Lives hang in the balance in this gripping Revolutionary War adventure from a beloved Newbery medalist.
In 1776, young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, which is newly occupied by the British army. Sophia is horrified by the event and resolves to do all she can to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of General Clinton, the supreme commander of the British forces in America. Through her work she becomes aware that someone in the American army might be switching sides, and she uncovers a plot that will grievously damage the Americans if it succeeds. But the identity of the would-be traitor is so shocking that no one believes her, and so Sophia decides to stop the treacherous plot herself, at great personal peril: She’s young, she’s a girl, and she’s running out of time. And if she fails, she’s facing an execution of her own.
Master storyteller Avi shows exactly how personal politics can be in this riveting novel that is rich in historical detail and rife with action.
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Publishers Weekly
Newbery Medalist Avi (Crispin: The Cross of Lead) channels the mood, language, and danger of the Revolutionary War in this seamless blend of history and fiction, set in British-occupied New York City. Twelve-year-old Sophia Calderwood idolizes her older brother, William, a fervent Patriot soldier who has gone missing after the Battle of Brooklyn. In the first half of the book, Sophia’s desperate search for William leads her to several deplorable prisons where rebels are being held. The second half takes place when Sophia, now 15, becomes a spy who uncovers the truth about Benedict Arnold. The book is chockful of fascinating historical details, including the conditions for those stranded in New York and the failed meetings between Arnold and John André, his (real-life) British contact. Avi doesn’t sugarcoat the brutal realities of war as Sophia races to find help intercepting John André, who was also a boarder in her home years earlier and her first crush, in this rich, nail-biting thriller. A glossary of period terms and an author’s note are included. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)
Kirkus Reviews
During the American Revolution, Sophia becomes a spy for the patriots, but will she have the courage to relay vital information? Despite the threatening beginning--Sophia witnesses Nathan Hale's hanging--readers never doubt Sophia's success because she shares her story in retrospect, lessening the tension. Instead, her "war" is internal: The man she ultimately exposes is John André, a British officer she adores. Descriptions of the British occupation of New York City and the horrific conditions for prisoners of war are shocking. Children will be morally outraged on Sophia's behalf when her rebel brother dies in prison. Thus, they may find it difficult to empathize with Sophia's passion for André, and all but the most romantically inclined may find Part One: 1776 (September 1776-January 1777), during which 12-year-old Sophia's love blooms, slow-moving. Although Sophia feels betrayed when André does not help her brother and later, when at age 15 she begins to spy on André, is incensed that he does not recognize her, her feelings remain conflicted. Part Two: 1780 focuses on these experiences. The action picks up when Sophia travels north alone in an effort to thwart André's collusion with Benedict Arnold. However, while readers will appreciate Sophia's reluctance to condemn anyone to death, her melodramatic wavering over André becomes tiresome. Recommend this to sentimental youngsters or as a supplemental text. (glossary of 18th-century words, author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-13)
January 2013 Book Links
"Newbery Honor-winning author Avi offers a gripping view of the Revolutionary War through the eyes of a 12-year-old spy.... With language drawn from the period (and appended in a glossary) and historical events forming the tight framework of the tense, imagined drama, Avi offers an action-filled novel with wide classroom appeal."
November/December 2012 Horn Book Magazine
"Avi's setting is impeccable (especially the descriptions of the prisons where rebel soldiers were kept); the intrigue on the home front, real; and the tension of living in enemy territory, intense."
From the Publisher
* “The book’s riveting opening scene, in which Sophie watches as Nathan Hale is hanged as a spy, foreshadows the danger she knowingly accepts by engaging in espionage. Few historical novels are as closely shaped by actual events as this one during the last 100 pages. Working within the bounds of credibility, Avi manages to keep the fictional narrator on the scene for a good deal of the action and uses real moments to bring the imagined story to its dramatic heights. A glossary of eighteenth-century terms and an author’s note are appended. Pair this intriguing historical novel with Sheinkin’s The Notorious Benedict Arnold (2010).”—Booklist, August 1, 2012, *STAR
* “Newbery Medalist Avi (Crispin: The Cross of Lead) channels the mood, language, and danger of the Revolutionary War in this seamless blend of history and fiction, set in British-occupied New York City…. The book is chockful of fascinating historical details, including the conditions for those stranded in New York and the failed meetings between Arnold and John André, his (real-life) British contact. Avi doesn’t sugarcoat the brutal realities of war…in this rich, nail-biting thriller.”
—Publishers Weekly, August 13, 2012, *STAR
November/December 2012 - Horn Book Magazine
"Avi's setting is impeccable (especially the descriptions of the prisons where rebel soldiers were kept); the intrigue on the home front, real; and the tension of living in enemy territory, intense."
School Library Journal
Gr 5–9—Sophia Calderwood, 12, and her parents live in British-occupied Manhattan, 1776; her brother William has joined the rebel army. Masquerading as Tories, the Calderwoods are able to stay in their home, but are forced to house British officers. Their first boarder is handsome Lieutenant John André. He captivates Sophia, despite her hatred for the enemy and her anger when he refuses to aid her beloved brother, now in British hands. William dies amid the horrifying conditions of a prison ship and Sophia vows vengeance. Three years later, she joins the Culper spy ring and is placed as a maid in General Henry Clinton's headquarters. André, now a Major, is also stationed there, but fails to recognize her due to the years that have passed. Sophia's subterfuge uncovers his plot with Benedict Arnold to surrender West Point to the British. Her enduring affection for André sets up the novel's central conflict: to save her country, Sophia must betray a man she cares for, knowing her deceit will cause his death. Sophia's War is outstanding historical fiction, bringing to dramatic life the human story behind extraordinary events. The climax is a seamless incorporation of hard fact with thrilling espionage as Avi juxtaposes scenes of André and Arnold's attempt to meet against Sophia's efforts to stop them. Rich in period detail, the atmospheric prose vividly re-creates old New York and allows readers to experience Sophia's conflicting emotions. A glossary clarifies 18th-century terms; in an author's note, Avi reflects on historical fiction.—M. Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY
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