Children's Book Authors to Appear at 2009 Racine County Fair, Saturday, Aug. 1

July 21, 2009 - PRLog -- Milwaukee, Wisc. – Hilda and Emily Demuth, co-authors of Plank Road Summer, a new middle-grade historical novel set in 1852, will appear at the Racine County Fair on Saturday, August 1, from 12 to 5 pm.

The Demuth's novel for young readers has a special connection to the event: the culminating event in the fictional story (Crickhollow Books, May 2009, $13.95, paperback) is the first Racine County Fair! That early event was held in the early 1850s just west of the historic Mather Inn, an early county inn and one of the key places in the book.

The Mather Inn was located on the Racine & Rock River Plank Road, a historic toll road that made it easier for farmers to take their grain, hay, and wool by horse-drawn wagon to the Lake Michigan harbor in Racine.

Like the county fair itself, Plank Road Summer celebrates the neighborly spirit and rich heritage of the pioneer Midwest in the southern Great Lakes area. It tells the story of two girls and their close friendship in the summer of 1852, when the plank road that ran by their homes proved also to be an Underground Railroad route, helping fugitive slaves escape from the southern states to freedom in Canada in the years before the Civil War.

To meet the authors and get an autographed copy of Plank Road Summer, visit their program tent at the Racine County Fair on Saturday, Aug. 1. It will be on the northeast corner of Pollie Drive and Kreuziger Lane, near the Case exhibit.

(Saturday is also J.I. Case Day at the fair. For other events and directions, see the Racine County Fair website at http://www.racinecountyfair.com).

The Demuth sisters will be there on Saturday from 12 to 5 pm. Along with book signings and sales, they are hosting free family activities, including wool-carding on an antique drum carder, a bit of live old-time fiddle music, and a display on Racine County history.

Come on down to the fair! Enjoy the rides, the 4-H exhibits, the country music by Sara Evans . . . and meet the authors of an exciting novel for kids about county fairs, pioneer life, plank roads, runaway slaves . . . and more!

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK
For more information, visit the book's website (http://plankroad.wordpress.com).
Or visit the publisher, Crickhollow Books (http://www.crickhollowbooks.com).

“Transports readers back to the sights and sounds, and the dangers and joys, of Wisconsin, 1852. A great choice for young readers who love historical fiction, and for teachers wanting to integrate a novel into classroom studies of the pioneer era.”
– Kathleen Ernst, award-winning children’s book author (popular author of American Girls novels and many other historical novels for young readers)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Hilda and Emily grew up on a farm in Yorkville Township, Wisconsin, where they heard stories of the old plank road from descendants of the early settlers, and where their novel Plank Road Summer takes place. Hilda Demuth-Lutze, a high school English teacher, lives near Valparaiso, Indiana. Emily Demuth Ishida is a grade school library aide and freelance writer, living in Elmhurst, Illinois, near Chicago.

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