0 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:0.0

more photos (1)

Candace Fleming’s Followers (625)

Candace’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (0)
read (0)

Candace Fleming

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.candacefleming.com/

Genre

Children's, History, Young Adult

Member Since

July 2014

edit data

I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.

Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calli I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.

Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.

In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.

As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.

After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.

But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun. ...more

51 posts
Candace Fleming's Blog

Bulldozer’s Big Day in Romania

[image error]Eric and I are honored that Bulldozer’s Big Day was selected to be distributed to at-risk children throughout Romania. Translated into Romanian, the book takes on a different significance in its new role as ambassador for education.

Here’s the story, presented as Leslie Hawke wrote it, for those of you who might like to found a program like this, which is highly successful!

“I

Combine Editions
Candace Fleming’s books

Average rating: 4.02 · 67,165 ratings · 11,745 reviews · 66 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia 4.16 avg rating — 13,455 ratings — published 2014 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart 3.82 avg rating — 8,208 ratings — published 2011 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fatal Throne by Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author), M.T. Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 6,765 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oh, No! by Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author), Eric Rohmann (Illustrator) 3.96 avg rating — 3,498 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author), G. Brian Karas (Illustrator) 4.07 avg rating — 3,041 ratings — published 2002 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II 4.07 avg rating — 2,977 ratings — published 2024 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author), G. Brian Karas (Illustrator) 4.08 avg rating — 2,326 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author), Eric Rohmann (Illustrator) 4.54 avg rating — 1,943 ratings — published 2020 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave 3.67 avg rating — 1,931 ratings — published 2012 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author), Stacey Dressen-McQueen (Illustrator) 4.51 avg rating — 1,507 ratings — published 2003 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Candace Fleming…

Series by Candace Fleming

Aesop Elementary School (2 books)
by

Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author)

3.78 avg rating — 1,414 ratings

History Pals (2 books)
by

Candace Fleming (Goodreads Author)

3.87 avg rating — 627 ratings

rss
Candace’s Recent Updates

Candace Fleming wrote a new blog post More On Audience.… Years ago, I reluctantly planted a vegetable garden. I wasn’t especially compelled to dig around in the dirt, but my then-first grader desperately wan Read more of this blog post »
Nov 09, 2024 02:56AM · like

More of Candace's books…

Quotes by Candace Fleming (?)

“We may just be specters in this world, but our stories, if they are remembered and retold, become real and solid and alive... Once you hear a story, it becomes part of you. It can't die.”
― Candace Fleming, On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave

tags: immortality, memory, stories

16 likes

“Once you hear a story, it becomes part of you. It can't die.”
― Candace Fleming, On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave

7 likes

“Oh, how I prefer the honest violence of men, who will bash in another man's skull and be done, to the thousand shallow cuts of women's malice.”
― Candace Fleming, Fatal Throne

tags: bullying, men-vs-women, pain, violence

7 likes

See all Candace Fleming's quotes »

Polls

Which book would you give a 2015 Newbery honor award to?

These books were chosen from our Lists, Lists, and More Lists thread.

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

12 votes 13.6%

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

10 votes 11.4%

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

9 votes 10.2%

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

9 votes 10.2%

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

8 votes 9.1%

El Deafo by Cece Bell

8 votes 9.1%

West of the Moon by Margi Preus

8 votes 9.1%

Revolution by Deborah Wiles

5 votes 5.7%

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

5 votes 5.7%

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage

3 votes 3.4%

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord

3 votes 3.4%

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

2 votes 2.3%

Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

2 votes 2.3%

Nest by Esther Ehrlich

0 votes 0.0%

88 total votes

3 comments

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The History Book ...: 3. NO ORDINARY TIME ~ CHAPTER 4 (81 -105) (11/02/09 - 11/08/09) ~ No spoilers, please	36	67	Jan 03, 2010 06:14PM
Challenge: 50 Books: Sarah's 50 in 2010	25	94	Aug 22, 2010 04:40PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	3022	3286	Aug 31, 2010 10:39PM
Nothing But Readi...: Level 3 of the Serious Readers Challenge for 2011	167	291	Jan 01, 2012 08:27PM
Wild Things: YA G...: Reading Challenge #10: Report Points Here	190	128	Jan 03, 2012 10:01AM
One Million Pages...: Stephanie's Challenges for 2012	10	26	Jan 07, 2012 09:08PM
Into the Forest: February 2012 - Little Red Hen	39	50	Mar 30, 2012 11:29AM
Book Nook Cafe: Freedom From Fear- David M. Kennedy- January 2012	353	95	Jul 11, 2012 06:10AM
Book Nook Cafe: favorite quotes - Thread #2 -	329	123	Dec 31, 2012 08:35AM