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What is Home?
The Girl from Korn follows an eleven-year-old Mennonite girl leaving Russia for Oklahoma in 1903, who exsperances a harsh new land and strict community that tests her courage, faith, and understanding of what it truly means to find home. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
This story is inspired by my grandmother’s family memoir. She was born in Corn, Oklahoma, and often spoke about her grandparents’ move to Corn and what life was like during that time. One day, after visiting Corn and seeing my ancestors’ gravestones in the cemetery, the idea for this story began to take shape in my mind. I started researching what life was like back then and created a strong-willed, curious character named Tillie as part of the DeFehr family.
How does Tillie’s journey resonate with modern immigration stories?
There are so many heart breaking stories right now about immigrants and the way they negative ways they are treated. For this reason, I wanted to include Tillie’s arrival to New York City and her seeing the Statue of Liberty, as a simple reminder that most of us descended from immigrants and the U.S. has a history of welcoming others from across the globe. We need to keep finding ways to take care of each other and treat each other with respect and kindness.
Family bonds are a major theme. Which relationship was most meaningful for you to write?
I appreciate Tillie’s relationships with several characters in the story. I admire how she struggles to understand her mother but ultimately comes to terms with her. I also love her bond with Preacher; he is kind, humble, and genuinely listens to Tillie. However, the most significant relationship is with her sister, Teenie. Tragically, Teenie passes away at the end of the book, and Tillie and her family each navigate their grief in different ways. This resonates with me personally, as my own sister passed away last year after a long illness. Therefore, Tillie’s relationship with Teenie reflects my experiences with my sister in many ways.
The idea of “home” evolves throughout the story. What do you hope readers take away about belonging?
I think our ideas of what is home changes over our lifetime, especially if you grow up in more than one culture. Tillie’s home kept changing, but ultimately it was always where her family was. However, she had to learn a new language, live in different houses, experience a new way of life. She had to contiually adapt in order to belong. Many of us do that thoughout our lives as well.
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At the turn of the century, Anna Mathilda DeFehr, known as Tillie to her friends and family, sets off on a life-changing journey from Europe to America. Immigrating with her Mennonite family, Tillie braves the open sea, a long train from the shining New York harbor to the rolling plains of Oklahoma, and the strange new world she finds herself in.
As her family journeys from the cramped and crowded steerage of a ship to the bustling crowds of Ellis Island, then again to settle in a quiet community that doesn’t understand her way of life, Tillie faces countless challenges: Learning a brand new language. Adjusting to life in a sod house. Confronting the elements and unsuitable living conditions. And, most of all, finding out how on earth she can call this place her home.
This historical fiction story explores how one girl’s faith, hope, and love for her family can propel her through a storm of obstacles to claim her rightful place within her own heart. With allies like Julius, a book-loving new friend, and Crazy Wolf, a member of the local Arapahoe tribe who introduces her to a new world, Tillie learns that home is something you build—it’s who you are and the people you belong to.
A captivating tale of the might of innocence to break barriers and adapt to change, The Girl from Korn inspires young readers to embrace their cultural roots while exploring the beauty of discovery in brand new places.
The Girl from Korn
Set in 1903, the story follows Anna Mathilda “Tillie” DeFehr on a long, perilous passage to a new life. She leaves Russia with her family and arrives in the United States. A brief glimpse of the Statue of Liberty marks the threshold. Then the journey continues to Oklahoma, where they settle among a strict Mennonite community.
From there, the book becomes a clear-eyed record of Tillie’s new reality. The American plains feel stark. Daily life demands grit. Adaptation comes slowly and often hurts. Hard lessons land early and keep coming. Yet the narrative never turns bleak. Warmth appears in ordinary moments. Joy shows up in family bonds, small victories, and shared routines. The result feels grounded and honest, capturing the immigrant experience at the turn of the nineteenth century into the twentieth.
The Girl from Korn, by Eileen Hobbs, reads as young adult historical fiction. It will likely resonate most with readers around ages 9–12. At times, it carries echoes of the Little House on the Prairie books. Familiar in the best way. Rooted in place, work, and family.
