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Children’s historical fiction, ages 9-12.
If you should visit the
Edwin Smith Historical Museum at the Athenaeum in Westfield,
Massachusetts, you might meet Deborah, a very special doll.
Her
story, which she’ll share with the other antique dolls every night at
midnight, that magical hour when the dolls wake up, began three hundred
years ago. Deborah, together with generations of girls who loved her,
saw—and sometimes took part in—many scenes from American history in her
little New England town.
Deborah can remember the terrible Indian
massacre at Deerfield in 1704, and the old Puritan settlement of
Westfield where little Mindwell played with her. She remembers Mercy
Ann, who was so frightened of the Hessians during the Revolutionary War.
She can even tell an exciting story about how she and her little mother
Martha saved some runaway slaves in the Underground Railroad.
Deborah
Remembers was based on many real local events and personalities from
New England history. Deborah’s long, rich, often poignant story, which
first delighted young readers in the 1950s and 60s, was created by
Westfield historian Lillie V. Albrecht. The tale now returns, with
annotations by Mrs. Albrecht’s granddaughter, author Susanne Alleyn, to
enthrall a whole new generation of readers. Deborah will captivate you
and touch your heart.