Sunfire

Series · 32

books · 1984-1989

By Jane Claypool Miner, Vivian Schurfranz, Mary Francis Shura, and more

Books in series

Amanda

1984

Torn from her, she fought and loved her way across a savage new land. 1846 — From Boston Nightly Balls to Independence, Missouri and on the the Oregon Trail. With only a silk dress to protect her from the blazing frontier sun, Amanda fears she will die on the Oregon Trail. As the memories of Boston, the nightly balls, and Joseph fade, the hardships of life on the wagon train fill her days. Changing from a spoiled city girl to a strong young woman, Amanda finds drought and death, beauty and joy, and a love that will last forever.

Susannah

1984

The South that raised her was at war, while Susannah's own battle raged in her heart.... Susannah had lived her sixteen years as a proper Virginia girl - obedient, dreaming of marriage, leaving the decisions to the men. But when her brother and her fiancé are called on to defend the South, Susannah takes the first daring steps of rebellion against the old rules. She must fight for her own life, for her family, and for the secret love born in the flames of war.

Elizabeth

1984

In a time of treachery and terror, loving the wrong man could be a deadly risk. Did she dare follow her heart? When someone points an accusing finger and cries "Witch!" Elizabeth face a choice—between a lie that could doom a friend, and the truth that would threaten her own life. The truth could also ruin wealthy Troy's love for Elizabeth and reveal her own attraction to a stranger—a wild and ruthless boy who shares her fear and courage

Danielle

1984

Twice she'd lost her heart, but who was her life-long love? It is 1814 when New Orleans beauty Danielle Verlaine helps Geoffrey, a young pirate, escape from her family's plantation and the authorities. Immediately she is captivated by his dashing good looks and dangerous lifestyle. While her fiancé, Paul, is both handsome and sweet, Danielle yearns for something more. Her chance comes when the pirate's kidnap her and hold her for ransom. Danielle comes face to face with Geoffrey again. A love stirs inside her, and the spirited Danielle must decide between a comfortable life with Paul or an adventure as a pirate queen.

Joanna

1984

The chance for a new life, the hope for a new love... Were they worth the risk of leaving home? Would she have to defy everything—even love? From her simple farm life in Vermont, Joanna bravely joins the growing number of girls working in the textile mills in 1836. With her she carries the painful memory of Jed, a young man who has left her, loving the sea more then he loves her. In the Lowell, Massachusetts, mill, Joanna is horrified to find the work both grueling and dangerous. Even a romance with the mill owner's roguish nephew, Theo, can't keep the daily work from becoming terrifying drudgery. To strike with the other mill women seems Joanna's only way out of a job that threatens her very existence. But defying the miller owner's will certainly mean losing her job and Theo. And if Jed ever returns from the sea, would he recognize—could he love—the new Joanna?

Jessica

1984

She lived in a time when loving the wrong man could mean exile from her home. One Man would love her; one man would lose her. Jessica had lived all her life on the flat Kansas prairie. It was there, the year she turned sixteen, that Jessica fell in love. The young Indian brave, Wheeling Hawk, saved her from a flood, and Jessica's heart was lost. But even the most spirited young woman would have to defy her family and home for so distant a love. And Jessica couldn't see in Will Reynold's eyes, where once there was anger, there now shone a love of his own.

Caroline

1984

Her disguise would keep her safe, but not from love. If only men and boys were going to California, then Caroline would become a—boy! Caroline just wants the same adventures her brothers have. But they're headed west to California to find gold, and that's no place for a girl to be. So Caroline takes matters—and scissors—into her own hands. By cutting her hair and donning the clothes of a gold-hungry young boy, Caroline goes west. One of the young men traveling with her was handsome Dan Riddle, who treats her the way he would any young boy. But underneath the clothes of the boys pounds the heart a young woman, and while Caroline thinks her quest is for adventure, she finds that it is for love.

