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116th out of 534 books
—
1,397 voters
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum (Sign of the Sugared Plum #1)
by
Mary Hooper
It is 1665 and Hannah is full of excitement at the prospect of her first trip to London. She is going to help her sister, Sarah, in her candy shop, 'The Sugared Plum'. But Hannah does not get the welcoming reception she expected from her sister, because the Plague is taking hold of London. However, Hannah is determined to stay and together the two young women face the wors...more
Hardcover, 169 pages
Published
August 1st 2003
by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
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Feb 14, 2012
Abigail
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young Readers Who Enjoy Historical Fiction
Recommended to Abigail by:
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
Shelves:
childrens-fiction
Review Temporarily Removed.
5 likes · like · see review
view all 8 comments
Apr 06, 2012
Dawn (& Ron)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
not royal HF, the Great Plague, time of Charles II
Recommended to Dawn (& Ron) by:
Lisa Vegan
This book was recommended to me late last year by Lisa. My first thoughts were someone wrote a YA book about the Great Plague and made it interesting! It just seemed a difficult match to me, to make such a bleak subject work for this genre. It could easily turn into an anachronistic tale of a 21st century lass who flits into 17th century London to view events. So my interest immediately piqued, I had to see how this would be treated and made palatable for younger readers, be able to hold my atte...more
7 likes · like · see review
Nov 09, 2008
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-ya,
read-historical-fiction
Excellent historical novel about two sisters who struggle to survive the Great Plague of London in 1665. The author took her research from first-hand accounts, vividly bringing out the details of life and death at that time. The two sisters were candy makers, creating their confections from flowers and herbs, the details of which I found fascinating. Recipes for making some of these candies is included in the back of the book. This story is the first I've read by Mary Hooper, and it leaves me an...more
5 likes · like · see review
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper is a story of a young woman, Hannah, in an unusual setting: London in the time of the plague. She comes from her home in the country to London, to work with her sister Sarah in her confectionery shop. Unfortunately, Hannah arrives in London just as reports are starting to surface about people becoming ill and dying of the plague. The story weaves in friendships with a girl from Hannah’s hometown, Abigail, as well as a new friend, Tom, who works for...more
Nicely done and well written young adult historical fiction. This author has a real talent for dropping the reader into the period and getting the fell of the setting and giving you characters to feel about with minimal set-up. She doesn't even stint on the realities of the situation although it is not as detailed as one would find in an adult novel of course. As described this a brief story set during the start of the London plague on 1665. I only have one minor problem with book and that is it...more
May 24, 2009
Shanna Gonzalez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-08-12
Hannah and Sarah are teenaged entrepreneurs, sisters running a shop in 1665 London wherein they make sugar-frosted rose petals and other sweetmeats for the nobility. Hannah, who has recently joined her sister, is excited at the prospect of a big-city life and complacently dismisses rumors that the Bubonic Plague is reawakening in London. By the time she realizes her optimism is unfounded, the city is quarantined and she watches in horror as neighbors succumb, one by one, to the mysterious sickne...more
There are plenty of good reviews here, so I'll be brief. I'd never have picked this up except for my Children's Book group discussing it this month. But I'm so glad I did.
The dialogue was done beautifully - it 'sounded' natural and authentic, though of course it was in modern English, because Hooper got the rhythm right, and avoided all idioms that aren't common in both Hannah's era and ours.
I loved that there were minimal tropes - no guttersnipes with noble bearing, no brutal master making the...more
The dialogue was done beautifully - it 'sounded' natural and authentic, though of course it was in modern English, because Hooper got the rhythm right, and avoided all idioms that aren't common in both Hannah's era and ours.
I loved that there were minimal tropes - no guttersnipes with noble bearing, no brutal master making the...more
2 likes · like · see review
In June of 1665, teenaged Hannah is delighted to finally be going to London to live with her older sister Sarah who owns and runs a sweets shop The Sugared Plum. She wants to live in the city and throw away the country lifestyle that bored her in exchange for the excitement of keeping up with the latest fashions, attending her first play, and finding an interesting man to spend time with.
