A Soldier's Secret

Starred review from October 22, 2012
Moss returns to the subject of her 2011 picture book Nurse, Soldier, Spy with a captivating piece of YA historical fiction based on the daring life of Civil War heroine Sarah Emma Edmonds. Sarah is raised on a farm by her abusive father, and she runs away before he can marry her off. Out of necessity, Sarah assumes the identity of a man, Frank Thompson, working as a traveling book salesman, among other odd jobs. At 19, she volunteers for the Union Army of the Potomac, with the aim of gaining the power and independence she's been denied. Sarah is grateful for the camaraderie and sense of purpose the army provides her, but she is surrounded by suffering and death. Her duties as a nurse, soldier, mail carrier, spy, and writer require her to don many isolating masks and to endure a long-unrequited love. Writing in a sharp-witted, picaresque style, Moss gives Sarah a candid and perceptive voice. Historical materials including letters, photographs, and a timeline further enrich an epic as adept at depicting Civil War horrors as it is at exploring the politics of gender. Ages 12âup. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group.

Starred review from August 15, 2012
A female Civil War soldier is brought alive for readers. Though 19 years old, Frank Thompson is rejected the first time he tries to join the Union Army: He looks too young. Three months later, the conscriptors aren't so picky, and Frank signs on as a "nurse," a mostly untrained orderly who pulls injured soldiers off battlefields, holds them down during amputations and writes to their loved ones if they die. With his stamina, determination and genuinely caring nature, Frank excels, and he is soon given riskier duties: first, postmaster, responsible for carrying mail to the front lines; second, spy, where Frank proves a master at disguise. And no wonder: Frank is a woman. Sarah Edmonds, Canadian by birth, first passed for a boy to escape her abusive father and an arranged marriage; after the war, she became the only female to receive a soldiers' pension. Moss' moving first-person narration, based largely on Edmonds' own autobiography and other first-person documents, shows Frank gradually finding in her war comrades the close-knit and loving family she never had, while becoming increasingly valued for her courage and compassion. Moss convincingly but never gratuitously portrays the gore, horror and boredom of war. An intimate look at a soldier's life from a compelling, historical perspective. (author's note, thumbnail biographies, timeline, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2012

Gr 6 Up-This novel is based on the life of a real woman who escapes her abusive childhood home and an arranged marriage. Given the time in history, Sarah's options are limited. She reinvents herself as "Frank Thompson" and eventually enlists in the Union Army. She narrates her experiences as a soldier, nurse, courier, and spy, and describes the challenges of keeping up her masquerade. Despite the nearly constant terror of living as a soldier, Sarah is fulfilled by contributing to the war effort and experiencing her own power, even if it means she must suppress her feelings toward Jerome, a fellow nurse. The fine points of how she is able to successfully hide her body for years in tight quarters and the authentic dialogue are convincing. Horrific realities of war are not glossed over: amputations, disease, carnage, and pain are described in gritty, but never gratuitous, detail. Period photographs, a Civil War time line, and biographical information about officers further immerse readers in this memorable novel. Whether a valiant soldier or angel of mercy, Sarah is a brave and loyal historical figure, well deserving of readers' attention.Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2012
Grades 7-12 Nineteen-year-old Sarah has been passing as a man for three years when the Civil War begins. Determined to be a part of history, she enlists in the Union army as Frank Thompson, serving, respectively, as a nurse, postmaster, spy, and orderly. Based on the true story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, who became the only woman to be recognized by acts of Congress as an honorably discharged soldier, Moss' novel offers a fascinating, first-person portrait of a woman who notes, I can't figure out who I'm supposed to be . . . I'm doomed to be neither fish nor fowl. A keen observer, Sarah/Frank offers a vivid portrait of the horrors of war and the increasing difficulties of maintaining her masquerade when she falls in love with a male nurse. Nicely designed, the book is enhanced by the inclusion of numerous photographs from the Civil War period. Appended material includes a time line, a bibliography, and thumbnail portraits of Civil War generals.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)