Dear Readers,
Please welcome our good friend, Author Gayle C. Krause and join her in celebrating the people who served in the military. I think all of us have a family member, friend, or neighbor who has served our country. My own son is a proud Army Veteran and I am very proud of him and his service. If there someone you’d like to honor for their service, we would be honored to have you mention that person in the comments.
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| Author Gayle C. Krause |
The American Flag!
Our “Stars and Stripes” fly high on Veteran’s Day – in parades, in front of government buildings, in military cemeteries, and on citizen’s homes, much like the flag that flies in front of Betsy Ross’s house on Arch Street, in Philadelphia.
In the United States, Veterans Day celebrates the people who served our country in the military during times of war and peace. But serving our country did not originate with the conclusion of WWI, when Veteran’s Day was first celebrated. (November 11th, 1919). We could go back to The Revolutionary War to find people who served our country. And my main character, thirteen-year-old Perdy Rogers is one of them. In my story, it is she, not her employer, Betsy Ross, who created the first American flag.
Why can I do that? Didn’t we all learn that Betsy Ross made the first flag, the one with the thirteen stars in a circle? Well, yes we did. But unfortunately we now know that information has never been verified.
Mini-History Lesson Excuse me, but once a teacher, always a teacher!
Actually, George Washington, George Ross (Betsy’s husband’s uncle) and Robert Morris asked anyone who was able to sew, to design a flag for the U.S. Continental Army.
That included haberdashers (dealers in men’s clothing and sewing articles), tailors (clothes makers), mantuamakers (women’s dressmakers), seamstresses (women who sewed clothing or household items), and upholsterers. (people who designed and sewed furniture with coverings, stuffing, and springs, bed ticking and draperies)
So anyone who sewed could have designed the flag we know today as having thirteen stars in a circle and the thirteen red and white stripes, which both represented our colonies.
It wasn’t until 1870, almost 100 years after the Revolutionary War and 34 years after her death that Betsy Ross’ grandson, William J. Canby, presented a paper to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, claiming it was she who made the first flag. But he had only old family stories and no real proof. Even Betsy Ross never claimed to have made the flag, only the five-pointed star.
My interpretation of our country’s first flag is intertwined in Perdy Roger’s story---
Accused of being a Loyalist spy, she hunkers down in the upholstery shop and makes a lap quilt for her little sister, who falls ill after Perdy sneaks her out of the house on a damp night to help friends carry out an elopement for an older girl.
But the next day the girl, a milliner’s apprentice, is found drowned with coded spy letters in her bodice, gold coins sewn into her hems, and a hand-written journal implicating an unnamed sewing apprentice in Philadelphia as her accomplice. Suspicious eyes turn to Perdy.
But Perdy is no spy!
Today, our flag still has thirteen red and white stripes that represent the original colonies, but the stars, which represent our states, now number fifty.
TWICE BETRAYED is available on Amazon both as an e-book, a hard cover, or a paperback. http://amzn.to/2A5KN7K
Below, children can make their own American flag in honor of Veteran’s Day, or replicate the first American flag. All you need for either is a photo of the flag and…
Paper Flag – 1 piece 24” x 36” red construction paper.
-1 piece 24” x 36” white construction paper cut into 13/4” strips
-1 piece 9” x 12” blue construction paper
-1 package of gold foil sticky stars
Put flag together based on photo of the Colonial Flag
Ribbon Flag – 1 piece 9” x 12” blue felt
-1 embroidered stick’em stars
- 13 36” strips of red and white, lace, ribbons, fabric
-1 spring-loaded curtain rod
Doing something to celebrate Veterans Day with children is a great way to honor those who have kept our country safe. And reading TWICE BETRAYED together, might be a way to spur an interest in our American history.
Gayle C. Krause writes Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult novels. She’s an active member of SCBWI, KIDLIT INK, and a past member of 12 x 12, the Historical Novel Society and The Poets’ Garage. She serves on the Rhyming Revolution’s Best in Rhyme Committee, selecting the best national rhyming picture book for 2015-2017. She was assistant poetry editor for Underneath the Juniper Tree, a dark fantasy magazine for children. Her work has been nominated for the Boston Globe /Horn Book and The International Reading Association Award. A Master educator, she’s taught Children’s Literature at the secondary and post-secondary levels and offers critiques for children’s writers through First Peek Critique, found on her website: http://www.gayleckrause.com.
Twitter - @GeeCeeK
LitPick Book Review
By LitPick Student Book Reviews on May 13, 2017
Twice Betrayed is a wonderful, emotional, thrilling book full of romance, mystery, and excellent historical integrations.
Prudence Charlotte Rodgers, or Perdy, is a thirteen-year-old girl who is apprenticed to Miss Betty Ross at a sewing shop. Because of this annoying job, Perdy unfortunately almost never finds any time to hang out with her friends. So when Lizzie and Jane Ann come by asking if Perdy would like to help them with something, Perdy readily agrees to join in. However, when an innocent little escapade one night turns ugly the next day, Perdy’s life is turned upside down.
