Deze auteur verwierf faam met haar meeslepende historische romans voor jonge lezers. Haar werken kenmerken zich door een diepe duik in het verleden, waarbij ze historische figuren en gebeurtenissen tot leven brengt met oog voor periodekenmerken en psychologische diepgang. Hoewel haar verhalen zich in het verleden afspelen, resoneren ze met universele thema's als familie, moed en de zoektocht naar identiteit, wat ze tijdloos maakt. Haar vermogen om lezers mee te nemen naar andere tijden en culturen is meesterlijk en vestigt haar status als een invloedrijk figuur in de kinderliteratuur.
Set against the backdrop of Roman-occupied Judea, the story follows Daniel bar Jamin, a young man driven by a fierce desire for vengeance after his father's murder. As he navigates the complexities of loyalty, friendship, and resistance, Daniel becomes entangled with a group of zealots fighting against Roman oppression. The novel explores themes of sacrifice, the struggle for freedom, and the moral dilemmas faced in the pursuit of justice.
Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit's friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty. Elizabeth George Speare won the 1959 Newbery Medal for this portrayal of a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.
Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills. Until the day his father returns to their cabinnbsp in the Maine wilderness, twelve-year-old Matt must try to survive on his own. Although Matt is brave he's not prepared for an attack by swarming bees and he's astonished when he's rescued by an Indiann chief and his grandson, Attean. As the oys come to know each other Attean learns to speak English while Matt becomes a skilled hunter. Though many months have passed, there's no sign of Matt's family. Then Attean asks Matt to join the Beaver tribe and move north. Should Matt abandon his hopes of ever seeing his family again and move on to a new life?
When the body of England's leading batsman, Kenneth Fleming, is discovered in the burnt-out shell of a country cottage, it looks like a clear-cut case of arson. Further investigation reveals an almost embarrassing multitude of suspects for murder: from Fleming's lover to his son, nearly everyone in contact with Fleming seems to have a motive - and an opportunity. Inspector Lynley and his partner, Barbara Havers, are called in from Scotland Yard to help the local police force. They find a torment of twisted familial relationships and broken dreams - and as he brings the murderer to justice, Lynley must bear the weight of his own conscience.
Author's style compared to P. D. James and Ruth Rendell.