The Memory Quilt: A Tale of Friends & Family Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918 [Paperback]

Pamela J. Erickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

History, fantasy and mystery combine in this fictional account of the Cloquet fire and its aftermath, which is woven against the town's genuine concerns over World War I and the escalating Spanish flu epidemic. Lisa Hanson falls asleep in present day Cloquet, and wakes up to find she's been transported back in time to Cloquet on the day of the fire. Everyone she meets thinks she's Liisa Maki, her grandma's oldest sister who disappeared that day and was never heard of again. Lisa, who was named after her great aunt, has the benefit of hindsight, but is unable to do anything about the events that are about to take place.  The one thing she can do is find out what happened to Liisa. By the end of her eye-opening journey into the past, Lisa not only solves that mystery, but receives answers to questions in the present that she didn't even know she had.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Expert Pub Inc (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193194508X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931945080
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,018,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, August 7, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memory Quilt: A Tale of Friends & Family Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918 (Paperback)

Author Pam Erickson is the third generation to grow up in Cloquet, Minnesota. Her father's parents survived the fire of 1918, and The Memory Quilt was inspired by their story.

Lisa Hanson is ill with the flu. For comfort her mother gives Lisa her Grandmother Inga's quilt to wrap herself in while she recovers. Lisa cuddles in the quilt, thinking loving thoughts of her beloved grandmother, and soon falls asleep. She awakes to find herself in Cloquet, Minnesota on October 12, 1918-the day the entire city burned, killing many people. And not only is Lisa in another time, but she has become her great-aunt Liisa, who was never found following the fire.

Lisa (Liisa) knows what is about to happen to the town of Cloquet and its residents but is unable to do anything about the terrifying events. She can, however, find out what happened to her great-aunt Liisa. The frightening thing is that as Liisa, she might die in the fire. Does Lisa survive? Does she solve the mystery?

The Memory Quilt is a wonderful Young Adult novel filled with adventure, mystery, history, and terrifying events that will keep the reader turning the pages and will encourage them to ask questions about their own family history. And they too can play a grand game of "what if?"

I strongly recommend The Memory Quilt for a grand and exciting read. The part the quilt plays in the mystery is fascinating!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story...Great book for all ages, March 13, 2004

By 

Paul J Carlson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memory Quilt: A Tale of Friends & Family Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918 (Paperback)

I happen to be from Cloquet, MN, but that's not the only reason why I recommend this book.....it was a great story, well written and I was completely captured by the story! I originally had an interest due to the subject, and my interest in reading it along with my daughter. I began reading, and before long, I couldn't put it down - I finished it on my own. I look forward to reading it again with my daughter. I sincerely recommend this book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling and intriguing historical insights, January 21, 2004

By 

Pat Spielman (Prior Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memory Quilt: A Tale of Friends & Family Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918 (Paperback)

I loved this book. It blends historical fact with an imaginative "what was it like to be there?" fantasy that is very engaging. The Memory Quilt is also a bittersweet family story that showcases a girl's special relationship with her grandmother, and the grandmother's enduring connection to a lost sister. Historical detail about the Cloquet fire and rural life in early 1900s Minnesota is woven throughout and makes this a must-read for any local historian.