The Memory Quilt A Tale of Friends & Family, Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918
The 1918 Cloquet/Moose Lake Fire is one of the historic Minnesota events featured in the MN 150 exhibit at the MinnesotaHistoryCenter in St. Paul.
MN 150 is an exhibit showcasing 150 things, people, places, and events originating in Minnesota that have sparked significant change within the state or beyond its borders.
History, fantasy, and mystery in this story about 14-year old Lisa Hanson and a beloved family heirloom – a memory quilt made by her grandmother – that helps her rediscover a piece of family history lost during the great 1918 Cloquet Fire. This fictional account of the Cloquet Fire and its aftermath is woven against the small northeastern Minnesota town’s genuine concerns over World War I and the escalating Spanish flu epidemic. Lisa Hanson falls asleep in present day Cloquet, and wakes up to find she’s been transported back in time to Cloquet on the day of the fire. Everyone she meets thinks she’s Liisa Maki, her grandma’s oldest sister who disappeared that day and was never heard of again. Lisa, who was named after her great-aunt (though without the Finnish spelling), has the benefit of hindsight, but is unable to do anything about the unfathomable events that are about to take place. The one thing she can do is find out what happened to Liisa. By the end of her eye-opening journey into the past, Lisa not only solves that mystery, but receives answers to questions in the present that she didn’t even know she had.
Young Adult Historical Fiction
Letters from 4th grade students at Churchill Elementary School, Cloquet, MN
“...When we were reading your book I felt like I was inside the book. I like how you put lots of details and how you described it.”
“...My class just got done reading “The Memory Quilt,” and it was soooooooo good. I really enjoyed it.”
“...Before I read your book I hated reading. After I read your book, I learned that reading is creative and surprising.”
“...Our class just finished reading your book “The Memory Quilt.” I was really into it, and I didn’t want our teacher to stop reading the book.”
Reviews and Remarks
“The Memory Quilt is a wonderful Young Adult novel filled with adventure, mystery, history, and terrifying events that will keep the reader turning the pages and will encourage them to ask questions about their own family history. And they too can play a grand game of "what if?" Armchair Interviews strongly recommends The Memory Quilt for a grand and exciting read. The part the quilt plays in the mystery is fascinating!” --- Armchair Interviews
“The Memory Quilt” was named the Merit Award winner in the Juvenile-Young Adult Fiction category for the 15th Annual Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) Book Awards. The MIPA awards, a competition for excellence in independent or non-profit publishing, was presented at the Minnesota Humanities Commission in St. Paul on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. The awards recognize creativity in content and execution, overall book quality, and the book's unique contribution to its subject area.
Publishers of books nominated for the MIPA Book Awards must be located in one of 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. “The Memory Quilt” was published by et al. Publishing, an imprint of Expert Publishing, Inc., Andover, Minn.
“The Memory Quilt” was nominated for the 17th Annual Northeastern MN Book Awards presented by the University of Minnesota Duluth Library and the Friends of the Duluth Public Library on Wednesday, May 18, 2005. The NEMBA awards recognize books about northeastern Minnesota that substantially represent the history, culture, heritage or lifestyle.
“The Memory Quilt” was one of 10 books chosen by a juried process to participate in New Voices in the Valley on October 30, 2004. Sponsored by The Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, Minn., this daylong event was designed to introduce area readers to new and little-known but outstanding regional authors.
“ ‘Quilt’ a great read for all ages…Erickson weaves a fascinating tale” -- The Finnish American Reporter, May 2004
“Erickson's strength as a writer lies in her descriptions of the characters' feelings.” -- BookLoons Review
“Pamela Erickson successfully weaves details of history and rural life in Minnesota. The Memory Quilt gives us a glimpse of the bittersweet story of Lisa's relationship with her grandmother, the maker of the quilt.” -- booksnbytes.com
“This was the first fictional history book that caught my attention in the beginning and kept it throughout the story.” -- 13-year old reader, Minnesota
"The Memory Quilt – A Tale of Friends & Family, Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918"; et al. Publishing, an imprint of Expert Publishing Inc ./ Baker & Taylor and Partners; Ó2004; ISBN 1-931945-08-X; 128 pages; $9.95
