Another fabulous young adult historical fiction novel by Ann Rinaldi, “Amelia’s War” takes place during the Civil War. Amelia is trying to stay uninvolved in the war – the one time she did say something, the father of a good friend was arrested, which certainly wasn’t her intention. She doesn’t ever want another slip of her tongue to get someone in trouble, so she’s decided to pretend that nothing is going on.
Her friend, Josh, says she has to decide what she believes sometime. He’s living in his father’s abandoned print shop and has been secretly fixing the press that was broken when the arrest took place. He wants to find important stories and print them for the people to read so they’ll know the truth of what’s going on. He asks Amelia to help him, but she’s just not sure. She’ll bring him food, but to actually go out and scavenge for news is beyond her level of comfort.
But the time comes when she has to make a stand. The war is coming closer all the time – her brother’s girlfriend, Jinny Pearl, has gotten more involved than she’d ever dreamed. A soldier made unwelcome advances and Jinny Pearl killed him, not on purpose but that’s what happened when she defended herself. She’s now got a body buried on her property, and she’s told Amelia that she’s running off to fight in the war, dressed as a boy. Amelia hates how everyone’s lives are changing, and she feels powerless to hang on to what little familiar does remain.
This book is filled with historical events, familiar figures, and the richness Rinaldi always brings to her writing. I have learned more about history from Ann Rinaldi than I have from any other historical fiction author.
(This book was published in 1999 by Scholastic.)
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