Rosanne Tolin

Kidlit Author

Inspiring Young Readers, One Page at a Time.

Rosanne Tolin

Kidlit Author

Inspiring Young Readers, One Page at a Time.

Rosanne Tolin, KidLit Author

Born and raised in St.Louis, MO, Rosanne Tolin is the author of More Than Marmalade: Michael Bond and The Story Of Paddington Bear and Freedom’s Game. An experienced and respected journalist, her work has focused primarily on children’s publications. She was the creator of an ALA notable website for kids, the managing editor of a children’s magazine, and a Hoosier State Press Award-winning features writer. She lives in Chesterton, Indiana with her husband. When not working, she can be found hiking with her dogs in the Indiana Dunes or Colorado’s Tenmile Range. 

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Rosanne Tolin, KidLit Author
Freedom's Game by author Rosanne Tolin

FREEDOM’S GAME

October 8, 2024 from Reycraft Books

Ziggy and Elka have fled Nazi Germany and are hiding with other Jewish children in an orphanage in the French village of Annemasse. Some villagers are friendly, others part of the Nazi-allied Vichy regime. The trick lies in knowing whom to trust, since a mistake could be deadly. Ziggy is not sure about the mysterious, blond-haired Georges Loinger. Is he a friend, who will lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a foe who is luring them in, only to give them up to the Nazis?

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Freedom’s Game is so many things: an astounding true account; a tense thriller; a testimony to the evil – and the good – of which humans are capable; and, most of all, a story of friendship, hope and kindness in the midst of despair. Rosanne Tolin captures her young protagonists’ voices beautifully, imbuing Ziggy and Elka, Jewish children living on the razor’s edge in World War II France, with raw, authentic emotion and strength. Readers will gasp, cry, and cheer their way through this wonderful historical novel!
–Stacy Nockowitz, National Jewish Book Award-winning author of The Prince of Steel Pier

I held my breath as Elka and Ziggy defied the Nazis and escaped to freedom. A beautifully told, important story. Not to be missed.
–Anne Blankman, author of THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS, winner of the National Jewish Book Award

Tolin’s thrilling, well-researched historical tale of heroism and hope is sure to touch young hearts as it takes readers into the tense world of Jewish children whose survival during the Nazi regime depends on learning who to trust.
–Nancy Churnin, author of National Jewish Book Award winner for Dear Mr. Dickens

More than Marmalade, Michael Bond and the story of Paddington Bear by author Rosanne Tolin

More Than Marmalade

Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear

Author Michael Bond’s beloved storybook icon was inspired by refugee children escaping war.

Michael Bond always felt lucky to grow up in a home full of books. He was also fortunate to have been part of a family loving enough to take in two boys who fled from danger at the outbreak of World War II.

Bond’s response to the plight of refugees and his compassion for immigrants shaped his outlook. They also shaped the manuscript he dashed off in only ten days!

The story he hadn’t much intended to write, A Bear Called Paddington, was about a little bear who tried very hard to do things right. Just like the immigrants and refugees Bond saw all around him, Paddington had to build a new home in a strange place. The character touched readers worldwide and, after a dark couple of years when Bond slid into depression, saved the author who had created him.

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More than Marmalade, Michael Bond and the story of Paddington Bear by author Rosanne Tolin

Sounding a timely note, (Tolin) also weaves in as a recurrent theme experiences with and lifelong sympathies for immigrants—from Jewish Kindertransport refugees and children evacuated from London during the Blitz to later contacts with Afro-Caribbean and West Indian arrivals in London—that informed (Bond’s) most famous creation’s character and overseas origins.
–Kirkus Reviews

A very readable and enjoyable book…this title will delight Paddington fans and appeal to readers who enjoy nonfiction works like the “Who Was?” series.
–School Library Journal

In this first-ever biography of the beloved children’s author, Tolin gives devoted fans a look into Bond’s life and how he stumbled upon the bear that changed him…. Her intimate writing style makes readers feel she is talking directly to them.
–Booklist