Kathleen

1985

Behind her was the home she could never return to. Ahead was the shining promise of America...and love. There were times she wished she'd never come to America. Pretty, spirited Kathleen O’Connor arrives in Boston on a “coffin” ship from Ireland. She has escaped the devastating famine, but her boyfriend died at home and her parents didn’t survive the voyage to America. Still, the promise of a new life gives her hope. Patrick, a friend from the ship, finds a job for her as a maid with the wealthy Thornley family. They remind Kathleen of the landowners in Ireland who forced her from her home. She wants to despise them, but she can’t hate David Thornley, who is tender and handsome, and obviously attracted to her. Her secret love for David could force Kathleen to go back to Ireland or make her dreams for a new life in America come true.

Marilee

1985

One man will love her, one protect her, one understand her. Whom will she choose? From the calm of England to the wilds of the new colony, Marilee is torn between three loves... Until her father dies, Marilee lives a peaceful life in England. Suddenly she must cross the ocean to Jamestown, Virginia, to join her brother and his new wife. She is little prepared for the jealous resentment of her sister-in-law, the constant threat of Indian attacks, or so many suitors. Ship's officer Philip Soames is kind and attentive but often at sea. Michael Braden is dashing by mysterious; and Timothy Reeves, indentured servant to her brother, is insolent but charming. Thrust on her own in this forbidding land, Marilee must follow her heart to find the one she truly loves.

#10

Laura

1985

There was a fierce war raging abroad, and another in her heart. While men are fighting overseas in World War I, lovely Laura Mitchell is caught up in the struggle for women's rights in the Washington, D. C. of 1918. Dismayed by her willingness to go to jail for her beliefs, Laura's mother and sister encourage her to pay more attention to her suitors. Laura only has eyes for her neighbor Joe Menotti, who treats her like a kid sister. But her brother's friend, Shawn O'Brien, sweeps her off her feet with his Irish charm and dashing good looks. Yet everyone but Joe wants her to give up her ideals. Should she change herself, try to change the man she loves, or follow her conscience to the man who is waiting with open arms?

#11

Emily

1985

Born to enormous wealth, she longed for something that money couldn't buy. She could have anything in the world she wanted - but the one she loved. At the turn of the century, Emily Blackburn is a wealthy New York society girl who has everything a girl could dream of. She wears the latest Parisian fashions, and is escorted to parties by the adoring and rich Worthington Bates. But amid the social whirl she feels empty and restless. When she meets the handsome Dr. Stephen Reed, she defies her parents and volunteers at the public hospital where he works. Helping there fills her life with new meaning, and Stephen stirs her heart with love. But he only sees her as a spoiled rich girl. Emily must prove that she isn’t useless and cares about others, most of all, about him.

#12

Jacquelyn

1985

How can she think only of herself in these hard times? Living in Chicago in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Jacquelyn Penelope Carleton sees poverty and suffering everywhere. But as the daughter of one of the richest families in the city, she never expects to experience it herself. Then her father loses his fortune in the crash and suffers a debilitating stroke. Suddenly Jacky must support her entire family, and she has never worked a day in her life! Kind, handsome Stefan offers her marriage as an escape from her problems, and David opens her eyes to the dazzling, turbulent world of show business. She must choose between the two men, but doing so will tear her heart in two. Should she choose the comfort of safety or risk everything for excitement?

#13

Victoria

1985

Texas' pride was in her blood, burning love was in her heart. A dashing Texan or a proud Mexican. Which man would win her love? To beautiful, lovely Victoria Winters, Texas in 1835 is a place where parties last for three days. It's also a place of turmoil and violence. A war with Mexico can't be far off. Luis Artisa, the son of a wealthy Mexican landowner, offers Victoria security and comfort, but would she ever be able to adjust to his way of life? Cade Riley is a ruggedly handsome Texas ranger who loves Victoria. But he can't marry her until - or if - he returns from the battlefields. What will become of Victoria's Texas and the men she loves?

#14

Cassie

1985

Her love was as wild and untameable as the frontier itself. Her brave heart is torn between two worlds. Ever since blonde Cassie Stevens was captured by the Indians at the age of four she has loved her Iroquois family, and at fifteen she can shoot and ride as well as any warrior. Then her world is destroyed when passion drives her from the only home she knows. Where does Cassie truly belong? In the arms of the handsome and adventurous fur trapper Joshua, or in the town where she was born, with Ben who mistrusts her Indian spirit?

