Beneath the Slashings (Divided Decade Collection)

by Michelle Isenhoff

  Historical Notes

  I like to sort out fact and fiction at the end of my historical fiction novels. This one covers a good deal of territory, so I’ll split it into three parts:

  Lumber Camps

  Bear Creek really is a tributary of Michigan’s Manistee River, however, the Davison Mill and the Bear Creek Camp are fictional. I tried to make the camp as accurate as possible, though it was about five years ahead of the norm. Before the Civil War, lumber camps were extremely rustic. They served little more than pork and beans cooked over the camboose fire, and meals were eaten in the bunkhouse. The mid-60’s (immediately after the war) saw the rise of cook stoves and a separate building for eating in, especially in larger camps. These innovations didn’t become common until later in the decade, but camps such as I describe were beginning to exist in ’65-66. I chose to create a progressive camp for the ease of inserting a girl into the story. Rustic camps were typically all-male, but families became increasingly common as the standard of living rose in camps, and especially as the expectations of the cook grew more demanding.

  Mr. Canfield was a historical, well-known lumberman in the Manistee area, though the pie thievery by Watkins was fictional. In fact, all characters in this book are fictional.

  A fire really did sweep through Manistee in 1864, a year before Grace’s arrival.

  Before the Civil War, little was understood about disease and hygiene. Disease killed more men than bullets. Roughly 2/5 of Union soldiers died of disease and 2/3 Confederate. Much was learned during the war and in the decades after, but little of that knowledge was brought to bear on lumber camps. Because they were remote, camps were thought to be safe. But the conditions were so unsanitary that it wasn’t uncommon for serious diseases to sweep through them. Then, when the men dispersed at the end of the season, germs were spread far and wide.

  The clear-cut methods used during the lumber era were vastly destructive. Michigan forests still have not fully recovered. They led to several huge wildfires that raged across the state, fed by miles of dry debris and causing many deaths and incalculable property damage.

  African Americans

  There actually were 138 Union colored infantry divisions in the Civil War. African Americans also served in the navy, artillery and noncombatant positions like cooks, teamsters, surgeons, etc. Many Blacks also served the Confederacy.

  The attitude toward African Americans at this time was very prejudiced, both in the service and in society. Colonel Nickerson was in the minority. Johansen and Doc represent the views of the majority, even in the North. African Americans did not secure equal rights until the Civil Rights Movement brought national attention to the problem over one hundred years later.

  American Indians

  The visitation of whites to Manistee County began in approximately 1830. In 1849, white settlement began in earnest. Manistee County was the hunting grounds of the Chippewa, Ottawa and Tawas, but none of the tribes settled there permanently.

  According to Andrew J. Blackbird, an Ottawa Indian who wrote History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan, 1887, the Indian village he calls Waw-gaw-naw-ke-zee, which the French named L’Arbor Croche, stretched for 15 miles at the time of the French and Indian War, from current day Harbor Springs, north around the curve of the Lake Michigan shoreline to present day Cross Village.

  A 1763 smallpox epidemic did indeed wipe out a huge percentage of the Ottawa tribe. Mr. Blackbird cites Ottawa tradition in naming the British intentionally responsible, because of the Ottawa friendship with the French during the French and Indian War (1754-1763).

  About the Divided Decade Collection

  Series librarian-nominated for the 2012 Great Michigan Read.

  As a teacher, I wrote the Divided Decade Collection with the classroom in mind. This collection spans the years surrounding the war and travels from city, to farm, to wilderness, showing the war from several angles. Each of these loosely related books can be used as a stand-alone novel in the classroom.

  The Candle Star FREE!

  Detroit, 1858

  After a tantrum, Emily Preston is shipped from her plantation home to her inn-keeping uncle in Detroit. There Emily meets Malachi, son of freed slaves, who challenges many ideas she grew up believing. But when Emily stumbles upon two runaways hidden in her uncle's barn, she finds that old ways die hard. And Mr. Burrows, the charming Southern slave catcher, is only yards away, lodged in the hotel.

  Blood of Pioneers

  Wayland, Michigan, 1862

  Hannah craves excitement, but all local adventures dried up long ago, when her parents unpacked their wagon on the Michigan frontier. Then war breaks out and her father and brother leave to fight the Confederacy. Hannah is left at home chafing under the boredom of never-ending chores--until the farm is threatened. The one place she longs to leave suddenly becomes the one place she'll do anything to save.

  Beneath the Slashings

  Michigan Wilderness, 1865

  Grace Nickerson's life has been shattered by four years of war. She's desperate to return to a sense of normalcy, but soon after her father returns, he sells the farm and drags the family to a lumber camp in Michigan's northern wilderness. Living among the rough loggers is frightening enough, but then a series of accidents prove intentional. Who is sabotaging the camp, and why? Will the winter in the woods bring the healing Grace's family needs? Or will it drive a wedge between Grace and her father?

  Using the Divided Decade Collection in the Classroom

  In an effort to serve more classrooms, permission is given to teachers who purchase digital versions of individual Divided Decade books to share them freely on school-issue Kindles and student devices. In addition, paperback versions are available wholesale through Baker & Taylor and Ingram. (They’re available on Amazon for the rest of us.) Each book has been Lexiled, and downloadable MARC files are readily available for library systems. The Candle Star is has also been produced as an audiobook. And finally, an accompanying Classroom Resources booklet is available for each novel. All links, all versions, Lexile scores, MARC file downloads, and additional lesson plans can be found at www.MichelleIsenhoff.com. Thanks for passing this information along and helping me reach more teachers, librarians and home schoolers!

  Ella Wood Trilogy

  (Ella Wood follows the story begun in The Candle Star.)

