Sue Luxa
3 books in the catalogue, published 2004.
Sue Luxa writes historical fiction for children set in Colorado. We carry three of her books, A Cabin in Cripple Creek, One Golden Summer and Denver Days, all first published in 2004. They belong to her Children of Colorado series.
About Sue Luxa
On her own page, Sue Luxa describes herself as an author of historical Colorado fiction for children. She is a former teacher and elementary-school librarian, with degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and Denver University. We found no birth year or other personal details and won't guess at any.
Books
A Cabin in Cripple Creek
A ten-year-old girl and her family head to Cripple Creek in 1895, where fires, a burro and lost savings lead her to pan for gold.
One Golden Summer
Daniel Blair spends the summer of 1873 in Golden, Colorado, and sets out to solve the mystery of his father's death.
Denver Days
Ten-year-old Katie O'Brien arrives in Omaha in 1882 and finds a new home with Mrs. Neal and Aunt Clara Brown, in the third book of the series.
What the books share
Two of her books send a child into a real Colorado town in a real year: Cripple Creek in 1895 and Golden in 1873; the third follows a girl to Omaha in 1882. She says she wrote them for third, fourth and fifth graders to support the Colorado history curriculum, and each has activity pages at the back for study and for teachers.
The subjects this author is catalogued under. Open Library record.
Next steps for readers of this author
Planning a classroom visit
Contact the Golden museum about school programs before choosing a date. A teacher using Sue Luxa's books can pair a visit to the history park with the activity pages mentioned on her author page.
Reading with a younger child at home
Open the History for Kids section at the Denver library with your child after each chapter. It is a gentle way to find real photographs of the places in the stories.
Following the series to Nebraska
One of her three books turns toward Omaha. The Union Station history page gives a train traveler's view of that city, which makes a good talking point.
Go deeper
Her Colorado stories reach Golden, Cripple Creek and Omaha, so a reader can build a small field trip out of three very different institutions. These suit teachers and families who want more than the page.
Golden History Museum and Park
The museum's site says admission is free and describes exhibits on the people who built Golden, along with a history park of old cabins and a one room schoolhouse.
The Durham Museum, Union Station history
The Omaha museum's page explains how Union Pacific built stations in Omaha and how the current Union Station, which houses the museum, was begun in 1929.
Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives
The library's special collections site offers photographs, digital collections, finding aids, genealogy help and a section called History for Kids.
Good to know
What does Sue Luxa write?
Which of her books do you publish?
What ages are the books for?
Writers like this one are how the list was built
We have published Colorado and Western writers since 1996, and every submission is still read by a person. Send yours, finished or half written.