Sarah is horrified when she arrives. She had sent a note to her that Hannah never received warning her of th...more
Sarah is horrified when she arrives. She had sent a note to her that Hannah never received warning her of th...more
3 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This is the second book in two weeks I’ve read set in the 1600s and I have to confess this is the book that most vividly invokes the period. Mary Hooper is celebrated for her historical YA books and after reading my first book from her I can understand why. The writing is simple and elegant, effortless painting pictures, sounds and smells of the period. In fact I just fell in love with Mary’s style of writing and descriptions!
The story focuses on Hannah, a young girl from the country who moves t...more
The story focuses on Hannah, a young girl from the country who moves t...more
London 1665 – die 16jährige Hannah geht zu ihrer Schwester nach London, um ihr im Zuckermacherladen zu helfen. Die große Stadt mit ihrem bunten Treiben zieht sie magisch an, sie lernt andere Menschen kennen und lieben, darunter auch den Apothekerlehrling Tom, der ihr schnell ans Herz wächst. Doch die Pest breitet sich schleichend in London aus und rückt jeden Tag ein Stückchen näher.
Ein wundervolles Buch, das mich rasch in seinen Bann gezogen hat. Voller Leben und detailreich wird das historisch...more
Ein wundervolles Buch, das mich rasch in seinen Bann gezogen hat. Voller Leben und detailreich wird das historisch...more
If anyone ever asks me for recommendations when it comes to historical fiction I always tell them to start with a Mary Hooper novel.
Whether is first or third person narration, Mary Hooper’s writing pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages until you’ve reached the end. The language is beautiful, the word-building exquisite (I’ve always wanted to say that in a review and now I finally can) and the characters are wonderful.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum is no exception. Hannah travels to Londo...more
Whether is first or third person narration, Mary Hooper’s writing pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages until you’ve reached the end. The language is beautiful, the word-building exquisite (I’ve always wanted to say that in a review and now I finally can) and the characters are wonderful.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum is no exception. Hannah travels to Londo...more
“Einige Tage später fand ich einen Grund, wieder in den Laden des Apothekers zu gehen.”
Die junge Hannah macht sich auf den Weg zu ihrer Schwester nach London, nach dem diese in ihrem Brief um Hilfe in ihrem kleinen Laden bittet – der zweite Brief, in dem sie Hannah auffordert, nicht zu kommen, erreicht diese nicht mehr vor ihrer Abreise.
In London angekommen, überzeugt sie ihre Schwester, bleiben zu dürfen. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich den Herausforderungen.
Und dann lernt Hannah Master Tom kennen...more
Die junge Hannah macht sich auf den Weg zu ihrer Schwester nach London, nach dem diese in ihrem Brief um Hilfe in ihrem kleinen Laden bittet – der zweite Brief, in dem sie Hannah auffordert, nicht zu kommen, erreicht diese nicht mehr vor ihrer Abreise.
In London angekommen, überzeugt sie ihre Schwester, bleiben zu dürfen. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich den Herausforderungen.
Und dann lernt Hannah Master Tom kennen...more
Ich mochte das Buch sehr!
Es hat alles, was ich mag. Es spielt in London, es ist historisch super recherchiert und es gibt eine Liebesgeschichte, die aber nicht allzu kitschig ist und nicht im Vordergrund steht. Für mich ist es eindeutig ein Mädchenbuch, ich denke nicht, dass Jungs damit etwas anfangen könnten, weil es eben aus der Sicht eines sehr romantischen jungen Mädchens geschrieben ist, dass auch noch etwas naiv ist, allerdings nicht allzu störend. Ich war als junges Mädchen nicht anders.
B...more
Es hat alles, was ich mag. Es spielt in London, es ist historisch super recherchiert und es gibt eine Liebesgeschichte, die aber nicht allzu kitschig ist und nicht im Vordergrund steht. Für mich ist es eindeutig ein Mädchenbuch, ich denke nicht, dass Jungs damit etwas anfangen könnten, weil es eben aus der Sicht eines sehr romantischen jungen Mädchens geschrieben ist, dass auch noch etwas naiv ist, allerdings nicht allzu störend. Ich war als junges Mädchen nicht anders.
