Annie, Between the States - Hardcover

Elliott, L. M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060012110 ISBN 13: 9780060012113

Publisher: HarperTeen, 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

About the Author:

L. M. Elliott is the author of several award-winning novels for older readers, including the historical novel under a war-torn sky, a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC); Flying South, winner of the Joan G. Sugarman Children's Book Award; and Annie, Between the States, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age and an IRA/CBC Teachers' Choice. She is also the author of the picture books Hunter's Best Friend at School and Hunter and Stripe and the Soccer Showdown, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. She lives with her husband and their two children in Virginia.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9–Elliott does a fine job of weaving the issues of the day into her story, helping readers to come away with an understanding that the Civil War was not just about North versus South or even slavery. Annie's older brother fights in the Southern Army, while her younger brother takes up with a vigilante group. When her mother catches diphtheria from a sick and wounded soldier, Annie is left to manage their Virginia home and farm. Early on, the teen meets a wounded Yankee officer, Thomas Walker, and they discover that they share a love of poetry. By the end of the novel, Annie has come to a growing awareness that slavery is wrong, has spent six months in a prison in Washington, DC, for carrying messages and hiding Confederate soldiers, and has made the difficult decision to marry the Yankee she loves. Annie is a strong and memorable heroine, and her story is one of a young woman loyal to her Southern roots but aware of the wrongs on both sides. At the same time, the book contains romance and gives a rich portrayal of the everyday life of a prosperous family during this period and an understanding of the effect of the war on both sides of the conflict.–Jane G. Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0060012110
• ISBN 13: 9780060012113
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 496