Eagland, Jane. The World Within.

Eagland, Jane.  The World Within.  Scholastic/Arthur Levine  2015  329p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-545-49295-9  ms  Historical fiction  VG

Not much is known about Emily Bronte, the author of Wuthering Heights. Eagland takes the meager historical record and combines it with clues from the Brontes’ written works to create a window into the life of the Bronte siblings when they were teens.

Emily, Charlotte, Anne and Bram were raised in isolation at the edge of the moors near the village of Haworth.  Theirs was an unconventional upbringing, with the girls receiving an education very similar to their brother’s.  Emily is ill-prepared to cope with boarding school.  She is socially awkward and resents the rules that dictate her behavior in every aspect of her life, after a childhood of relative freedom.

When Emily returns home, she struggles with changing family dynamics.  Charlotte is teaching at school and Anne wants her chance to attend.  Bram indulges in reckless behavior, drinking and gambling while squandering precious opportunities for advancement.  Father is gravely ill.  Emily’s safe haven is eroding and she cannot escape into her imaginary world to write.  Slowly, she emerges from her sheltered world to make a new friend (Mary), discover that a neighbor’s son finds her as attractive as she finds his (irresistible) library, and raise a puppy into a faithful canine companion.

Eagland does not stray far from what is known about the Brontes, so the action is a little flat and the characters are not completely rounded out.  However, for fans of Wuthering Heights, this volume will provide some background about the book’s author.    

Summary: A fictionalized account of Emily Bronte’s childhood.          

Literature-Fiction, Bronte, Emily-Fiction                   --Hilary Welliver

Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre

Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre
Lucent Books see Gale/Cengage 2010 144p 32.45
978-1-4205-0375-3 all ages Graphic Novels - classics -Governess - Mentally ill women - Charity schools E-BN
Classic Graphic Novel Collection(Cengage)


The Graphic novel of the very popular story of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Beautifully illustrated.
The graphic novel of Jane Eyre is as impressive as the printed version and maybe even more so because you see what is actually happening. Illustrated in full color, this book will capture your attention and imagination. The story of an orphan girl left with an uncle and his wife. The uncles passes away to soon and Jane falls to the mercy and cruelty of her aunt. Unwanted and mistreated even as the children of the aunt are spoiled, Jane does her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She hides and reads her books but she is always found and the mistreatment begins again at the unmerciful hands of her cousin ho is a bully. She is finally taken to an orphanage where she grows to womanhood. She take a job as a governess and goes to this very strange estate. There she meets Mr. Rochester and fall in love. What happens to Jane on this estate is a story worth reading over and over again. A love story that will come back to life.

Includes: glossary,biographical information on the author Charlotte Bronte, a family tree of the Bronte family, and a chronology of the Bronte Family. Graphic novel Diaz, Magna

Dunkle, Clare B. The House of Dead Maids.

Dunkle, Clare B. The House of Dead Maids
Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2010 146p 15.99 978-0-8050-9116-8 ghost - Rites & ceremonies- Orphans - Bronte family E-BN


Tabby Aykroyd tells the strange tale of a her time as a nanny to a poor orphan boy at a ghost-filled mansion with bizarre rituals and ceremonies. An orphan and still a small child herself, Tabby Aykroyd was taken to a haunted mansion to be a nursemaid to a small wild orphan boy without a name. Together they roamed the old mansion discovering hiding places and quite gardens to pass the time at play. At night the housekeeper locks them into the bedroom telling them that it is for their safety but every night,angry ghost haunt the bedroom trying to tell them something. Tabby is terrified but willing to discover the truth behind the ghost haunting. Her charge she discovers needs a name but she feels that she should not be the one to name him so she calls him himself. The master of the house has taken the barely six year old child in and tells him that he is master of the house. That is all the child needs to hear and acts accordingly but Tabby must reign in his temper and bad manners.

Then the day comes when the reason they were both brought to the house becomes clear to Tabby. It is with horror that she discovers that both she and the child are to be sacrificed for the land.
The ending of the story is full of surprises and shocks that will lead you to the book written by Emily Bronte.

A scary story not to be read at night. The descriptions of the ghost are quite terrifying and creepy. Some readers may wonder about justice and the way it is used in the book but for others it is only a prelude to the book Wuthering Heights.

Supernatural Diaz, Magna

A Student Guide to the Bronte Sisters.

Pasachoff, Naomi. A Student Guide to the Bronte Sisters.
Enslow 2009 160p 27.93 978-0-7660-3267-5 ms/hs
Understanding Literature (Enslow)
An excellent guide for students on the works of the Bronte sisters. Describes their life, their influences and their literary works. The Bronte Sister were exceptional young women with a talent for writing. The most famous the three is Charlotte Bronte who wrote Jane Eyre but her sister Emily is probably equally famous with her book Wuthering Heights. The least famous was the youngest, Anne but her work was also excellent reading, her novel Agnes Grey was also considered worthy of publishing. All three wrote poetry and were very literate young ladies. In the beginning they used names that could be considered male so that their work would not be rejected but once they were able to establish themselves they wrote in their own names. That was quite an accomplishment for the late 1800’ hundreds. They also had a brother who was very talented but his talent was in fine arts. Most of the pictures that exist of the sisters were actually painted by their brother Branwell. This book give the reader biographical information the Bronte Family, it give interpretation of their literary work, explains various literary techniques used in their writing and an interpretation of their body of work. Excellent introduction for high school students. Includes: Chronology, Chapter notes, glossary, major works by the Bronte sisters, Further reading, Internet Sites and Index. Diaz, Magna

Bronte’s Book Club. by Kristiana Gregory

Gregory, Kristiana. Bronte’s Book Club.
Holiday House, 2008, 145p, $16.95, 978-0-8234-2136-7
Realistic Fiction

At twelve years old, Bronte has to move from New Mexico to the California coast where her parents bought a restaurant. Bronte vows to overcome her shyness by starting a book club. The first book for discussion is Island of the Blue Dolphins which is set on an island almost within sight of the small town. Starting with disaster, the club has no where to go but up. Eventually, four girls join for various reasons. Bronte is frustrated that the discussions center on personal stuff but eventually the girls do connect with the themes of the book. They laugh, cry, quarrel, and eat snacks as they forge a close bond of understanding and mutual support.
The message of the importance of opening up to friends and sharing personal thoughts and fears come through in the story. Gently written, there is one episode of danger when the girls enter a coastal cave.
Supplemental material includes a suggestion of how to start a book club and a recipe for Bronte’s brownies. Recommended for grade 3-6. JT