Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: When Sarah's father promises her hand in marriage to their despicable neighbor, she disguises herself as a man and joins the Army during the Civil War. When she is found to be a woman, Allan Pinkerton offers her a position as a female spy.
I give this book 4 stars for the story, but Rinaldi's bland writing style would get perhaps 2 or 3 stars. Still, the plot was enough to redeem the book. Sarah's adventures in running away from home, joining the Army, working in a military hospital, crossing enemy lines in the middle of night, going off to battle, experiencing the shock of killing someone, getting discovered, becoming a spy, falling in love and getting her heart broken...these were fantastic. And when she goes home in disguise to check on her family, I didn't know what to expect.
But, alas, Rinaldi's writing style left much to be desired. This story in the hands of a different author could have had so much more punch. I know it's young adult fiction, so she may have just been writing for a younger audience. But I don't think you should have to write or talk down to kids. You should write a good book so that kids -- and adults -- can enjoy it.
