WHISTLER IN THE DARK
A HISTORY MYSTERY
American Girl Publishing
Reprinted by Skyview Books
Digital Versions by Open Road Media
Agatha Award Nominee for Best Children’s/Young Adult Mystery
— Malice Domestic
WILLA Award Finalist for Best Children’s/Young Adult Book
— Women Writing the West
"Mother!" Emma called. Holding her painting carefully, she used one hip to shut the front door behind her. Madame Duchene's praise rang in her ears: "For a girl not yet thirteen, Miss Henderson, you show remarkable promise." Emma could hardly wait to show Mother... |
Thus begins multiple mystery awards nominated Whistler In The Dark. This is Kathleen's second of twenty books written for American Girl.
This story is written for readers age 10 to adult who enjoy Wild West era children's historical fiction—without sex, gore, or explicit violence.
Story Description
It’s 1867. Twelve-year-old Emma Henderson is mortified when Mother takes to wearing a Reform Dress—hideous bloomers!
Worse, Mother has accepted a newspaper job in wild, far-off Colorado Territory.
But even Emma can’t imagine just how badly things will go in Twin Pines. From the moment she and Mother step off the stagecoach, it’s clear that someone doesn’t want them there.
This book includes a richly illustrated "Peak Into The Past" essay, featuring historical details about the Dress Reform Movement, women taking on non-traditional jobs outside of the home, White settlement of Colorado, and women who ran frontier newspapers there.
Whistler was originally released as a 165-page book in softcover and hardcover formats. It is now available in multiple ebook versions.
What Others Are Saying
About The Author
Bestselling author Kathleen Ernst writes award-winning mysteries and historical fiction for adults and young readers. Her work has earned numerous honors, including multiple Edgar and Agatha mystery award nominations, and an Emmy for children's educational programming.
To date readers have purchased over 1.7M printed, ebook, and audio copies of Kathleen's thirty-five published books. more>>
Related Blog Posts
Enjoy the author's insights about the story, characters, and settings.
Whistler In The Dark: The Stories Behind The Story |
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When I attended interpreter training at Old World Wisconsin in the spring of 1982, the Curator of Textiles showed us a photograph of a Wisconsin woman wearing trousers beneath a knee-length skirt. The image shows a woman... more>> |
Available From
Whistler in the Dark is available in paperback, library binding, and ebook formats fom the vendors listed below.
NOTE: you can also buy 'as new' original American Girl softcover and hardcover copies directly from me, the author, signed and personalized as per your request. Request a quote by clicking HERE.
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PAPERBACK |
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KINDLE eBOOK KINDLE UNLIMITED LIBRARY BINDING |
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iBOOKS eBOOK |
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KOBO eBOOK |
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NOOK eBOOK |
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GOOGLE PLAY eBOOK |
Author's Note
The first time I saw a photograph showing a Civil War-era woman during wearing the Reform Dress (often called the Bloomer Dress), I knew I wanted to write a story about it. Imagine women and girls in the 1800s who had to work hard in factories or farmfields—wearing long skirts and petticoats! Not only was it uncomfortable, it was sometimes dangerous as well.
Wearing trousers was a difficult choice, though. For this book, I wanted to create sympathetic, likeable characters who had different opinions. The main character, Emma, is embarrassed when her mother makes her a Reform Dress. After you finish reading, think about how you would have felt if you’d lived in Emma’s time. What choices would you have made? 
Book Goodies
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PREVIEW Get a sneak peak inside this book CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
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TEACHER'S GUIDE For teachers and homeschoolers CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
Maggie By My Side
In Whistler In The Dark a mysterious person repeatedly whistles "Maggie By My Side," a then popular song by American songwriter Stephen Foster. "Maggie" was the favorite tune of Emma's father, who had been killed two years earlier during the closing days of the Civil War. Listen to an accoustic recording of this music while watching a series of original photos of American Civil War sailors. PLAY.
Emma's World
This illustration by artist Jean-Paul Tibbles shows the frontier town of Twin Pines in the Colorado Territory. The year is 1867. ENLARGE