B...more
This book did an absolutely fantastic job of capturing the sights, sounds, & smells of plague-ridden London in 1665, as well as the feelings of overwhelming fear, helplessness, & despair it caused in the citizens. In this way it reminded me a great deal of Laurie Halse Anderson's "Fever, 1793", as well as the great protagonist. Hannah is so excited to be leaving her sleepy village for the bustle of London, where she has always dreamed of going. Arriving at the shop where her sister lives...more
This is quite a short book, but it's pretty enjoyable. I've read Mary Hooper before, both her historical and contempory books and I do enjoy her work, but this one wasn't my favourite. I found it interesting finding out about the sweetmeats shop, and the apocathery's shop. Hooper is an excellent historical author and you do feel as if you are in the past.
I also liked the relationship between Hannah and Tom, as well as Sarah and Abby. However I found Hannah herself really selfish at times, which...more
I also liked the relationship between Hannah and Tom, as well as Sarah and Abby. However I found Hannah herself really selfish at times, which...more
Having read Fallen Grace, I went straight back to Amazon to buy another from this excellent YA fiction author.
The story of a simple country girl, Hannah, who is bursting with excitement at the thought of going to visit her sister Sarah who runs a confectionery shop, spending all hours of the day and night making sugared candies & sweetmeats to sell to well-to-do folk who pass her shop 'The Sugared Plum'.
Events conspire to change Hannah's plans and the fearsome plague comes to town. The story...more
The story of a simple country girl, Hannah, who is bursting with excitement at the thought of going to visit her sister Sarah who runs a confectionery shop, spending all hours of the day and night making sugared candies & sweetmeats to sell to well-to-do folk who pass her shop 'The Sugared Plum'.
Events conspire to change Hannah's plans and the fearsome plague comes to town. The story...more
The creepiest thing about this book, I thought, is actually that on the cover of the edition I read (pictured above) the light hitting Hannah's eye actually takes the shape of a skull. This strikes me as perfect, and I couldn't look at the book for weeks afterwards without getting chills down my spine.
I learned more about the fashion in 1665 than I ever wanted to know and almost gave up when the 5oth (at least it felt that much) dress was described. The story itself was pretty meagre and predictable - so what was it that kept me reading? Just the historical facts and because I like to read about London, no matter the century. But if I want to read about how an epidemic spreads and how it affects human nature I will always prefer The Plague by Albert Camus (not that you can compare both books...more
Hannah is a young girl from the country, ready to live it up in the big city. The city is London & the year is 1665. Hannah doesn't know it yet, but her time in the big city is going to be filled with misery, because the plague has just begun claiming victims.
I can't say I know too much about the plague, and I'm sure that the authors descriptions although sometimes graphic, were no where near as horrible as the sights people of that era actually took it. I found the book one part education...more
I can't say I know too much about the plague, and I'm sure that the authors descriptions although sometimes graphic, were no where near as horrible as the sights people of that era actually took it. I found the book one part education...more
This is a wonderful book! One of the best novels I have ever read. It takes place in London in 1665 when Hannah got a letter from her sister that she needs her help to manage her shop, The Sugared Plum. But Sarah send her another letter to stay away. Hannah gets excited but she doesn't get the welcoming that she expected. The bills of mortality rate are being published every week and London has caught the Plague. This novel is also romantic because when Tom and Hannah travel to Chelsea to pick f...more
In 1665, young Hannah leaves her home in rural England to go live in London with her elder sister Sarah, who owns a charming sweets shop called "The Sugared Plum." But instead of the adventures she imagined herself finding, Hannah instead walks into a London gripped in the panic of the plague.
I absolutely loved this book. It is engagingly written and wonderfully realistic. Everything the author describes is interesting and vivid, especially the historical setting and the panic-ridden time of the...more
I absolutely loved this book. It is engagingly written and wonderfully realistic. Everything the author describes is interesting and vivid, especially the historical setting and the panic-ridden time of the...more
This was about the plague in London in the 1600's as told by a girl recently arrived in London from the country in order to help her sister run a sweet shop. Interesting take on life in London both before and after the plague take holds.
