Sophia's War

At the start of the Revolutionary War, Sophia is only 12. Narrator Angela Goethals's voicing is appropriately tremulous in the midst of such upheaval. Overall, her diction is clear and resonant. She uses vowels to create character, giving Sophia her early innocence with rounded open words. As she lives under the British occupation of Manhattan, Sophia's voice gains a commanding edge. By age 15, she has grown into a young woman capable of the vengeance she vowed upon her brother's death in the miserable conditions of an English prison. But even in the midst of revenge, Sophia's loyalties are tested by the charms of the English officer John André. In an author's note, Avi delineates fact from fiction and describes the inspiration for the story. A.M.P. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2013

Gr 5-9-Set in 1776 during the American Revolution when New York was under siege by the British, Avi's tale (Beach Lane Books, 2012) of resistance features an amazing female protagonist, trials aplenty as she tries to avenge her brother's death, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sophia's family believes in freedom and desperately wants America to govern itself. Her brother goes off to fight, is captured, and ends up dying in a filthy hold of a British prison boat. John Andre, a charming English officer who is billeted with Sophia's family, fails to intervene to save her brother. Despite having a schoolgirl crush on Andre, Sophia is conflicted by his failure to save her brother. After witnessing the execution of Nathan Hale, Sophia is determined to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of the commander of the British forces in America. Sophia uncovers some crucial information and sets out to reach West Point before Benedict Arnold can turn it over to the British. Avi's outstanding text and Angela Goethals's spot-on narration make the Revolutionary War come alive for listeners, providing a real sense of the time period. A perfect choice for school and public libraries.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

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