The Storyteller's Daughter

by Jean Thesman

Quinn Wagner's fifteenth summer starts off well. She has a part-time job and a crush on a young neighbor. Only one thing makes Quinn feel uneasy this summer of 1933. Her father, Beau John, has lost his job. He is working far up the coast from their Seattle home and can only come home on weekends. Beau John is greatly missed, as he is the hero of the neighborhood, everyone's favorite storyteller, and the man to whom folks always turn when they're in trouble. Now Quinn fears that her father himself may be in trouble. She overhears a stranger angrily threaten him, and the next weekend Beau John does not return home. If he is in danger, what can she do to help? Before the story ends, Quinn must confront some surprising facts about her father - and about herself.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction

180 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Jean Thesman was a widely read and award-winning American author known for her young adult fiction, with a career spanning over 25 years. Her novels often explored themes of family, identity, and belonging, frequently featuring heroines who find their place in the world by uncovering truths about their families and forming chosen connections. “I loved telling the story,” she once wrote, “because I really believed that families were made up of the people you wanted, not the people you were stuck with.”
Born with a passion for storytelling and literacy, she learned to read before starting school and recalled having to wait until she was six years old before being allowed her first library card. Throughout her career, she authored around 40 books, most under her own name but a few under the pseudonym T.J. Bradstreet.
Thesman published a wide range of novels for teens and middle-grade readers, including stand-alone works such as The Rain Catchers, Calling the Swan, and Cattail Moon, as well as series like The Whitney Cousins, The Birthday Girls, and The Elliott Cousins. Her lyrical style, emotional depth, and strong female characters earned her a loyal readership. Notable works like The Ornament Tree and In the House of the Queen’s Beasts remain particularly admired for their nuanced storytelling and emotional resonance.
She was a longtime resident of Washington state and an active member of The Authors Guild and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Jean Thesman passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind a significant legacy in young adult literature.

Reviews

[Court · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the Library about 2 summers ago because I just really wanted something to read. I didn't think it was all that great. And I'll probably never read it again.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten days in the life of a fifteen year old living during the depression. Not bad but very quietly paced.