#15

Roxanne

1985

From small town girl to Hollywood star, her heart would belong to only one boy. Theirs would be the greatest love story Hollywood had ever known. Roxanne has come from a small town to Hollywood with one dream: to become a star. And she will do anything to succeed: change her looks, her name, and her friends. She has to decide if she should succumb to John Randolph, the movie producer's son, who can introduce her to all the right people. Or if she should follow her heart to Gary Marlowe, a glittering star who has eyes for all of the beautiful bit players and extras on the set. But Roxanne knows she is not going to settle for being just another extra - to Gary or to Hollywood ... she's going to have it all!

#16

Megan

1986

In Alaska in 1867, sixteen-year-old Megan O'Brien is torn between the love of Adam Logan, the dashing son of a powerful American merchant, and Ivan Petrov, a Russian fisherman

#17

Sabrina

1986

To be a Patriot must she betray the man she loves? Her country asks her to risk her life. Can she find the courage to do it? In 1780, the Revolutionary War still rages violently, especially in Charleston, South Carolina, where orphaned, 16-year-old Sabrina Robbins lives and works in her uncle's shop. Sabrina, a staunch Patriot, is in love with Martin Cresswell, a handsome Tory. Even though they are on opposite sides politically, Sabrina believes their love can survive. But when she meets Richard Taylor, a brave but arrogant Patriot spy, she is confused. How can she be so attracted to Richard, if she loves Martin? When Sabrina's uncle becomes ill, Sabrina has to take over his role in the spy ring, even though doing so means betraying Martin, and risking her own life. She knows that Richard thinks some things—freedom and love—are worth any risks. But will she find the courage to fight for freedom and choose between the two men who love her?

#18

Veronica

1986

World War II threatens to destroy her home and her first chance for love. Her heart is filled with love for a man she may never see again. To 16-year-old Veronica Stewart, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941 is a tropical paradise. Pretty and popular, her biggest worry is how to tell her longtime boyfriend, Mike, that she'd like to date other boys - especially Phillip, a handsome sailor stationed at the base. But December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and America enters World War II, changes everything. Both Phillip and Mike are called to duty and both realize they are in love with Veronica. She is terrified for their safety but keeps busy working as a hospital volunteer. Veronica faces hardship and danger, but the work helps her grow into a woman and to realize which man she truly loves. Will he come back to Hawaii to claim Veronica's heart?

#19

Nicole

1986

Wealthy, sixteen-year-old Nicole Sanders encounters tragedy and romance with two very different men—Karl, a young immigrant, and English aristocrat Price Armsey—when she and her mother sail home aboard the Titanic.

#20

Julie

1986

Julie, a young telegrapher whose family is working on the first transcontinental railroad, is torn between charming Dylan O'Kelly and serious Samuel Harper

#21

Rachel

1986

America promised her a new life and a new love. Can she be true to her heritage and to the boy she loves? It is 1910 and 16-year-old Rachel Roth and her family are immigrants from Poland to America. When Rachel sees the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, she catches her breath. The magnificent statue seems to promise her a better life. While life in bustling New York City turns out to be hard, Rachel is happy with her new country and her job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Unaware that a tragedy at the factory is about to happen, Rachel thrives on the admiration of handsome Joshua Fine, who wants a traditional home with her by his side. But when Rachel meets Nathan Meyers, an energetic reporter who loves her and wants her to be as modern, as American, as he is, Rachel is uncertain. To be American, must she give up her past? Will her heritage, or her heart, determine the boy she loves?

