Silver Rain

Recognition ~ Reviews ~ Resources ~ Photos


Release Date: Oct. 2010, Orca Book Publishers

ISBN: 9781554692804

Abandoned by her father during the Depression, eleven-year-old Elsie lives in the garage behind her old house with her mother, grandmother and out-of-work uncle. Elsie’s friend Ernest accompanies her as she searches for her father in the city, encountering unfriendly hoboes, food lines and shanty towns.

After both her uncle and her mother disappear as well, Elsie and Ernest spend their time trying to get the “scoop” on a story about a local dance marathon, where Elsie finds joy, even as she witnesses despair.

 

10% of author royalties from this book go to South Fraser Women's Centre

RECOGNITION FOR SILVER RAIN

REVIEWS

Puget Sound Council for Reviewing Children's Media February 2011

Elsie's situation is well written enough to give you heartache...The historical points are well research[ed] and the exploitive dance marathons found during the depression are highlighted, which is an interesting and lesser known situation to learn about. A solid book.

Fern Folio Blog March, 2011

"Written by Lois Peterson, author of the stirring Ballad of Knuckles McGraw, Silver Rain is the story of Elsie, a young girl whose family has been rocked but, ultimately, not defeated by financial ruin and its attendant shame.  It is a story of strength and courage, of patience and fortitude, in the face of unrelenting hardship, one that is sure to speak to readers from Grade 4 up. Read the full review here.
 

Vancouver Sun February 2011

"The difficult, rending circumstances of her young protagonist is neither sentimentalized nor melodramatic, but believably and movingly depicted and eased by gentle humour. Peterson captures the intricacies of the situation, and of human nature, child and adult alike, with clarity and depth... Young readers will be right there alongside Elsie as Peterson’s spare, fast-paced prose portrays her character and experience with intimacy and warmth." Read the full review here.

School Library Journal  January 2011

"The exploitative and cruel dance marathons of that era play a role in the story, too, as does a clergyman with an active social conscience. Despite the grim plot elements, this is a story of hope, and it is smoothly written... this is well-researched historical fiction with a sympathetic main character." Read the full review here.

Booklist November 2010

"Terse, grim, and funny, the plainspoken narrative from Elsie’s viewpoint beautifully conveys a child’s sense of the times, as her search for her father takes her from the rough local shantytown to the dance marathon, where people compete for days until they drop, just for the chance to earn a few dollars.
     The surprises are never melodramatic, even as they build to an ending that reveals what despair can force the desperate to do." Read the full review here.

Kirkus

"The search for family and relationships in tough times rings true…
An absorbing and perceptive story." Read the full review here.

Quill & Quire

"The novel's younger characters are authentic ... allow Peterson to explore the effects of the Depression on families and the notion of childhood. Well-selected period details give the book shape and depth."

CM Magazine

"Themes of bleak hopelessness, destitution, and helplessness permeate this gritty, true-to-life story of the 'Dirty Thirties.' It would be a solid addition to libraries… Recommended." Read the full review here.

CD Syndicated

"Silver Rain is They Shoot Horses, Don't They? for the tween set and it must be read… After you pick your jaw up from the floor, however, you'll find that this story feels wholly and respectfully authentic to its time period… Peterson gets the little, evocative details just right."

RESOURCES
Feel free to print out, copy and distribute

PHOTOS




Before I start writing, I often need a picture in my head of who I am writing about.

This picture, found in a book called Children of the Depression is how I imagined Elsie in SILVER RAIN.

What grabbed me about this picture? The look in her eyes - and her hat.

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