Books with author Erica M. Elliott

Bank Street College Best Book of the Year (Historical Fiction, 2019)Drawing from historical journals and letters, New York Times bestselling author Laura Elliot weaves a richly detailed tale about the extraordinary Peggy Schuyler and her revolutionary friendship with Alexander Hamilton. Perfect for fans of the smash Broadway musical sensation Hamilton.Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she s existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and beautiful, sweet Eliza. But it s in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, friends and family. When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, and the danger to all their lives is real.Everything is a battlefield from the frontlines to their carefully coded letters but will Peggy s bravery s and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe?*2018 Grateful American Book Prize Honorable Mention*

March 1945World War II may be ending, but for nineteen-year-old pilot Henry Forester the conflict still rages. Shot down behind enemy lines in France, Henry endured a dangerous trek to freedom, relying on the heroism of civilians and Resistance fighters to stay alive. But back home in Virginia, Henry is still reliving air battles with Hitler's Luftwaffe and his torture by the Gestapo. Mostly, Henry can't stop worrying about the safety of those who helped him escape—especially one French boy, Pierre, who, because of Henry, may have lost everything.When Henry returns to France to find Pierre, he is stunned by the brutal after-math of combat: starvation, cities shattered by Allied bombing, and the shocking return of concentration camp survivors. Amid the rubble of war, Henry must begin a daring search for a lost boy—plus a fight to regain his own internal peace and the trust of the girl he loves.L. M. Elliott's sequel to Under a War-Torn Sky is an astonishing account of surviving the fallout from war.

While reading Island of the Blue Dolphins at school and learning about the real woman stranded on San Nicolás Island, ten-year-old Tíshmal begins writing emails to “Miss Karana” in hopes of talking to her spirit. When she arrived on the mainland of Southern California, Miss Karana spoke a language that no one could understand even back then, and all that remains is a recording of the song she sang when she was found on the island. Tíshmal realizes that some of the words sound very similar to Chamtéela (Luiseño), the language spoken on her reservation. As she writes to Miss Karana, Tíshmal becomes more and more resolved to understand the lone woman's song. The only person able to help her is a grouchy great uncle, Wéh Powéeya (“two tongues”), the last living person fluent in the language of their ancestors from the belly button of the ocean: the islands including San Nicolás. Together, Tíshmal and Wéh Powéeya must discover what the lone woman said long ago in order to help her spirit finish the journey West.First written in Chamtéela and developed in accordance with fourth grade Common Core State Standards, Dear Miss Karana tells a compelling story of family, determination, and cultural perseverance.

Research scientists Mike Elmwood and Jacob Shields are on the verge of inventing a method for time travel when the U.S. government gets a tip off about their research. The two scientists make a break through in time travel, only to discover they are not the only ones to achieve time travel. An Environmental Protection Agency recruits the two researchers to investigate a time travel experiment that went awry by the government seventy years ago. The mission is to observe and report on what really occurred during history. Jacob and Mike must stay one step ahead of government officials as they travel back in time in order to save themselves; leading them to the real reason behind the Presidential Campaign of 2017. Traveling in time results in dangerous consequences when a Nikola Tesla design is given to Henry Ford, resulting in Mike Elmwood's decision that may alter the fate of his fiancée's late military father. Which could alter the life Mike had built with his fiancée and ultimately to the decision to interfere with the car accident that led to the untimely death of Mike's mother three decades ago. Mike and Jacob realize how far one may go in order to keep true love alive and bring back the mother that died thirty years before.

The civil war has broken out, and Annie Sinclair's Virginia home, Hickory Heights, is right in the line of battle. Caught up in the rising conflict, Annie and her mother tend to wounded soldiers while Annie's older brother, Laurence, enlists in the Confederate cavalry under Jeb Stuart. Even Annie's rambunctious baby brother, Jamie, joins John Mosby, the notorious "Gray Ghost." Faced with invading armies, Annie is compelled into a riskier role to protect her family and farm. She conceals Confederate soldiers and warns Southern commanders of Union traps, and the flamboyant Jeb Stuart dubs her "Lady Liberty." Annie's loyalty is clear until a wounded Union officer is dragged onto her porch. Saved from a bullet by a volume of Keats' poetry he keeps in his pocket, Thomas Walker startles Annie with his love of verse. After several chance encounters, Annie is surprised by her growing interest in the dark-eyed Northerner as they connect through a shared passion for poetry. As the war rages on, Annie begins to question some of the values driving Virginia's involvement. Then tragedy befalls Hickory Heights, and Annie becomes the subject of a shocking accusation. She must confront the largest quandary of all: choosing her own course. L. M. Elliott crafts a stirring novel that carries readers from the Manassas battlefield to fancy-dress balls to the burning of the Shenandoah Valley while capturing the tenacious spirit of a young heroine facing an extraordinary, complex time in American history.

In a world ruled by the dark, what would you do to see the light again?Galena is just like every other elf, enslaved by the powerful Rau. Once a beautiful and powerful race, the elves have been reduced to slave labor in the mines of Rau. Galena grew up hearing the stories of old about a sword, when wielded by the right elf, ending Rau’s tyranny. Unsure if she believes these stories, she finds herself plunged into a world unfamiliar to her, hunted by Rau for her unnatural magical abilities. Will she find the sword promised to her people? Or will she fall prey to the idea of a sword that doesn’t exist?THE SWORD OF LUMINA#1 - Mira's View#2 - Mira's Hope#3 - Mira's Last

Galena has recovered the Sword of Lumina and now she has to race to find her brother, the leader of the elf army, to aide him in battle against Rau’s forces. Together, they push the enemy back until they find themselves facing Blackwell and every dark creature imaginable, including Rau himself. Galena uses all the magic she possesses battling creatures never before seen until she finds herself face to face with the one who has ruled the elven nation for far too long. In a battle of light versus dark, Galena proves why she is Mira’s Last.

Restored to life, Galena finds herself in a world with which she is unfamiliar. The chains of Rau having been removed, Galena’s magic is unchecked and Rau knows it. In a desperate race to retrieve the Sword of Lumina after Mira reveals her hiding place, Galena is plagued with self-doubt and a fear of what’s to come. Not to mention that her brother Tark decides to stay behind after battling torlics in search of them, to train an army of elves should Galena survive the dreaded cave. Will Galena survive her worst fears, or will Mira’s hope lie with another?MIRA'S HOPE is book two of the SWORD OF LUMINA series. Don't miss MIRA'S VIEW, book one.Coming 2015, MIRA'S VIEW, book three.

When Henry Forester is shot down during a bombing run over France, the World War II pilot finds himself trapped behind enemy lines. In constant danger of discovery by German soldiers, Henry begins a remarkable journey to greedom. Relying on the kind ness of strangers, Henry moves from town to town--traveling by moonlight, never asking questions, or even the names of the people who help him along the way. Through his journey, Henry gains an understanding of the French and their struggle; and of his own place in a war that will change the face of Europe forever.

For thirteen–year–old Nathaniel, an indentured servant in colonial Virginia, life is hard. Though things improve with the help of a kind master named Basil–who shares music, books, and philosophies on equality–around him the climate is heating up. It's 1775 and colonists are enraged by England's taxation. Patrick Henry's words "give me liberty, or give me death" become the sounding call and the American Revolution is about to errupt. Nathaniel and Basil must make a choice about joining the fight and face a larger conundrum about the true meaning of liberty. L. M. Elliott crafts a stirring narrative for middle grade readers–conveying the hopes and dilemmas of this crucial era in American history.