Candace Fleming has doggedly followed the twists and turns of her boundless curiosity to bring to life some of the most fascinating characters in American history. An Oak Park author of more than 20 books for children and young adults, Fleming has a special affinity for historical nonfiction that, while rooted in relentlessly researched facts, is as engaging as the most fantastical fiction.
In addition to picture books and two elementary series, Fleming has written biographies of the Romanovs, the Lincolns, Amelia Earhart, P.T. Barnum and Charles Lindbergh, many of which debunk popular misconceptions about their famous subjects.
She has been honored with the Boston Globe-Horn Award, the Cybils Award, the Golden Kite Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and many of her books have been selected as best books of the year by Publishers Weekly, Booklist and School Library Journal. In addition, she and her partner, illustrator Eric Rohmann, received the 2021 Robert F. Sibert Medal for their book, “Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera.” Fleming and Rohmann, whose debut book, “Time Flies,” earned a 1995 Caldecott Honor, have worked together on several other books, including “Giant Squid, Mine!” and “Penny & Pip.”
“I love history because it is one long, epic story. History has everything with every single one of us, and it has everything to do with how we live today. It’s all connected to how we used to live,” Fleming said.
A born storyteller, Fleming entertained childhood friends and family with stories about Spot, her three-legged cat, and the ghost that lived in her attic, and her family’s trip to Paris — none of which was true. Her parents appreciated her fibs — er, her imagination — and encouraged her to record them. She still has the many notebooks that she filled with stories, poems and plays.
Two books in particular captured her imagination, both of which were based on true stories. “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” about an American Indian girl who survives on a remote island by teaching herself to hunt and domesticates a wild dog, depicted a protagonist she had never encountered in literature. After reading “Misty of Chincoteague,” she wrote the author, Marguerite Henry, and the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, which sent her an envelope of tourist information about the island’s famous wild pony roundups.
Fleming pursued her passion for history in college, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the subject. Only after having children and spending countless hours reading to them, including many evenings in which she begged them to let her continue way past their bedtimes, did she decide to write her own children’s books.
She was fortunate to experience early success. She had numerous stories included in Cricket, Highlights and other children’s publications before serendipitously meeting an editor, Anne Schwartz of Random House Children’s Books, at a children’s literature conference. They have worked together for 30 years.
A meticulous researcher, Fleming delights in the detours that her subjects often take her on. She also enjoys immersing herself in the world of her subjects. While writing her biography of P.T. Barnum, she learned how to play the steam calliope, walk a tightrope and ride an elephant.
The book that presented the most significant detour was her biography of the Romanovs, the Russian royal family murdered in 1918 during the Russian Revolution. Fleming initially planned to focus solely on Anastasia, the family’s youngest daughter, but her research revealed that Anastasia wasn’t particularly clever or interesting, and neither were her siblings. She eventually decided to write about the entire family, including Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra — and, to put them in context, she included background on the revolution and characters, such as the controversial mystic Grigori Rasputin.
“Context is so important for young adult readers,” Fleming said. “Kids today have all the facts at their fingertips — all they have to do is pick up their phones. But they don’t necessarily have the context and connections to explain what the facts mean. Nonfiction isn’t just a fact-holder — you have to create a page-turner that is written as narratively as possible.”
As part of her research, Fleming and Rohmann traveled to Russia and visited the 100-room country palace where the Romanovs moved to escape St. Petersburg. She was surprised to discover that it was separated only by a wrought iron fence from the peasants and workers that the family had wanted to get away from.
“I realized that I still didn’t have the entire story and I had to include the Russian peasants and soldiers and shopgirls. What started out to be a short book about Anastasia became a much bigger and more complex project,” Fleming said.
Fleming is now working on a book about the 1978 mass murder-suicide in Guyana of more than 900 followers of Jim Jones, the leader of the People’s Temple organization. She has interviewed survivors and family members of the deceased, including the son of Jim Jones, and was surprised by how many insist that the organization was fun and altruistic before becoming warped after the move to South America. Once again, context is important.
“I want my teenage readers to understand that this is about individuals who were influenced by a destructive force. They were real people’s friends and family members, not just crazy people,” Fleming said.
“The book is so relevant — wherever you land on the political spectrum, you see the negative influence that some people can have. I see people today who are willing to toss away fact and rationality,” Rohmann said.
Fleming also is planning a book about wildlife poaching, inspired by a recent experience she and Rohmann had at a conservancy in South Africa. Fleming envisions the book as a true crime story. They will be returning this fall to Africa, where they will work in a rhino orphanage while Fleming attends a wildlife forensics conference.
Fleming’s books combine all the things she loves most about writing—storytelling, history and lyrical language. Her young readers eagerly await the results of her endless curiosity.
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