In Jasmine A. Stirling’s debut children’s book, A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, she paints a kid-friendly portrait of the literary life of Jane Austen. As a rule-breaking and imaginative child, young Jane was to become one of the first female novelists—and a massively successful one at that. A Most Clever Girl highlights Austen’s determination in the face of adversity in a time when a woman writing books was simply preposterous and the only roles women had in literature (“fluff” she calls it) were one-dimensional. Focusing on Austen’s childhood, Stirling implores children to see themselves in the character enthralled in a world of writing stories in her study, performing plays with her large family in their barn and staging dramatic readings of her work.
Young readers also learn about finding their own voice in this book. Jane’s enthusiasm for writing may stoke the fires of creativity for children reading along, but Stirling believes this is not enough. Had Austen contented herself with simply continuing to write the stories that merely captivated her family, she would not have pushed herself to write stories with a deeper personal meaning. Stirling uses the heartache and chaos Jane endured during her formative years to show how it fueled Austen to stop merely “poking fun at the fluff” and write stories about larger themes with complex characters. Children can take away concepts like perseverance, self-discovery, humility and self-confidence from A Most Clever Girl.
Beautifully illustrated thematically to match the emotional tone of Austen’s struggles and triumphs, Vesper Stamper leads young readers’ eyes through the imaginative world of a future iconic novelist. Children will enjoy the fine details on each page, which create a timeless, yet not out of place, view of 18th century England. A Most Clever Girl is a fitting book to either read aloud to a child, for early readers who want to read along with their parents or for middle-grade readers.
As a bonus to our readers, Jasmine is offering a Jane Austen-themed gift basket giveaway! Read below for details.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
- A picnic basket filled with:
- A copy of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, signed by author Jasmine A. Stirling
- A vintage teacup
- 1 oz of tea From Adagio Teas
- Truffles from Moonstruck Chocolates
- Gardenia hand cream
- A set of Jane Austen playing cards
- A $15 gift certificate to Jasmine A. Stirling’s Austenite Etsy Shop, Box Hill Goods
Two (2) winners receive:
- A copy of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, signed by author Jasmine A. Stirling
How to Enter
- Fill out the required fields in the form below. It may take a moment to load.
- You can also gain daily bonus entries through the entry form.
The giveaway begins March 16, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends April 16, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT. No purchase necessary. US only.
Or use this link.
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Jasmine A. Stirling is an author who lives on a cheerful street in San Francisco with her husband, two daughters, and their dog. From a young age, she loved to write poems and stories, and worked her way through nearly every children’s book (and quite a few for grownups, too) in her local library. Jasmine first fell in love with Jane Austen as a student at Oxford, where she read her favorite of Jane’s six masterful novels, Persuasion. Before becoming an author, Jasmine was a c-level executive working in education technology companies. A Most Clever Girl is her first book. Visit her website and follow her on Instagram, where she posts about kidlit and life with two young girls.
