Susan Vizurraga
Adult, Young Adult, Middle Grade and Picture Book Writer
WILLIAMINA FLEMING, ASTRONOMER
An Imagined Memoir
"An engaging, thoughtful introduction to an overlooked scientific pioneer."--Kirkus Reviews
Inspired by the voice of the young Scottish immigrant who, pregnant and abandoned by her husband, became a maid in the household of the Director of the Harvard College Observatory, this historical fiction novel-in-verse describes the rise of Williamina Fleming from maid to one of the Harvard Women Computers to discoverer of stars and the first woman to hold office at Harvard University. Struggling to provide for her son and advocating for women in the workplace during the Gilded Age, Fleming's star rose along with the use of photography to investigate and vastly expand the understanding of the universe.
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Read the Kirkus review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/susan-vizurraga/williamina-fleming-astronomer/
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Buy the paperback or ask your favorite bookstore to order from Ingram distributors: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=BpCPlzf1ddYSYfvr1W4DpXHzTby8a5go2CijOgniL4f
Buy a signed copy by completing the contact form below
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Buy the Kindle e-book or paperback on Amazon.com: https://a.co/d/5xbtsvS
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Our Old House
"Old houses are filled with stories and secrets. But they often need the kindness of a thoughtful person to discover their hidden treasures. After moving into an old Victorian house, a little girl finds many surprises, like a child's name scratched into the kitchen door, a wisteria vine that curls around the front porch, and a cracked glass marble with a swirl of green inside.
Set in the present but drawing on the memory and imagination of the past, this charming story explores the little things that make a house that special place we call home."​
A Junior Library Guild Selection
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Buy a signed copy by completing the contact form.
Miss Opal's Auction
"A rusty blue scooter that pulls to the right; a box of old cookie tins; a hand-cranked ice-cream churn . . .
At Miss Opal's auction, a young child sadly watches as her neighbor's belongings--one by one--are sold off, and taken away in the hands of strangers.
This tender story explores a special relationship between a child and an older woman, and the different feelings associated with having to say good-bye. In thoughtful words and beautiful oil paintings, Miss Opal's Auction celebrates friendship and the passing of memories from one generation to the next."
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Buy a signed copy by completing the contact form
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About the Author
Susan Vizurraga is the author of Williamina Fleming, Astronomer, an imagined memoir based on the life of the Scottish immigrant who began as a maid and became an astronomer.
She is also the author of the picture books Our Old House (illustrated by Leslie Baker) and Miss Opal's Auction (illustrated by Mark Graham), both published by Henry Holt.
She has been a K-8 special education teacher, a middle school English teacher, and a college instructor. She is a volunteer docent, leading school tours at the Georgia Museum of Art.
She lives on a tiny farm in Watkinsville, Georgia, where she grows flowers, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, tomatoes, and muscadines. She usually works on the house or the garden by day, and reads and writes into the night.
Contact
​For interviews, speaking engagements, or school visits, please contact Susan using the form at right with your name, email, and message.
For a signed paperback copy of Williamina Fleming, Astronomer, a signed hardcover copy of Our Old House, or a signed hardcover copy of Miss Opal's Auction, please use this form, including which book(s) and any specific inscription you would like in addition to the author signature. The cost is $25 per signed book, which includes tax, shipping, and handling. You will receive a link for payment when we receive your request.
For rights information on Williamina Fleming, Astronomer, please use the same form.
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For rights information on Our Old House or Miss Opal's Auction, please contact Macmillan Publishers.
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