#22

Corey

1986

Freedom gave her the right to live, the chance to love. She escaped from the South to the North, where a boy captured her heart. In 1864, 16-year-old Corey has known only slavery. But she is courageous and spirited, and though Ned, a handsome slave from the same South Carolina plantation, hopes to marry her some day, Corey longs for a better life. Then the Civil War tears Corey's family apart, but Corey escapes from slavery. Freedom isn't easy, however. Corey can't find her family, and Ned tells her he is running off to fight. Corey has no one left she can trust, so she heads north to Philadelphia. Here she finds a new home and new friends. And she meets Penn Wilson, a dashing young man who captures her heart and introduces her to a new, free world. But when Ned asks Corey to go West with him, the choices freedom brings seem harder than ever. Will Corey join Ned? Or will she return to the South to help her people - alongside Penn?

#23

Heather

1987

She is brave enough for life in the new world - but is she brave enough for love? Two men love her - but one of them might be plotting to kill her. Formal balls and hired thugs, excitement and danger and love are all part of life in New York in 1665. And 16-year-old Heather Lawson is part of it, too. She and her father have settled on Willow Acres, a land grant along the Hudson River from King Charles of England. But someone doesn't want them there. Is it their mysterious neighbor, Lord Downing, whose handsome, arrogant son Michael is painting Heather's portrait? Is it laughing, blond Jan Van Ryswyk, a Dutch riverboatman who says he loves Heather and wants to marry her? On the night Lord Downing holds a formal ball, Willow Acres' crops are destroyed by fire. All the evidence seems to point to Jan and the Dutch, but Heather is not so sure. If she is wrong, it could cost her the one she loves. If she is right, it could cost her her life!

#24

Gabrielle

1987

Is it the showboat magic that makes him love her? She's a showboat star. Will she have to give it up for love? Sixteen-year-old Gabrielle Prentice is practicing a new tight rope act for her father's showboat on the banks of the Mississippi River when she falls into the arms of a handsome young farmer—and in love. She soon finds that being in love with David Wesley isn't easy. Mrs. Wesley, his mother, looks down on showboat people, and showboat people, especially the talented, aloof Stephen Dubois, do not think mush of farmers. But Gabrielle is determined to pursue her dream of life on land. She convinces her father to let her accept an invitation grudgingly extended by Mrs. Wesley to spend a week on the family farm. Life on the farm is not what Gabrielle had imagined. David is different, too. Has Gabrielle been dreaming of the wrong love? And is she ready to face what she really wants?

#25

Merrie

1987

She's run away to become a part of history, and to fall in love. It will take everything she had to survive the first year at Plymouth Colony. Stowing away aboard the Mayflower to escape an arranged marriage, sixteen-year-old Merrie Courtland receives no welcome on the Pilgrim ship. Luke Bosworth, the dashing young sailor who finds her, believes she is nothing but a dishonest stow-away. Her sole friend is the doctor's handsome young assitant, Zachariah Gaines. Merrie must be brave and resourceful to make it through the harsh, lonely first winter at Plymouth Colony. But can she persuade the Pilgrims to accept her? Luke wants Merrie to return to England and marry him. Zachariah wants her to stay. As the colony prepares a feast of Thanksgiving, Merrie faces the hardest test of all. Does she have the courage to listen to her heart?

#26

Nora

1987

The earthquake has destroyed her city, but not her dreams! As companion to a wealthy San Francisco socialite, poor Nora gets a glimpse of the world of the rich and is determined to be a part of it. Then the Great Earthquake happens, and Nora rescues a handsome stranger who is arrested for robbery. Even so, she falls in love with him. If only she can prove his innocence.

#27

Margaret

1988

Her new life as a prairie schoolteacher means hardship—and love. Teaching in a one-room prairie schoolhouse in Nebraska in 1886 means more than giving lessons to 32 very different students. For 15-year-old Margaret, who has left Chicago to start a new life, it also means learning to survive savage blizzards, a deadly plague, and awful loneliness. Then she meets Gerald, the handsome young easterner who is teaching in a nearby town. And she finds herself drawn more and more to brooding, handsome Robert, the 18-year-old farmer's son who is her worst pupil.

#28

Josie

1988

Fifteen-year-old Josie longs for romance and adventure but ignores kind James, head of the Carson City Pony Express. When Mike, a dashing new rider, joins the Express, Josie thinks she has found her true love. But an encounter with a notorious woman outlaw shows her the dark side of adventure.

