Sunfire (series)
Series of romance novels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunfire is a series of young adult historical romance novels published by Scholastic Books in the 1980s. They are currently out of print.
| Author | Vivian Schurfranz, Jane Claypool Miner, Candice F. Ransom, Mary Francis Shura, Jeffie Ross Gordon, and Willo Davis Roberts |
|---|---|
| Genre | Young adult historical romance |
| Publisher | Scholastic Books |
| No. of books | 32 |
Background
The books were written by a group of authors, including Vivian Schurfranz (9), Jane Claypool Miner (6), Candice F. Ransom (6), Mary Francis Shura (6), Jeffie Ross Gordon (2), and Willo Davis Roberts (3).
Structure of the novels
The Sunfire books contained two themes: history and romance. Each book featured a teenage girl who experienced a particular period or event in American history. At the same time, with very few exceptions, the girl was torn between two potential lovers.[1] The girl was typically ahead of her time in ideas and actions and the suitor she almost always chose was the one who approved of or accepted her actions. The cover art always featured the main character flanked by her two potential lovers, along with scenes from the historical event or period that was the setting for the book.
Series
| # | Title | Author | Setting | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amanda | Candice F. Ransom | 1846; Oregon Trail | [i] |
| 2 | Susannah | Candice F. Ransom | 1864; American Civil War | [ii] |
| 3 | Elizabeth | Willo Davis Roberts | 1692; Salem Witch Trials | [iii] |
| 4 | Danielle | Vivian Schurfranz | 1814; War of 1812 | [iv] |
| 5 | Joanna | Jane Claypool Miner | 1836; Lowell, Massachusetts textile mills. | [v] |
| 6 | Jessica | Mary Francis Shura | 1873; Kansas. | [vi] |
| 7 | Caroline | Willo Davis Roberts | 1852; California Gold Rush. | [vii] |
| 8 | Kathleen | Candice F. Ransom | 1847; Great Famine and Irish immigration to the USA. | [viii] |
| 9 | Marilee | Mary Francis Shura | 1622; Jamestown Colony. | [ix] |
| 10 | Laura | Vivian Schurfranz | 1918; World War I, the suffrage movement, and the 1918 influenza pandemic. | [x] |
| 11 | Emily | Candice F. Ransom | 1900; high society in the Gilded Age. | [xi] |
| 12 | Jacquelyn | Jeffie Ross Gordon | 1931; the Great Depression. | [xii] |
| 13 | Victoria | Willo Davis Roberts | 1835; the Texas Revolution. | [xiii] |
| 14 | Cassie | Vivian Schurfranz | 1755; Iroquois Confederacy during the French and Indian War. | [xiv] |
| 15 | Roxanne | Jane Claypool Miner | 1938; the Golden Age of Hollywood. | [xv] |
| 16 | Megan | Vivian Schurfranz | 1867; the Alaska Purchase. | [xvi] |
| 17 | Sabrina | Candice F. Ransom | 1780; the American Revolutionary War. | [xvii] |
| 18 | Veronica | Jane Claypool Miner | 1941; the Attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II. | [xviii] |
| 19 | Nicole | Candice F. Ransom | 1912; Sinking of the RMS Titanic. | [xix] |
| 20 | Julie | Vivian Schurfranz | 1868; building of the transcontinental railroad, including the "Last Spike" ceremony. | [xx] |
| 21 | Rachel | Vivian Schurfranz | 1910; the Central European migration to the USA and includes the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. | [xxi] |
| 22 | Corey | Jane Claypool Miner | 1864; American Civil War. | [xxii] |
| 23 | Heather | Vivian Schurfranz | 1665; the beginning of New York City. | [xxiii] |
| 24 | Gabrielle | Mary Francis Shura | 1880; on a Mississippi showboat. | [xxiv] |
| 25 | Merrie | Vivian Schurfranz | 1620; Plymouth Colony | [xxv] |
| 26 | Nora | Jeffie Ross Gordon | 1906; 1906 San Francisco earthquake. | [xxvi] |
| 27 | Margaret | Jane Claypool Miner | 1886; A midwestern one-room schoolhouse. | [xxvii] |
| 28 | Josie | Vivian Schurfranz | 1861; the 18-month run of the Pony Express. | [xxviii] |
| 29 | Diana | Mary Francis Shura | 1803; Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. | [xxix] |
| 30 | Renee | Vivian Schurfranz | 1888; Great Blizzard of 1888. | [xxx] |
| 31 | Jennie | Jane Claypool Miner | 1889; Johnstown Flood. | [xxxi] |
| 32 | Darcy | Mary Francis Shura | 1900; 1900 Galveston hurricane. | [xxxii] |
Reception
A review by Catherine Bowles, in the journal Children's Book and Media Review of the first 4 books in the series, found the books under researched, formulaic and "of mediocre quality".[1] On the other hand Joyce A. Litton, while conceding that the novels were formulaic, called the series an "ecelent set of historical novels".[2]