I enjoyed this story and raced through it on two long bus trips. The historcal side of it was clearly well-researched, but woven into the plot quite skillfully, not all 'hey kids here's some facts about the plague and/or life in London in 1665!' The main character was rather vain and shallow but still quite likeable and the plot kept moving along briskly without resorting to breakneck action sequences and dramatic cliffhangers. The thing I liked best about it was that it neither played down the...more
I have to say I loved this book. I usually read quite gory books and when I stumbled across this and seen it was about the plague I got it.
In fact, it isn't gory at all but I still loved it because it gives a very insightful view into London during this horrible period. Mary hooper also did a lot of research into the period also so the info is quite accurate. Because of this I learned a fair bit about London and what livening in the 17th century would be like.
The author also has some quite like...more
In fact, it isn't gory at all but I still loved it because it gives a very insightful view into London during this horrible period. Mary hooper also did a lot of research into the period also so the info is quite accurate. Because of this I learned a fair bit about London and what livening in the 17th century would be like.
The author also has some quite like...more
I'm a big fan of historical fiction and this has the elements to be an interesting book by those standards - London at the time of the plague. It's pretty fluff, though, and none of the characters are developed enough to take much of an interest in them beyond a lukewarm "good for them" when they manage not to die. It actually seemed as if the book could have continued. The moment of the ending itself was rather abrupt, but the overall story left room for development. I would say even if you're...more
A cute little book about plague-ridden London of 1665.
Er, yeah. "Cute" is not what one might have expected, and there is certainly a fair share of people dying like flies and plague pits and what not in it, but the overall tone and the main character's obsession with clothes and boys and kissing kind of overrides anything else.
Still, I enjoyed that glimpse into history. And teenage girls can apparently be pretty single-minded about fashion and boys sometimes. :-/
The ending was far too abrupt f...more
Er, yeah. "Cute" is not what one might have expected, and there is certainly a fair share of people dying like flies and plague pits and what not in it, but the overall tone and the main character's obsession with clothes and boys and kissing kind of overrides anything else.
Still, I enjoyed that glimpse into history. And teenage girls can apparently be pretty single-minded about fashion and boys sometimes. :-/
The ending was far too abrupt f...more
Well written and transported me to a London during the heighth of the worst plague to ever hit. A great story of which the author took real stories from a diary kept at the time and applied to her own imagination based on research of life. I read with my children who thought the story was very sad. I omitted a couple of lines about a whore but, overall, I felt if it was good for them to know about how difficult life was back then. I even learned a few new things myself and I am avid reader of st...more
This book tells the story of Hannah, a country girl who travels to work with her sister Sarah in London. It's 1660, and unbeknownst to Hannah the Plague is about to hit London. Due to the era, of course Sarah's note to Hannah warning her not to come didn't arrive.
Sarah owns a sweetmeats shop. This is basically a shop selling sugared violets, marzipan fruits, angelica... That kind of stuff. It's going pretty well, targeting well-off middle-class customers. But as times get worse and deaths increa...more
Sarah owns a sweetmeats shop. This is basically a shop selling sugared violets, marzipan fruits, angelica... That kind of stuff. It's going pretty well, targeting well-off middle-class customers. But as times get worse and deaths increa...more
I read this a while ago as it was being given away for free as part of the now sadly defunct Booked Up scheme.
I don't generally read much historical fiction but Mary Hooper seems to be a prolific and popular YA historical fiction author.
I actually really liked this book. The story was simply told yet interesting and I really did learn something about London and the plague. It made me think that pupils studying history should try and read fiction like this as reading about the period in the cont...more
I don't generally read much historical fiction but Mary Hooper seems to be a prolific and popular YA historical fiction author.
I actually really liked this book. The story was simply told yet interesting and I really did learn something about London and the plague. It made me think that pupils studying history should try and read fiction like this as reading about the period in the cont...more
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| Children's Books: February 2012 - At the Sign of the Sugared Plum | 53 | 43 | Jun 24, 2012 04:16am |
British children's and young adult author Mary Hooper was born in 1944, in Barnes, South West London. She left school at fifteen, and went to work as a window dresser, and then as a secretary. She eventually returned to school, as an adult student, earning a degree in English from Reading University. Hooper began her writing career with short stories, publishing in women's and teen magazines. Her...more
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