12. Evvy’s Civil Way by Miriam Brenaman

Evvy’s Civil Way by Miriam Brenaman
ISBN: 0399237135
G.P. Putnam, New York, 2002
224 pages

Teaser: From a brilliant tom boy to a young woman, Evvy is expected to take her place as a passive woman to be admired and showcased to a fighter for her family and county in the Civil War.

Summary: Evvy is shocked that upon her 14th birthday she is given the right of passage into womanhood, like it or not. She now has expectations and responsibilities that she could never have imaged, combined with the war. Her mother shuts down with death and the loss of her scholar husband to joining the war. Evvy, being the oldest of six children, takes the place of her mother and begins to build the strengths of her family with the help of her Quaker cousins from Philadelphia. Evvy is taught through her role models that life can be complicated and biased, particularly to women and slaves. Her father would be proud that she emulated him and began to run a secret and illegal school for women and slaves. Evvy struggled with her own identity, internal yearning and the segregation and sales of human soles during the Civil War. Evvy sets out to show women are equal to men and do even more, as men overlook the potential intelligence that woman can secretly hide and use to their advantage.

Evaluation: The book was simplistic in expressing some of the historical bits of the Civil War to younger readers. I liked the way it touched on forbidden friendships, loyalty and basic historical concepts of the war in a manner that younger readers can enjoy and learn from.

Challenge Issues and age recommendation: Racism, slavery issues, coming of age and sexism. I would recommend this book for readers 12 and up.