#29

Diana

1988

Diana lives in New Orleans during the Louisiana Purchase in the early 19th century. At a New Orleans gala, Diana meets David, a handsome French Creole aristocrat. But then her family sends her to St. Louis, where Diana meets John, a brave Kentucky frontiersman. David wants Diana to marry him, but will saying yes to David mean saying no to true love? Number 29 in the currently out of print Sunfire series by Scholastic books.

#30

Renee

1989

Number 30 in the currently out of print Sunfire series by Scholastic books. Set in 1888, Renee faces a deadly blizzard.

#31

Jennie

1989

Number 31 in the currently out of print Sunfire series by Scholastic books. Jennie fights to save her life in the great Johnstown Flood of 1889 and survives to become a telegraph reporter covering the disaster but must choose between two men vying for her affection.

#32

Darcy

1989

For her sixteenth birthday, Galveston, Texas belle Darcy wants to have fun. She wants to laugh with her best friend Angela, flirt with Angela's handsome, maddening Yankee cousin Michael, and dance with her old friend Alex. But the Galveston hurricane of September, 1900, changes all that. Caught with Michael in the murderous gale and tides that level Galveston in one night, killing more than 6,000 people, Darcy survives. Now she must face her pain. She must find the strength to help rebuild the island that was her home, so it can never be destroyed by a hurricane again. But after such losses, will she have the strength to love again?

Authors

Mary Francis Young was born on 23 February 1923 in Pratt, Kansas, the daughter of Jack Fant and Mary Francis (Milstead) Young. When she was very young, her family moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she raised. She studied at Maryville State College. On 24 October 1943, she married Daniel Charles Shura, who died in 1959. They had two children: Marianne Francis Shura (Spraguc) and Daniel Charles Shura. On 8 December 1961, she married Raymond C. Craig, they had a daughter Alice Barrett Craig (Stout), before their divorce. Since 1960, she wrote over 50 books of various genres: children's adventures and teen-romances as Mary Francis Shura, M. F. Craig, and Meredith Hill; gothic novels as Mary Craig; romance novels as Alexis Hill, Mary Shura Craig and Mary S. Craig; and suspense novels as M. S. Craig. Her children's novel "The Search for Grissi" received the Carl Sandburg Literary Arts Award in 1985, and she also was nominated to the Young Hoosier Book Award. In 1990, she was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. She lived in Hinsdale, Illinois, where her apartment burned on 13 December 1990. At 67, she died of injuries suffered in the fire on 12 January 1991 in Loyola University Medical Burn Center in Maywood.

Candice F. Ransom

Author · 23 books

See also Candice Ransom Ransom has published more than 150 books for children, and she is amazed every day that she's able to do this as her life's work. It's no small thing to discover at an early age (ten!) what one is meant to do, and then pursue that dream. For her, the best part of writing for children is that she can move between writing board books, picture books, easy readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, nonfiction, and biography. She is excited to move into picture book nonfiction with BONES IN THE WHITE HOUSE: THOMAS JEFFERSON'S MAMMOTH (Doubleday, 2020). AMANDA PANDA QUITS KINDERGARTEN and the sequel AMANDA PANDA AND THE BIGGER, BETTER BIRTHDAY (Doubleday) are her first picture books with animal characters! She is proud of her easy readers featuring a brother and sister having fun throughout the year: PUMPKIN DAY, APPLE PICKING DAY, SNOW DAY, and GARDEN DAY. Look for more titles in this Level 1 series written in bouncy rhyme, plus the popular TOOTH FAIRY'S NIGHT (all Random House).

Willo Davis Roberts was an American writer chiefly known for her mystery novels for children and young adults. She won Edgar Allan Poe awards in 1989, 1995, and 1997 for best juvenile and best young adult mysteries. Her books included The View from the Cherry Tree, Twisted Summer, Don't Hurt Laurie, Megan's Island, Baby-sitting is a Dangerous Job, Hostage, The Girl with Silver Eyes, The One Left Behind and Scared Stiff.