Fire on the Hillside

This book is about the events leading to the Battle of Gonzales, which was the first conflict in the Texas war of independence from Mexico (October 2, 1835).I started reading this book to my daughters (ages 7 and 9) after dinner one evening, and we didn't put it down until bedtime more than 50 pages later. They didn't want me to stop reading, and I didn't want to stop either. The characters felt like real people, the story was involving, and just like the people of the times, we didn't know what would happen next.Melinda Rice gives the reader a Texan's-eye-view of the looming war with Mexico by putting us in the perspective of an 11-year-old girl whose older brothers sympathize with different sides in the conflict. The characters and story have an authentic feel throughout -- I've been to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum many times, and I found myself reading this book using the same breathy accent used by the historical speakers in their video exhibits. Rice did an excellent job of bringing the reader into history as it happens and making past events feel like they're unfolding around us.At the end of the book there is a short historical section that gives additional information about the Battle of Gonzales.The book should be a comfortable read for fourth graders, except for some place and people names.

The unique and historically accurate Lone Star Heroines trilogy by Melinda Rice brings real events in Texas history to life as it shows young readers how girls living at different eras experienced and contributed to dramatic events. In Messenger On The Battlefield (1556227884, [price]) is set in 1835 when 11-year-old Isabelina Montoya is happy to hear that her older sister has accepted the marriage proposal of a handsome Mexican solder. But when Texas goes to war against Mexico, dividing Isabelina's family, a decision must be made as to whether they should remain true to their Mexican heritage or fight for their new Texas homeland! Fire On The Hillside (1556227892, [price]) is set in the spring of 1847 and finds 13-year-old Katherine Haufmann arriving from Fredericksburg, Texas with her family as immigrants from Germany. As she struggles to get used to her new home, Katherine becomes intrigued by the mysterious fires that start appearing in the nearby hills. While the rest of the townsfolk focus on peace talks with the Comanche, Katherine decides to discover the cause of those mysterious fires. Secrets In The Sky (1556227876, [price]) is set in 1943 as World War Two is raging overseas. 12-year-old Bethany Parker lives in Sweetwater, Texas, when the Women Air Force Service Pilots come to town. When one of the women dies during a training flight, Bethany is convinced the mysterious crash was the work of a Nazi spy -- and sets out to prove it! The Lone Star Heroines is an outstanding and very highly recommended series of historical novels for young readers that are each enhanced with a "Sources" bibliography for the further study and more detailed study of Texas history.

The unique and historically accurate Lone Star Heroines trilogy by Melinda Rice brings real events in Texas history to life as it shows young readers how girls living at different eras experienced and contributed to dramatic events. In Messenger On The Battlefield (1556227884, ...) is set in 1835 when 11-year-old Isabelina Montoya is happy to hear that her older sister has accepted the marriage proposal of a handsome Mexican solder. But when Texas goes to war against Mexico, dividing Isabelina's family, a decision must be made as to whether they should remain true to their Mexican heritage or fight for their new Texas homeland! Fire On The Hillside (1556227892, ...) is set in the spring of 1847 and finds 13-year-old Katherine Haufmann arriving from Fredericksburg, Texas with her family as immigrants from Germany. As she struggles to get used to her new home, Katherine becomes intrigued by the mysterious fires that start appearing in the nearby hills. While the rest of the townsfolk focus on peace talks with the Comanche, Katherine decides to discover the cause of those mysterious fires. Secrets In The Sky (1556227876, ...) is set in 1943 as World War Two is raging overseas. 12-year-old Bethany Parker lives in Sweetwater, Texas, when the Women Air Force Service Pilots come to town. When one of the women dies during a training flight, Bethany is convinced the mysterious crash was the work of a Nazi spy -- and sets out to prove it! The Lone Star Heroines is an outstanding and very highly recommended series of historical novels for young readers that are each enhanced with a "Sources" bibliography for the further study and more detailed study of Texas history.

Eleven-year-old Isabel Montoya lives with her family on a ranch near Gonzales, Texas, in 1835. Isabel feels as if everything in her life is changing. Her older sister has left home after marrying a Mexican soldier, and the family is divided over the conflict between Texas and Mexico, with Isabel's two older brother on opposing sides while Isabel and her parents struggle to remain neutral. When her brothers run away from home - Joaquin to join the Texans, and Alonso to join the Mexicans - the family is devastated. And when Isabel's father is shot and may be dying, Isabel knows it is up to her to reunited her fragmented family - before it's too late. This was a wonderful novel about a young girl caught up in the beginnings of the Texas Revolution. I wish, however, that the book had been a little longer, and that the ending was less open.

The year is 1847, and thirteen-year-old Katherine Haufmann lives with her family in Fredricksburg, Texas. The Haufmanns and their neighbors are immigrants from Germany who founded the town the year before. Even though she has been in Texas a year, Katherine still thinks of Germany as her home, and longs to return. After her father joins a peacemaking expedition to the Comanche Indians, Katherine and the other residents of Fredricksburg notice strange fires on the hillside outside of town, that appear each evening at dark in the same exact two places and last until dawn. With fear rising of a possible attack, either by the Comanche or by bitter Americans who feel the Germans have stolen their land, Katherine takes it open herself to find the origin of the mysterious fires - and puts herself in far greater danger than she ever could have imagined. Based on real events in Fredricksburg, Texas, in the spring of 1847, this is the story of a spunky and courageous young girl who, in her quest for the truth, finds that her home is where she least imagined it being.