltraut
Grateful to see Waltraut included in 49thshelf book list for newcomers!
https://kids.49thshelf.com/Blog/2025/02/27/Welcoming-newcomer-students-to-your-classroom
Thank you to My Bursting Bookbag on Instagram for Waltraut's new review! Much appreciated!
Waltraut 's included in 49th Shelf, Fall, 2024 Top Grade's video promo for middle grade readers.
Waltraut has a 'postcard' review in the new issue of Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature. (Thanks to Dr. Mateusz Swietlicki from Wrocław, Poland.)
Grateful to Helen Norrie, children's book reviewer at the Winnipeg Free Press. In Nov. 16th's paper, she calls Waltraut a "thoughtful mid-level novel that will resonate with anyone who has trouble fitting into a new situation."
Check out a recent post on Kristin Butcher's blog to gain insight into how other Canadian authors approach writing historical fiction for children.
Waltraut's included in CBC's fall kids' book list. Such a thrill!
Now available at McNally Robinson or your own favourite bookstore.
If you read the book and like it ... please share a review on Goodreads. Writing a book is hard, getting a book published is harder, but the hardest part is getting it noticed. Thank you!
Links to media interviews:
“Gabriele Goldstone's highly readable novel takes place in post-World War Two Winnipeg. Her main character, Waltraut, is so interesting and young readers will identify with her struggle to find her place in this world.”
—Deborah Ellis, author of One More Mountain and The Breadwinner Trilogy
“This uplifting story will resonate with every reader who has been judged or bullied because of someone else's prejudice. I love all of Gabriele Goldstone's books, but Waltraut is my favourite.”
—Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, author of Making Bombs for Hitler
“An exuberant, unflinching, beautifully crafted novel about family, community, and the costly imprint of history. Readers will plunge in with irrepressible, imperfect, wise Wali, as she learns what it is to be human while growing into who she is. Wali asks, 'Can an immigrant girl become a hero in her own story?' Yes, she definitely can.”
—Sara Cassidy, award-winning author of Nevers
“Gabriele Goldstone brilliantly captures 11-year-old Waltraut’s voice and the complex balancing act that is her life. Straddling two cultures in the post-war era, Waltraut navigates school, friendships, and adult relationships, seeking acceptance while trying to establish her identity and pinpoint her own beliefs. Her journey is compelling, heartwarming and thought-provoking. A highly recommended, five-star read.”
—Larry Verstraete, award-winning author of Coop the Great and Coop for Keeps
“Waltraut knows how important small things are for overcoming big problems. Poverty and prejudice don’t stand a chance against family, friends, and Nancy Drew. The narrowness of the 1960s comes across clearly in this close-focus character study.”
—Richard Scrimger, author of Your Story Matters
“A powerful story written with honesty and compassion. Immigrant and refugee children will be able to identify and be inspired by Waltraut’s challenges during her quest to fit in and to find out who she really is. An important story for anyone interested in learning about families new to Canada.”
—Martha Attema, author of When the Dikes Breached
“Gabriele Goldstone’s signature writing style, rich with sensory and historical detail, is at its best in this achingly honest portrayal of a young girl’s life in 1960s Winnipeg. It will resonate deeply with adults who lived through the decade and thoughtfully engage young readers eager to learn more about the past.”
—MaryLou Driedger, bestselling author of Lost on the Prairie and Sixties Girl
""Waltraut" is a captivating story about an inquisitive ten-year-old daughter of immigrants who desperately wants to belong somewhere but is constantly positioned as the Other. Readers familiar with Goldstone's other books will for sure appreciate the mentions of themes introduced in the "Red Stone" series, while fans of Nancy Drew will find "Waltraut"'s intertextual elements especially appealing."
—Mateusz Swietlicki, Assistant Professor at the University of Wroclaw's Institute of English Studies. Author of Next-Generation Memory and Ukrainian Canadian Children's Historical Fiction: The Seeds of Memory
Stories, like bread, are better when shared.
I'd be happy to visit your classroom, book club, or seniors' group to facilitate conversation around the consequences of war and why history matters. Check out my discussion guides for all my books to supplement your reading.
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| Ronsdale Press November, 2022 |
From East Prussian Refugee to Soviet Starosta January, 1945
Katya's attempt to flee the Red Army fails and she's dragged 2800 kilometres east to a coal mine in the Ural Mountains.
Thanks to the cover designer, Julie Cochrane, for including my mother's POW release paper on the cover.
REVIEWS
* A CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre) Best Books' selection, Spring, 2023
* youngadulting.ca: "I appreciated every moment of Katya’s experience and learned a great deal along her journey of the Second World War."
* 49th Shelf, Top Grade Pick for Winter, 2023, Young Adult.
* 5 Stars and "Highly Recommended" in CM Review, January 27, 2023
* "An engaging story from the start ..." in BookList . (American Library Association)
* "Difficult, harsh, and worthy of attention." Kirkus Reviews.
* "A story of resilience and survival... unique perspective...indelible images." Barbara Nickel, BC & Yukon Book Prize recipient & author of Dear Peter, Dear Ulla
I'm immensely grateful to Dr. Mateusz Swietlicki, (link to his lecture at the HREC - Holodomor Research & Education Consortium). As Assistant Professor at the University of Wrocław's Institute of English Studies and Director of the Center for Young People's Literature, Dr. Swietlicki includes these novels in his study of children's Ukrainian history alongside a wide swath of Canadian authors. His textbook— Next-Generation Memory and Ukrainian Canadian Children's Historical Fiction: The Seeds of History—encourages storytellers to keep listening and to keep sharing through the power of story.
Dr. Swietlicki's contribution to the textbook Land Deep in Time, Canadian Historiographic Ethnofiction, devotes a chapter to homelessness as experienced in my family-inspired novels.
Crow Stone's launch (13.01.23) featured a conversation with my oldest daughter, focusing on the dynamics & value of family history. Available on McNally Robinson's YouTube link.
Thank you to McNally Robinson for giving local bookworms a welcoming community & thank you to those who attended, in person and online.
Here's a link to my part in this YA author conversation.
Visit Ronsdale's Youtube channel to preview more of their recent historical releases.
to the Brock House Society in Vancouver, BC, for letting me share Katya's story as part of their Esther Birney lecture series in time for Remembrance Day and to Canada Council for their financial support in helping writers share their stories.
Thanks to those who attended by BookChat with the MANITOBA WRITERS' GUILD ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12.2023.
Good conversation!
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| Ronsdale Press, July, 2021 |
Tainted Amber - third book in my series exploring the tumultuous life of my mom during the Stalin and Nazi years. It's 1937 and Katya is now 18, working as a maid in rural East Prussia.
Being young and in love can be a wonderful thing but in 1937, in the Third Reich, it's all about genetics not romance.
Order here or at your own favourite bookstore.
REVIEWS
- Gold Moonbeam Award for YA historical fiction. Fall, 2022.
- 4 Stars and "Highly Recommended" in CM Review. April, 2022.
- A CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre), Best Books' selection. Spring, 2022.
- "Goldstone deftly plunges the reader into a past when Hitler's ideas seemed new and fresh. A timely read." Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, multi-award- winning of author of historical fiction.
For a taste of the book, here's a link to Made in Manitoba Book Jam hosted by Anita Daher. My reading starts at about the 23 minute mark.
Here's an interview I did with nfreads.com
Recording of July, 2021 launch available on YouTube. Thanks to Jodi Carmichael who interviewed me. Grateful to McNally Robinson Booksellers for hosting the event. Thank you to all who attended!
