Sunfire (series)

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Sunfire is a series of young adult historical romance novels published by Scholastic Books. They are currently out of print.

Many of the books were written by a core group of authors, including Candice F. Ransom, Willo Davis Roberts, Mary Francis Shura, and Vivian Schurfranz.

[edit] Structure of the novels

The Sunfire books contained two themes: history and romance. Each book featured a teenage girl who experienced a particular period or event in American history. At the same time, each girl was torn between two potential lovers. The cover art always featured the main character flanked by her two potential lovers, along with scenes from the historical event or period that was the setting for the book.

[edit] Titles & Summaries

Titles in the Sunfire series by historical chronology:

  • Merrie (1620) by Vivian Schurfranz (#25). Escaping an arranged marriage, sixteen-year-old Merrie Courtland arrives at Plymouth Colony and meets Zachariah Gaines, a handsome doctor's assistant, and Luke Bosworth, a dashing young sailor, and finds that she must make a choice between the two men.
  • Marilee (1622) by Mary Francis Shura (#9). Following her father's death, Marilee Fordham moves to colonial Jamestown, Virginia from England and finds herself unprepared for the rugged life.
  • Heather (1665) by Vivian Schurfranz (#23). In the English colony of New York in 1665, sixteen-year-old Heather discovers that one of the two men who claim to love her may also be plotting to kill her.
  • Elizabeth (1692) by Willo Davis Roberts (#3). Living in Salem, Massachusetts with a strict Puritan aunt and uncle, Elizabeth finds joy and solace in new friendships. However, danger arises when she is accused of witchcraft, and must make a series of choices regarding her fate and future.
  • Cassie (1755) by Vivian Schurfranz (#14). Ever since Cassie was captured by the Indians at the age of 4 she has loved her Iroquois family. At 15 she can shoot and ride as well as any warrior. Then her world is destroyed and she is driven from the only home she knows and she must search to find where she truly belongs.
  • Sabrina (1780) by Candice F. Ransom (#17). During the Revolutionary War, Sabrina Robbins, betrothed to Martin, a Tory soldier, is called on to take over her uncle's role as a spy for the Patriots and pass information to the cold, but attractive Richard Taylor.
  • Diana (1803) by Mary Francis Shura (#29). Diana is a rich young woman living in New Orleans during the Louisiana Purchase. When her beloved city becomes American, she faces challenges, and a choice between a wealthy Creole, and an adventurous Lewis & Clark explorer.
  • Danielle (1814) by Vivian Schurfranz (#4). In 1814 New Orleans, Danielle Verlaine must choose between her handsome, sweet fiance, Paul, and the adventurous young pirate, Geoffrey, who offers to make her a pirate queen.
  • Victoria (1835) by Willo Davis Roberts (#13). Set during the Texas Revolution.
  • Joanna (1836) by Joan Claypool Miner (#5). A young woman tries to find love and happiness as she struggles to survive the harsh working conditions in a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts.
  • Amanda (1846) by Candice F. Ransom (#1). Society girl Amanda leaves home for a grueling journey on the Oregon Trail with her father. Along the way she faces challenges she never imagined, as well as strengths she didn't know she had.
  • Kathleen (1847) by Candice F. Ransom (#8). Kathleen immigrates to Boston from Ireland during the Potato Famine and must work as a maid.
  • Caroline (1852) by Willo Davis Roberts (#7). Feisty Caroline sneaks away from home to follow her brothers who are searching for gold. She must disguise herself as a boy to survive on the journey, which makes for plenty of drama and confusion for all involved.
  • Josie (1861) by Vivian Schurfranz (#28). Thrown into the role of a rider for the Pony Express, fifteen-year-old Josie meets a notorious woman outlaw who helps Josie reassess her choice between a dashing new rider named Mike and her dependable beau, James.
  • Corey (1864) by Jane Claypool Miner (#22). After her brothers are forced to fight for the Confederacy, her father is sold, and her mother disappears, Corey, a house slave on a South Carolina plantation, escapes to Philadelphia where she finds dignity, friendship, and the freedom to love.
  • Susannah (1864) by Candice F. Ransom (#2). Susannah is a quintessential Southern belle until the Civil War invades her state and her life. Things change very quickly for her family as a result of the hardships of war. However, in the midst of all the tragedy, Susannah does find her true love.
  • Megan (1867) by Vivian Schurfranz. It’s 1867 and beautiful, 16-year-old Megan O’Brien gives up a life of luxury in Washington, D.C. for the hardships of Alaska. Her father’s job in international affairs has brought the family to Sitka. As if the harsh climate wasn’t enough to get used to, Megan must also face hostility and threats from angry fur traders who don’t like her father’s new rules. She meets handsome Ivan Zolotov, a hardworking fisherman, and dashing Adam Logan, whose father owns Sitka’s largest store. When both men fall in love with Megan, she is torn between them. The Zolotovs and the Logans are embroiled in a bitter feud, and she must take a side. Before she is sure which man she will choose, she is kidnapped by vengeful traders. Alone and frightened, she realizes who her true love is. Will she ever have a chance to claim his love?
  • Julie (1868) by Vivian Schurfranz (#20). Julie, a young telegrapher whose family is working on the First Transcontinental Railroad, is torn between charming Dylan O'Kelly and serious Samuel Harper.
  • Jessica (1873) by Mary Francis Shura (#6). Jessica Findlay, sixteen, falls in love with Wheeling Hawk, the young Indian who saved her life, but faces pressure from her family to marry Will Reynolds instead.
  • Gabrielle (1880) by Mary Francis Shura (#24). After Gabrielle Prentice meets David Wesley and spends a week on his family's farm, she discovers that farm life is not what she imagined.
  • Margaret (1886) by Jane Claypool Miner (#27). Margaret becomes a schoolteacher in a small town on the frontier.
  • Renee (1888) by Vivian Schurfranz (#30). Renee faces a deadly blizzard and also reports on it for a large newspaper.
  • Jennie (1889) by Jane Claypool Miner (#31). 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.
  • Emily (1899) by Candice F. Ransom (#11). Bored and restless with turn-of-the-century New York City society, wealthy Emily Blackburn finds new meaning to her life by working as a hospital volunteer with the handsome Dr. Stephen Reed.
  • Rachel (1910) by Vivian Schurfranz (#21). Rachel Roth, a young Jewish immigrant girl living in 1910 New York City, takes a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and finds herself torn between two young men, the traditional Joshua Fine and the energetic, modern Nathan Meyers.
  • Nicole (1912) by Candice F. Ransom (#19). 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.
  • Jacquelyn (1931). by Jeffie Ross Gordon (#12). Set during the Depression of the 1930s.
  • Roxanne (1938) by Jane Claypool Miner (#15). Set in the film industry in early Hollywood.
  • Veronica (1941) by Jane Claypool Miner (#18). Sixteen-year-old Veronica Stewart's main concern on the eve of the Pearl Harbor bombing is whether to date Mike or Phillip, but the devastation in her Hawaiian hometown changes her concerns.