The Girl who Loved Skating

Saskia Sierts of New Amsterdam

My new book of historical fiction for young readers (and all, who are young of heart) has just been released.

The Story

A 17th century Dutch girl, Saskia Sierts van Ameland, grows up in the colony New Netherlands between Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and the Mohawk River. After an involuntary stay in a Mohawk village, she escapes and makes her way – braving the thawing Mohawk River on skates – to a small Dutch settlement. From there she returns to New Amsterdam, to begin a new life as Saskia Sierts of New Amsterdam, girl apprentice with the town’s master glazier.

About the author
Afiena Kamminga immigrated from the Netherlands to Canada’s Atlantic coast in 1975. She and her husband lived for thirty five years in New Brunswick on a small farm, raising horses and Highland cattle in harmony – for the most – with local black bear, moose, deer and lesser sized wildlife. During those years Afiena wrote short pieces for a regional country publication. Eight years ago, the couple moved with two dogs and two cats across Canada to the country’s Pacific shore, settling on Vancouver Island. With this work of historical fiction, Afiena aims to transport young readers (and anyone young-of-heart) back in time and place to the short-lived, though historically significant, 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherlands on the northeast coast of today’s USA.