Books by Ann Howard Creel  

 

American Girl Today Nicki by Ann Howard Creel
Nicki Fleming is a natural with animals. When the chance to train a service dog comes up, she just can't say "no," even if it means taking on more responsibility and having to give up some of the things she loves doing. When Sprocket the puppy turns out to be a handful, Nicki has to muster all of her compassion to continue his training. She knows that one day Sprocket will make someone else's life better--and that makes all the difference.
November 2006   Multi-Award Winner  

Hallmark Hall 
of Fame Presentation
 
   
   
    Madolen yearns to see life in the world outside the red walls of her canyon. As an adopted daughter of a kind Mormon family and then as a guide for a handsome young Easterner, she finds love. But will his love be what she is seeking?
     In the background, the lure of gold and the dangerous beauty of the West's great canyons and mountains always call...along with the voices of Madolen's ancestors--the Old Ones--and the song of Madolen's own canyon.		  

Independent 
PublishersBook
Award Winner 2006 for Multicultural Fiction

ForeWord Magazine YA Fiction Bronze Award

A Notable Social Studies Trade Book
for Young People 2006  
-the National Council for the Social Studies
and the Children's Book Council

Women Writing the West Young Adult Fiction Finalist

 

     Adapted from the story by Ann Howard Creel, this Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation is set in rural Colorado in 1944. After she becomes pregnant by a departing soldier, Livy Dune, the wealthy, pampered daughter of a Denver minister, is forced to forever abandon her hopes of becoming an archeologist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Gr. 6 UP—Echo Song’s love of birdcalls earned her her name, but her first name was Born of the Stand Still Moon, for the rare lunar position at the time of her birth. ... This spare and lyrical tale offers readers a peek into what life must have been like for the “Ancient Ones,” who lived in the Southwest United States over 1000 years ago. Creel awakens their daily life through archaeological records and the development of her characters to create a rich story of a peaceful farming community and the young woman who sacrifices all she loves to save it.
     This would be a great book to enhance curriculum, but will also be enjoyed by anyone who likes historical fiction.—Anna M. Nelson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, Fl.
  –School Library Journal, November, 2005

  "UNDER A STAND STILL MOON could easily be this generation's ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS. It was a real page-turner for me, at 192 pages; I was sorry it was over so soon. It is intriguing historical fiction, set in the Southwestern United States around 900AD..."
                     –New England Children’s Booksellers Assoc, September 24, 2005

“Under A Stand Still Moon is an incredible journey back into the time and place of the great Anasazi civilization. Ann Howard Creel deftly brings these ancient people to life. I became the girl Echo, lived her joys, sorrows and triumphs.”    –Steven A. LeBlanc, Archaeologist, Harvard Peabody Museum     

"A valuable teaching tool for history, culture studies, family studies, family studies, as well as Native American studies. It would serve as an excellent collaborative text between the social sciences and language arts."
                     –James Burch, Middle School Social Studies Teacher
Winner of 1999 Colorado Book Award, 
Young Adult category, October 31, 1999  

Water At the Blue Earth is the story of an unlikely friendship, life on the frontier and how the protagonist, Wren, deals with complex issues and ultimately a crucial decision. Set in late 19th century Colorado, Water At the Blue Earth includes a little known yet very interesting chapter of Colorado's history.

I hope readers will enjoy Wren's story.

 
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-7    Twelve-year-old Laney is about to get the surprise of her life. Her corporate parents trade their office jobs in civilized Tampa Bay, FL, to be alpaca ranchers on the desolate Colorado prairie. She is definitely not ready to be uprooted again-especially since her father had assured her that Tampa Bay was the final move for the family. As soon as school ends, they head west armed only with book knowledge of the animals they are about to care for. Once in Colorado, Laney's parents and "perfect" older sister swoon over the wide-open spaces and new opportunities open to the family. Laney is not so enchanted, and even refuses to unpack her things in her new room. As the summer rolls on, she eventually befriends the "county weirdo," M. J. the Birdhouse Lady, and learns to accept the changes the move has brought. The protagonist's emotions have a realistic ring as she struggles to adapt in this unfamiliar world. The alpacas' fear of their new environment parallels the girl's lost sense of place and home, which is a nice touch. A believable portrait of a family in transition.
 -Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA
American Girl Fiction 
From School Library Journal
"Grade 5-7-This fast-paced, contemporary story is told through letters and journal entries. Vivien is 12 years old the summer she and her widowed, alcoholic mother set out from Ohio to Oregon. Near Denver, her mother leaves to find work and doesn't return to their campsite. The girl makes her way to the city and is befriended by some homeless people, who tell her that her mother has been seen drinking and dancing in various bars. Vivien stays in a teen shelter for several weeks, where she learns that her mother has been hospitalized because of her drinking. Soon after, the child runs away, frightened by a predatory taxi driver, and sleeps on the streets until she is arrested and agrees to live in a foster home..." 
Laura Scott, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
 

 


A Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation

From the Publisher
“In one fleeting moment, I stripped away the petals of my future, let them catch wind, and fly away.” As The Magic of Ordinary Days opens, Olivia Dunne’s life is changing dramatically. Her rather cloistered life as a studious minister's daughter in Denver shelters her from the drama of the Allied invasion that is about to occur on the other side of the globe. But her small domestic world unravels when her two beautiful younger sisters marry handsome officers, and she is left to care for their dying mother. Even her studies, which have sustained her for years, are stalled. Since she was a child she has loved history, but her dreams of accompanying an archaeology dig to Egypt are now suspended by the war. As she drifts, an exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life in ways she could never have imagined. She finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost and married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively seeks to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese-American sisters who are living in a nearby interment camp. Although her life seems monotonous and benign, Olivia is drawn unwittingly into being an accomplice in a crime. Faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own yearnings and comes to understand what she truly believes about the nature of trust and love. A remarkable debut novel, gorgeously written and graced with characters who will long resonate in the reader’s mind, The Magic of Ordinary Days is a story about love, but also a story about passion and regrets, and of falling from society’s grace and finding redemption within."
Advance Praise

"Ann Howard Creel explores the effects of mistaken and offered love in rural Colorado in the 1940's where World War II, though seemingly distant, reaches deeply into the lives of the innocent and the misled. Rich in reminiscence, The Magic of Ordinary Days treats imperfect humanity with respect, tenderness and understanding, qualities which mature in the characters into the finest of loves. A highly satisfying read."
                                                Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue

"Like catching a glimpse of a butterfly on the first day of spring, Creel's novel, The Magic of Ordinary Days, is a gentle and delightful celebration of life. Here's a story of the surprising and satisfying appearance of love."
                                                               Lynne Hinton, author of Friendship Cake