Annie, Between the States - Hardcover

Elliott, L. M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060012110 ISBN 13: 9780060012113

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 2004

Synopsis

The civil war has broken out, and Annie Sinclair's Virginia home, Hickory Heights, is right in the line of battle. Caught up in the rising conflict, Annie and her mother tend to wounded soldiers while Annie's older brother, Laurence, enlists in the Confederate cavalry under Jeb Stuart. Even Annie's rambunctious baby brother, Jamie, joins John Mosby, the notorious "Gray Ghost." Faced with invading armies, Annie is compelled into a riskier role to protect her family and farm. She conceals Confederate soldiers and warns Southern commanders of Union traps, and the flamboyant Jeb Stuart dubs her "Lady Liberty." Annie's loyalty is clear until a wounded Union officer is dragged onto her porch. Saved from a bullet by a volume of Keats' poetry he keeps in his pocket, Thomas Walker startles Annie with his love of verse. After several chance encounters, Annie is surprised by her growing interest in the dark-eyed Northerner as they connect through a shared passion for poetry. As the war rages on, Annie begins to question some of the values driving Virginia's involvement. Then tragedy befalls Hickory Heights, and Annie becomes the subject of a shocking accusation. She must confront the largest quandary of all: choosing her own course. L. M. Elliott crafts a stirring novel that carries readers from the Manassas battlefield to fancy-dress balls to the burning of the Shenandoah Valley while capturing the tenacious spirit of a young heroine facing an extraordinary, complex time in American history.

About this title

Review:

A third of the major battles of the Civil War took place in Virginia. The last state to leave the Union and the state with the most residents voting against secession, Virginia, ironically, suffered most from the horrors of the war. Elliott's novel opens with the Battle of Manassas and a sea of confusion as Union troops retreat across the property of 15-year-old Annie Sinclair. By the end of the war, Annie's home and all of her relationships have changed irrevocably. Battle scenes are so powerfully drawn that readers will be engaged from chapter one. Though history lessons sometimes intrude on the narrative, Elliott does an admirable job of balancing the human story and the historical context. Her excellent author's note fills in the complicated history of the era, and the bibliography includes a fair number of resources for young readers. A rich experience for Civil War history buffs. (timeline) (Fiction. 12+) (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author:

L. M. Elliott is the New York Times bestselling author of Da Vinci's Tiger; Under a War-Torn Sky; A Troubled Peace; Across a War-Tossed Sea; Annie, Between the States; Give Me Liberty; Flying South; and Hamilton and Peggy! She lives in Virginia with her family. You can visit her online at www.lmelliott.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0060012110
• ISBN 13: 9780060012113
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 488