When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, twelve-year-old Darleen Darling, star of the silent film era, must defeat villains both on screen and off in this edge-of-your-seat adventure. DARING DARLEEN, DARING | Mmelgakelamsian DY aaa vi ANNE NESBET Lights! Camera! Kidnapping? fellaiike. UFEN OF yk We 1914 and Datleen Datlings fl adventures cll wit realty when fk idegping ep yh becomes lol dey Daten THE SCREEN \é Ss hein the hands of dastardly eiminal who have just nabbed Miss = Vicorne Bey, th poorinlesichgl ei of on of Ameri let ras, Soon el tart tose i bona ie ents eal compete wi tat xen deo pot a aay sc blo {Wal Daten and Vicorize bale einer tir own bape, ‘or wil the villains be victorious? [ANNE NESBET is the author of the historical middle~ grade novels Cloud and Wallis and The Orphan Band of Springdale, aswell as thre fantasy novels for midle= POTTS Pista aS graders. Her books have vceived numerous accolades, including multiple started reviews and appearances on ‘ON SALE APRIL 14, 2020, NC: 9785362-06397 $18.99 ($24.99 AN) Also available as an e-book and in audio [Ages 8-12 © 268 pages: many best book and notables sts. A professor atthe University of California, Berkeley, Anne Nesbet ives ‘with ee failyin the San, Francisco Bay Area “Fabulous female characters, tender friendships, a fascinating setting, and a page-turing plot, alli one. Anne Nesbet has a brillant lightness of style that makes the whole book sparkle.” Ann Braden, author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus “Dating Darleen, Queen of the Screen has that rate combination of rich historical detail, page-turning, action, and engaging (vibrant! ebullient) voice that keeps you up way past your bedtime. Come forthe fascinating window Into early silent films; stay for narrow escapes, family secrets, nefarious villains, and a deep, authentic friendship between two resourceful girls who bond over lost mothers, the promise of the future, and good cocoa.” —}. Anderson Coats, author of The Green Children of Woolpit and Rls for Rebel & CANDLEWICK PRESS ‘rom. candlewiel. cont AdaringdarleenANNE NESBET DISCUSSES DARING DARLEEN, QUEEN OF THE SCREEN WITH BETSY BIRD This exchange originally appeared in an extended form on the blog A Fuse #8 Production. BETSY BIRD: So! Silent fm eh? There arent et of iddle-grade soxel that center silent film at their core. Brian Selencks Wondersteuck, perp, but mot mach beyond that, Where did the keel of an idea for this Pegs ANNE NESBET: Well This time we can thank my day jab (fm histo- lan and teacher) for providing the seed. Tn fact, the idea for Daring Darlen popped into my bead one morsing a L was walking to class 1 talk about the brave and talented young women who starred in some of the most popula serial adventure films between ate 1912 and 1917. thought to myself, OB, de weal’ tb fmt rite a tery set fn the arly fle worl Cliffegers! Stunt! Tesbnical tric! And webat if a publicity sane in 1914 went guie terribly wrong? YES! BB: So shat kind of research did you conduct for tbs Book? nd i Darleen evel based oma particular tar or would yo ay she a comporitet AN: Thank again to the day jb, Thad been researching ery fn for many years. (Im lucky to be located in the Bay Arca where the Pacific Film Archive and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival are fabulous exoures. For hit particular story I staid upon he history of ‘one ofthe major cinema centers ofits time: Fort Lee, New Jersey 1 watched as many fils from the peiod and from the particular loca- tom as T could find (you should have heard me cheering in the Talian movie theater when a shor fm tured aut tobe all bout the Fort Lee tolley lines in 19140 T toad the 1914 New York Time with cate and delight, as well asthe Moving Picture World (fo film industry ‘updates and gossip) Darleen is a fictional figure, but ofcourse she incorporates aspects of many ofthe famous adventure serial heroines (though Datleen isa lit te younger than the nonfictional sas): Helen Holmes of Te Hazards of Helen, Pearl White of The Peril of Praline and The Esploits of Blaine, Kathlyn Williams of The Adventure of Katyn. Datleen Darling stare hae fesional eater asa child stat, and here I was influenced by an amazingly gifted child ator from the slene peviod, Baby Peggy (ater [known as Diana Serra Cary), whom Ihad the honor to meet several ‘times atthe great silent film festival held each year in Pordenone, aly ‘As of 2019, Baby Peggy is one hundred and ane year olé—the last ivi Your faerie silent film Gol ANNE'S SLIGHTLY SNEAKY ANSWER: I love many silent fils, at also love many books. I eat possibly pick a single favorite, but I ca say that ae accompaniment (a kind of video playlist) for Daring Darleer, the following com nation might be good — William K. Dickson's 1894 Annabelle Butefly Dance (made for Ecdions Kinetoscope) — Alice Guy-Blache's early serpentine dances (several fils available, sade between 1897 and 1902) —While we're at it, Alice Guy-Blachés 1912 Falling Leaver (made at her Solax studio in Fort Lee in 1912), a lovely tle melodama about «girl who tees to save er sling older sister by tying leaver back onto ‘tee branches — Early episodes of the adventure serial Be Hazard of Helen (1914 1917) ace available online: see Helen Holmes leap on and off trains! Two silent comedies that our Daring Daren would surely have appreciated, although they were made inthe 1920s: Buster Keaton's ‘Sherlock Jz (1924), in which Keaton tres to solve a mystery and win the heart ofa gil with the help of great rick sequencer and lots of ‘comedy and Harold Lloyd’ Safty Lat (1923), which is an inered- sbly funny (and suspensefill) movie about climbing up the sides of buildings “Think of Harold Lloyd as the Daring Darleen of his diy! ALSO BY ANNE NESBET Cloud and Watts IC: 978-0-7636-88035 7B: 978-15367-01833, co) ‘so avalable as an e-book and in audio ‘The Orphan Band of Springdale He 978-0-7636-8804-2 PB: g78ess62-1319-5 ‘Also avaliable as an e-book an¢ in audio ¢ CANDLEWICK PRESS