Young adult historical fiction novelist Ann Rinaldi brings us “Girl in Blue,” the story of Sarah Louisa Wheelock. She is about to be married off to a mean-spirited man who lives on a nearby farm, a new widower and the father of two small girls. Sarah Louisa knows that if she were to marry this man, her life would be full of hard work, no love, and an occasional beating, if the man’s first wife’s appearance was any indication. She makes up her mind that she will not go through with it, even though her father has commanded her to do it.
One morning when the suitor is coming to call, Sarah blasts his hat off with a rifle. She then packs up and heads out, determining to go for a soldier. The war between the states has been going for a while, and she figures that if she can get into the Army, it would be the best place to hide from her father.
She has to lie about her age, but she pulls it off. She’s assigned to help in a medical tent and quickly learns how to nurse, finding that she enjoys being so useful. However, a wrong move on her part reveals her as a girl, which could land her in jail. The doctor who has supervised her this whole time puts in a good word for her, and she’s given an alternative – to go work for Allen Pinkerton’s detectives. She leaps at the chance, and goes to work in the home of Rose Greenbow, one of the Civil War’s most famous spies. Although Sarah’s involvement is fictional, Rose did spread information on behalf of the south for much of the war.
Sarah helps bring Rose down, and earns herself a permanent place with the Pinkerton agency.
I greatly enjoyed this novel. I loved the in-depth look into the war, and especially into the Pinkerton agency. Ann Rinaldi has a way of bringing history to life, and she’s by far one of my favorite young adult authors.
(This book was published in 2001 by Scholastic.)
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