The novel unfolds as Tillie’s first-person account. She begins on her eleventh birthday, still aboard the ship, nearing her new home. Fear shapes those early pages. Homesickness presses in. Disorientation feels inevitable. She is leaving everything behind during a formative stretch of childhood, right on the edge of adolescence.
Once in Oklahoma, the detail becomes the book’s strength. The days are long. The labor is relentless. Community rules tighten the world even further. Tillie endures it with stubborn courage. She stays resourceful. She stays determined. Most of all, she stays connected to her family, and that connection steadies the story.
In the end, Hobbs delivers a strong and satisfying YA historical novel, with crossover appeal for older readers. The prose is vivid without being fussy. Scenes come into focus quickly and linger. The author’s inspiration, stories passed down from her great-great-grandparents, adds texture and conviction, giving the book the feel of a lived memory rendered into fiction.
Pages: 250 | ASIN : B0FZG1B334
The Heath Cousins and the Silver Statue
Addie B., Wanderer and traveler to the magical land of Ambra, faces an insurmountable challenge as spring break begins. Visiting London with her parents, Addie receives a disconcerting letter from her cousin Jack, who has shared many adventures to the land of Ambra alongside her. Jack shares the unsettling news that he is beginning to forget the quests of Ambra, urging Addie to write down the stories of the magical world before all memory of them is forever lost. Feeling the sting of dread and missing her cousin dearly, Addie B. once again finds herself returning to the world of Ambra. Meeting a host of new characters and joined by dear friends from previous adventures, Addie must fight as never before to outwit the forces of darkness and guide her companions on the way back home.
I loved the enchantment of the world and felt a connection to Addie B. and her numerous friends. Each character was distinctive, from conflicted Peter to stalwart Max to my personal favorite, adorable, tiny Lulu. There were plenty of succinct recaps, which helped a new reader not to be lost in the story. The only exception was the lack of description of the antagonist Daiyu, whom I mistakenly thought was a sorcerer for about a third of the book rather than an elderly sorceress.
A concise adventure that contains just as much action as a full-length novel, Addie B.’s journey through Ambra is full of inner turmoil. Acceptance, forgiveness, courage, and moving forward are the main thrusts of the story, as the many new characters introduced seem to be setting the stage for a new phase of adventures. I loved the world, the characterization, and the good story about the cousins’ special bond. However, the conclusion to this tale had many notes of grief within it. After all, is said and done, the ending pages leave off like a symphony on a half-note, leaving the reader with both hope for future adventures in Ambra and a feeling of utter finality.
The Heath Cousins and the Silver Statue by Eileen Hobbs is a fast-paced, perfectly sized adventure in a wondrous parallel world. This children’s fantasy is filled with magic and adventure that will captivate young readers and keep them engaged from start to finish.
Pages: 180 | ASIN : B0B1W2HXTL
Into Their Imaginary Games
The Heath Cousins and the Ruby Lantern follows a precocious child on a precarious quest to return a precious jewel. What were some sources that informed this story’s development?
This is Book 4 in the series. Addie B. and her cousins are introduced in Book 1, The Moonstone Cave. It is summer time and they are visiting their grandfather after the death of their grandmother Winnie who they were all very close to. Since Addie B. grew up in England and since I am a huge Anglophile, I wanted to follow that thread in the future books. So in Book 2, Kingsgate Bridge, the cousins come visit her in her English village during Christmas time. In Book 3, they are vacationing together in North Carolina when they find a gateway to the Crystal Canyon. In Book 4, I took Addie B. and the cousins back to London so I could incorporate some of London’s famous places in it. I love the British Museum and wanted to include that in Book 4. I love introducing different cultures into my books (I grew up in Asia) and so I wanted to include China Town in it somehow.
I love the mystery of jewels and crystals, their alledged “powers”, and I thought wouldn’t it be cool to include gems and names of gems throughout the books. Many of the characters are named after gemstones: Gemma, Jadira (jade), Daiyu (black jade), Saphira (book 1), etc. The stones they wear and the adventures they go through bring out the talents and gifts that they already have. Addie B. already loves languages, Bodi loves animals and so on.
The characters in the book were fun to follow. What were some ideas that guided their development?