Now Perdy is being accused of aiding a British spy! She is isolated from her friends and is even called to court because of misleading evidence found in her bedroom. Betrayed by one friend, aided by another, and then betrayed again, will Perdy be found innocent or guilty? Can she restore her name?
Prudence Charlotte Rodgers, or Perdy, is a thirteen-year-old girl who is apprenticed to Miss Betty Ross at a sewing shop. Because of this annoying job, Perdy unfortunately almost never finds any time to hang out with her friends. So when Lizzie and Jane Ann come by asking if Perdy would like to help them with something, Perdy readily agrees to join in. However, when an innocent little escapade one night turns ugly the next day, Perdy’s life is turned upside down.
Now Perdy is being accused of aiding a British spy! She is isolated from her friends and is even called to court because of misleading evidence found in her bedroom. Betrayed by one friend, aided by another, and then betrayed again, will Perdy be found innocent or guilty? Can she restore her name?
Opinion:This story is brilliant as it easily relates to the reader’s emotional senses and the need for justice. As readers follow Perdy, the main character, through this mystery, they will find themselves being drawn into an effortless tale woven together by both myth and truth. While the readers are attempting to solve the mystery of who is the real traitor along with Perdy, they also learn about the very real threat that spies posed to the U.S. during the Revolutionary War. Twice Betrayed is a marvelous historical-fiction mystery book that any teenager will enjoy! Reviewed by a LitPick student book reviewer Age: 14
Thank you, dear readers, for joining us to honor our Veterans this week and all year round.
I’ll be back soon to celebrate a Book Birthday and giving thanks with Trinka Hakes Noble!
~Clara
Congratulations Gayle!
ReplyDeleteMy father, John Cheripko, Jr. , served in the army during both World War II and Korea, and my nephew, Justin Knapp, served in the navy aboard an aircraft carrier. Very proud of both!
Thank you, Jan, for honoring your father and nephew.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Jan and honoring the veterans in your family. And thank you for your congratulations. :)
Deletesuch interesting back story about the American flag. Thanks Gayle and Clara.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Carol. How much we learn from reading and research, don’t we? Thanks for joining us.
DeleteThank you Carol. Research is always interesting, whether I write historical fiction or fantasy. There's always room to learn. :)
DeleteThis sounds great. I'd also like to honor my nephew, Chris Celestino, for his service, along with two of my grandfathers - Lyndsey and Paul.
ReplyDeleteThanks, K.L., for honoring your nephew and two grandfathers on our Veteran’s Day post.
DeleteThank you for your interest, Kelly. And thank you for honoring the veterans in your family. :)
DeleteI am the daughter of a WWII veteran, the wife of a Vietnam-era veteran, and the mother of two veterans. One son served aboard aircraft carriers as an aviation tech, the other served in the USMC in the Persion Gulf during the Iraq war. I am proud to be a part of this family of veterans and I am grateful for the service of all veterans.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathy, for sharing how your family has served our country for many generations, about your pride in them, and your gratefulness for the service of all veterans.
DeleteThank you for stopping by, Kathy and for honoring your military family. :)
DeleteThank you for having me on your blog today, Clara. Celebrating our veterans is a powerful message for out young children. I'd like to thank all of our military men and women, who keep us safe. And a special thank you to my father, Louis J. Cimino (WWII - Army) and my husband Alyn R. Krause (Viet Nam - Navy/Submarines)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Gayle! Thank you for sharing with readers and for taking time to honor all veterans with a special nod to your father and your husband.
DeleteI love historical fiction. I've read this book and also reviewed it. I enjoyed it very much. Sometimes I think Veterans Day gets lost (with kids anyway) squeezed in-between Halloween and Thanksgiving. In this month's Two Lane Livin magazine, I wrote an article for kids about Veterans Day. My father was a WWII veteran, my husband is a Navy veteran and my extended family has many, many veterans.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t agree more, Janet. I wonder if Veteran’s Day even gets talked about in schools. Most likely it is lost in the shuffle of Halloween and Thanksgiving. How wonderful that you picked up the slack and wrote about Veteran’s Day for kids in TWO LANE LIVIN’ magazine. Thank you for honoring your special veterans here!
DeleteThanks for the shout out, Janet. Glad you enjoyed TWICE BETRAYED. And thank you for honoring all veterans in your article, as well as those in your family. :)
DeleteMy father, a WWII vet. I miss him. Thanks for doing this, Clara. And congrats on a great review, Gayle!
ReplyDeleteThank you for honoring your father here, Jilanne. We never get over missing them, do we?
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Julianne. And thank you for your congratulations on TWICE BETRAYED. My father was a WWII vet also. :)
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