  Will Emily sacrifice love for a chance at independence?

  Ella Wood

  As the nation teeters on the brink of civil war, Emily Preston must wage a personal battle against the restrictive ideology of her father. Several schools in the North have opened their doors to women. How can she make her father see just how much it means to her to study under a master? Neither does her father appreciate her criticisms of his management of Ella Wood, the Preston family plantation. Then there's the problem of Thaddeus Black, the handsome, charming young man who simply won't take no for an answer. It could be that the real fight lies within her heart, which stubbornly refuses to accept that a choice for independence must be a choice against love. Ages 14+

  Blood Moon

  Nominated for a 2016 Cybils Award.

  Charleston lies in ruins and so, it seems, does Emily’s future. She’s been banished from Ella Wood over her vocal disapproval of slavery, and her relationship with Thad comes to an impasse when his support of her university career falters. Stepping out alone into a war-torn future will require all the fortitude she can muster. In the midst of such uncertainty, she finds that hope rises from ashes, determination grows with adversity, and love can take root in the most stubborn of hearts.

  Ebb Tide

  When the Union navy fires on Charleston, Emily must flee to Ella Wood—and to a father who has never forgiven her for attending the Maryland Institute against his will. There, she grapples with Jack’s secret plans for the plantation and his final admonition that she carry them to fruition. But as a woman back under the authority of her father, evoking even the slightest change may prove too much to
hope for. In the meantime, old jealousies place Emily’s life in danger, and her desperate hopes for Jovie’s safe return begin to fade. As the war rumbles to its conclusion, she must draw upon every ounce of courage in a final bid for love and freedom.

  Got kids?

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  Awarded a Reader’s Choice 5 Star Seal.

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  The Quill Pen

  If you owned a pen that wrote the future, would you use it? What if the consequences spread like ripples in a pond? What if they raged out of control? What if the pen demanded tribute...in blood? Micah Randall has found such a pen. One that’s ensnared him in a curse dating back generations. One that’s devastated two families and now threatens his whole New England village. But how can Micah destroy the pen when it offers him his only chance at the future he dreams of?

  The Mountain Trilogy

  Nominated for the 2013 Cybils Award.

  Semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review 2013 Book Awards.

  Song of the Mountain FREE!

  Song has grown up listening to his grandfather recite legends of the distant past. But it is his own history he seeks to uncover, particularly the events surrounding his parents’ deaths. But that is a secret closely guarded by his grandfather. Then Song discovers a puzzle box that links him to an ancient prophecy. His destiny lies within the old tales he has scorned. Song must follow the path that killed his father.

  Fire on the Mountain

  What really happened on the mountain twelve years ago?

  Though his apprenticeship hangs on him like an ill-fitting garment, Quon is unprepared for the twist his life takes when his parents are killed and he is forced to flee the city. Adrift in the wilderness with no purpose and no protection, Quon is approached by an old man who hints that his destiny may be more than he imagined. Ancient tales fill Quon’s head with expectations of glory, but he soon learns that being a hero is far different than dreaming of becoming one.

  Follow Song as he uncovers his family history.

  Taylor Davis Series

  Finalist in the kid-judged Wishing Shelf Awards.

  Read the first episode FREE.

  Taylor Davis and the Flame of Findul

  Finalist in the 2015 Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards.

  Sometimes life gooses you when you’re not looking. Your family moves overseas and…bam!...suddenly you’re hacking at water demons with a four-foot blade. Yeah, that move landed me in the middle of a supernatural assignment. Angels and all that. Relighting the Flame of Findul–the sword that guards the Tree of Life–wasn’t high on my bucket list. Especially when I found out who else was looking for it. But since the alternative was perishing in a fiery worldwide disaster… Well, let’s just say my priorities changed. I was told I’d have help. I was told I’d be in capable hands. Then I met my guardian angel. I am so doomed.

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  Taylor Davis and the Clash of Kingdoms

  Taylor just can’t catch a break. Most of his friends only concern themselves with girls and grades, but he has to worry about retaliation from hellish warlords. When three of his classmates succumb to a strange malady, Taylor becomes the target of irrational violence. Is it a coincidence, as Elena so firmly believes? Or could there be a more dangerous explanation? The epidemic soon spreads to national leaders. Taylor and his team are called on to uncover the root of the problem before violence breaks out on a worldwide stage. Their quest leads them to the heart of Africa, to the underworld, and to a second encounter with an enemy who just won’t stay dead.

  Reader-nominated for the 2012 Maine Student Book Award.

  The Color of Freedom

  Meadow MacKenna hates the British. Turned off her Irish farm and forced to book passage to America as an indentured servant, she understands the rebel desire to throw off the yoke of King George's rule. But is freedom worth the cost? When her new master turns abusive, Meadow disguises herself as a boy and flees, but she cannot outrun the political conflict. Neither can she prevent the war from claiming the souls of her father and her dearest friend.

  Audiobooks by Michelle Isenhoff

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  Michelle Isenhoff writes for teens, tweens, and kids as old as 91. Her work has been reader-nominated for a Cybils Award, the Great Michigan Read, and the Maine Student Book Award. She's also placed as a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review Book Awards, a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, and earned multiple Readers' Favorite 5 Star seals of approval. A former teacher and longtime homeschooler, Michelle has been lauded by the education community for the literary quality of her work, which is regularly purchased for classroom use.

  Michelle is also a firm believer in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As such, she will never include profanity or objectionable content in books meant for children. Works intended for older readers are written with conscionable restraint.

  Visit MichelleIsenhoff.com for additional titles as well as free downloadable lesson plans to accompany them.