The main characters are based on my two sons and their cousins when they were young. Addie B. is based on my niece Rebecca, who is wicked smart and was often stand-offish with the boys and loved to read. But the boys could always coax her into their imaginary games! They loved playing outside and pretending to be in a different world. I started Book 1 at that point, (fifteen years ago!) but I didn’t finish it until a few years ago. Of course they are grown now, but there are many second round of cousins that I continue to draw inspiration from and that help shape my characters.
It was important to me that their grandmother Winnie was of Native American heritage (Book 1) and that Jack had those physical characteristics. When they first meet Gemma, she reminds them of their grandmother Winnie. (I wrote this part because my grandmother had just passed away at the time and my kids and niece and nephew had been quite close to her. Rebecca especially shared a birthday and name with my grandmother.) Both of my boys are of Native American and Hispanic heritage and I wanted to reflect that as well. Its important to me to have diverse characters so more kids can have someone to relate to. Mai Li and several Asian themes play a big part in the Ruby Lantern as you know, and since I grew up in Asia, I wanted to share some of those themes in the book.
The Garden of Choice is an imaginative place. How did you come about the idea for this place and how did it change as you wrote?
When I wrote Book 1 and introduced the Garden of Choice, I didn’t have plans to write any others. But then, ideas for the next book started coming and I thought, why don’t the cousins find out that the Garden of Choice is only a small part of this magical world and that there are many different gateways to it? So I gradually added more details in each book (in Book 2 I added a Story Arch that showed a history of some of the characters and the names of some of the gateways). Book 3, the Crystal Canyon, shows them a whole map of a land named Ambra (meaning Amber) with the Garden of Choice as only a part of that. (I always loved maps in books!) Of course, all of these were influenced by my favorite books and series such as The Chronicles of Narnia and when my kids were young, I loved reading The Magic Treehouse to them. I write the kind of stories that I loved reading when I was young.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on two books right now. One is Book 5, (and probably the last) of the Heath Cousins – The Silver Statue. I’m not sure when it will be out. Maybe Christmas? It also starts out in London but Addie B. must begin her journey alone. Book 5 wraps up some of the cousins’ adventures and introduces new characters who could be main characters in any future Heath Cousins series.
The other book I have been working on for a while is kind of a love letter to Thailand where I grew up. It is called “Under the Golden Raintree”. It is about a young Thai girl named Lily who lives in a Northern village in the mountains. She has a handicapped hand and is not able to help her father farm or her mother to sew beads on bracelets. She is often bullied by the kids in the village. But one day, “under the golden raintree”, she meets a baby white elephant who she names Rambu. Rambu makes Lily feel loved and gives her confidence in herself. She must keep Rambu a secret, however, because white elephants are considered sacred and Lily must protect him from others who would want to capture him and send him away to the King’s Palace. Anyway, its a blend of my memories growing up there and some “myths” that are very much a part of the Thai culture. I love the story, and I hope to finish it up soon.
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The Heath Cousins and the Ruby Lantern
Heath Cousins and The Ruby Lantern by Eileen Hobbs is an enchanting adventure tale where we are taken into a whimsical land with the main character Addie. B, a bright and imaginative child who with the help of a moonstone ring can translate other languages. Addie and her mother head out to do some shopping, during their adventure Addie spots an opening into another world, which she had visited before. In this world there is a garden of choice which leads them to Ambra, the main part of this other world. Addie enlists the help of her cousins, then they head off on a whirlwind adventure where they solve problems and discover clues that cause them to be riddled with curiosities and ensure many more visits to the garden of choice in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this imaginative adventure novel by author Eileen Hobbs. This is a classic adventure story that took me back to my own childhood and filled with me the same sense of wonder that I had back then. Overall, I found the characters to be charming and a joy to follow through this adventure. I liked the author’s voice and enchanting atmosphere that she effortlessly creates in this novel.
While I heartily enjoyed the story, I felt that the child sometimes felt older than their age, hopping on planes and running off on their own. But how else would you find yourself into and out of these compelling adventures.
Heath Cousins and The Ruby Lantern is a book I can see myself reading as a child, curled up at night with a night light, reading until I fall asleep. This is a well crafted and fun sword and sorcery story that will appeal to anyone looking for a timeless children’s fantasy story.
Pages: 166 | ASIN: B08XTST3MZ
