Merci, Alliance Française!

Margi had a wonderful time at the Alliance Française on Sept 20!

Here a crew of volunteer voyageurs demonstrated their paddling techniques (which were all rather unique!)

Jean Pierre Petit Le Rouge (a red squirrel and the littlest voyageur) introduced himself, and we learned about his challenges traveling 1200 miles with a crew of French Canadian voyageurs, and his horror when they arrived at the trading post and he learned that they had gone all that way to trade for the skins of his brethren!

Paddling a pretend canoe is not as easy as you might think!

The voyageurs and the assembled crowd sang a hearty rendition of Allouette (while trying to keep up their pace)

And we discussed The Village of Scoundrels, a novel based on a real place, a real time, and real people—a group of teens in a village in WWII France who sheltered and smuggled to safety many 100’s, perhaps 1000’s, of Jewish children and teenagers rescued from French concentration camps.

Sept. 20: Francophile Book Fair

Margi will be parlez-ing with literary luminaries on Saturday, September 20 at the Francophile Book Fair!

At 12:15, she will be discussing The Village of Scoundrels, the timely true story of teens who stood up to fascism in WWII France (now in paperback), and The Littlest Voyageur, in which a red squirrel, Jean Pierre Petit le Rouge, stows away in a voyageur canoe. What could go wrong?

This program is free and open for all. Learn more at more at Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul >

Paperback of Village of Scoundrels comes out Oct. 21

Based on the true story of the French villagers in WWII who saved thousands of Jews, this novel tells how a group of young teenagers of Les Lauzes stood up for what was right. Among them is a young Jewish boy who learns to forge documents to save his mother and later goes on to save hundreds of lives with his forgery skills. There is also a girl who overcomes her fear to carry messages for the Resistance. And a boy who smuggles people into Switzerland.

But there is always the threat that they will be caught: A policeman is sent to keep an eye on them, German soldiers reside in a local hotel, and eventually the Gestapo arrives, armed with guns and a list of names. As the knot tightens, the young people must race against time to bring their friends to safety.

Wonderful reviews for "Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies"

Margi fell in love with the story of Snowshoe Kate and is excited that others are, too!

early reviews

“An engaging narrative showcasing an exceptional woman, a time, and a place not often featured in picturebook biographies." 
— Booklist

"Preus and Zollars excel at anchoring both human and numerical stories, conveying via first-person prose and crisp, digitally colored graphite images the expansive impact of both one doctor and all those pennies."  
— Publisher’s Weekly

"Memorable pictures of what a worthy life, and a million pennies, might look like."
— Kirkus   

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb (or "Dr. Kate," as she was known to her patients) was a doctor in rural northern Wisconsin during the early 1900s, a time when very few women practiced medicine. Because the nearest hospital was over two hours away and the snowy roads were often impassable, Dr. Kate sometimes used snowshoes to reach her patients, which lead to her nickname, the "Angel on Snowshoes." She also traveled by snowmobile and even the snowplow!

In her years as a doctor, she delivered an astonishing 4,000 babies, and those same children later played a key role in the "Million Penny Parade," a massive grassroots fundraiser inspired by Dr. Kate's lifelong efforts to build a hospital in her community. Dr. Kate's dreams of being able to better serve her community finally came to fruition in 1954 when Lakeland Memorial Hospital opened — with Dr. Kate serving as chief of staff.

Jaime Zollars is the illustrator of the middle-grade novel Wicked Nix and the artist behind the iconic covers of the Greenglass House series. She is also the author-illustrator of the picture book The Truth About Dragons. Her art has been recognized by American Illustration, Communication Arts, the Society of Illustrators, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, among others. She lives in Southern California.

Release date: October 28, 2025

Lily (and cast) welcome the Tall Ships to Duluth!

Caption: Ore boat goes under the bridge.

Thank you for joining us and helping us welcome the big ships with “Lily Leads the Way!”

How fun to celebrate Duluth's own "Lily Leads the Way" with the Tall Ships right in Lake Superior! This super fun storytime was a unique opportunity to bring Lily’s story to life. Thank you to all of our enthusiastic young actors who played all the boats and the bridge!

This event was sponsored by The Bookstore at Fitgers, Duluth’s beloved independent bookstore that specializes in Northeastern Minnesota regional books, and book readings and events for Duluth’s youngest readers.

Caption: Magri reads about how Lily leads the tall ships into the harbor with real tall ships in the background!

Caption: Coast guard cutter under the bridge!

Caption: Barque under the bridge!

Caption: Curtain call for our creative cast.

Caption: Blowing a horn to signal the bridge.

Caption: Margi signing books.