Jane Austen is by no doubt one of the most remarkable and most widely read novelists in English literature. How much do you know about her, besides her best-selling books? You may quench your curiosity by reading A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Found Her Voice, Jasmine A. Stirling's debut children's picture book, set to come out by the end of March, also known as Women's History Month. Learn more about this fascinating book and enter to win a wonderful prize pack filled with Jane Austen-themed goodies!
My Review:
A Most Clever Girl is an informative and insightful biography that follows Jane Austen's life as she grew from a fledgling writer into a famous one, well distinguished by her unique writing style and portrait of strong women. The book started with Jane's love for stories and her attempts to satirize the then mainstream novels by writing her own, which turned out to be quite entertaining for her big family. Blessed with an open-minded and supportive father, Jane, unlike most women in her time, not only had access to good education, but was also encouraged to write creatively.
Her carefree days came to an end however, when a series of unfortunate events occurred to her family, including the loss of her father. During the years when Jane had to struggle with financial hardships and emotional turmoil, she quit writing. Thankfully, Jane was able to reclaim her passion for writing after moving back to her hometown. More importantly, she finally found what had been missing from her early work - her own voice, which proved to the key to her success as the most beloved female writer of all times.
Written in refined language, the story cleverly blends in witty quotations from Jane Austen's work, such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. It feels as if Jane were still alive, recounting her own life story and providing insight into how her fictional characters were created. The story explores how Jane's life events, both happy and sad ones, had exerted a significant impact on her writing career. It shows that an artist's success takes so much more than talent. Time, space, experience, perseverance, courage, and challenges, could all play a part.
The book also excels in its beautiful, elegant illustrations that realistically reflect the lifestyle of Jane Austen's time, from attire to architecture. With a hand-drawn feel, the pictures are filled with details that help bring the characters to life while making it easier for the reader to get immersed in a story that took place centuries ago. I'd highly recommend this inspiring book as a primer for anyone interested in learning more about Jane Austen.
About the Book:
A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Found Her Voice
Written by Jasmine A. Stirling
Illustrated by Vesper Stamper
Ages 4-12 | 48 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books | ISBN-13: 978-1547601103
Witty and mischievous Jane Austen grew up in a house overflowing with words. As a young girl, she delighted in making her family laugh with tales that poked fun at the popular novels of her time, stories that featured fragile ladies and ridiculous plots. Before long, Jane was writing her own stories-uproariously funny ones, using all the details of her life in a country village as inspiration.
In times of joy, Jane’s words burst from her pen. But after facing sorrow and loss, she wondered if she’d ever write again. Jane realized her writing would not be truly her own until she found her unique voice. She didn’t know it then, but that voice would go on to capture readers’ hearts and minds for generations to come.
Order your copy: Amazon | Bookshop
About the Author
Jasmine A. Stirling is the debut author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, a picture book biography of Jane Austen about persistence and creative mastery. Jasmine lives on a cheerful street in San Francisco with her husband, two daughters, and their dog. From a young age, she loved to write poems and stories and worked her way through nearly every children’s book (and quite a few for grownups, too) in her local library. When she’s not writing, Jasmine can be found hiking in the fog, singing songs from old musicals, and fiddling with her camera.
Jasmine first fell in love with Jane Austen as a student at Oxford, where she read her favorite of Jane’s six masterful novels, Persuasion. A Most Clever Girl is her dream project, done with her dream team—award-winning illustrator Vesper Stamper and Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing. Jasmine also has a YA/New Adult history of the women's suffrage movement out soon, titled We Demand An Equal Voice.
Visit www.jasmineastirling.com to get a free Jane Austen paper doll kit with the purchase of A Most Clever Girl. While you're there, enter to win a Regency tea party gift basket!
Follow Jasmine on Instagram and Facebook where she posts about kidlit and life with two young girls.
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
One lucky grand prize winner will receive a glorious Jane Austen-themed picnic basket!
The prize pack includes:
- A picnic basket filled with:
- A copy of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, signed by author Jasmine A. Stirling
- A vintage teacup
- 1 oz of tea From Adagio Teas
- Truffles from Moonstruck Chocolates
- Gardenia hand cream
- A set of Jane Austen playing cards
- A $15 gift certificate to Jasmine A. Stirling’s Austenite Etsy Shop, Box Hill Goods
Two first prize winners will each receive an autographed copy of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice!
Giveaway ends 4/16. Open to US 13+ only. Please enter below. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Jasmine A. Stirling. All views and opinions expressed are my own. icefairy's Treasure Chest is not responsible for winner selection or prize fulfillment.
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