Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a Great Pretender

April 1, 2011

Gr 1-4-The cover portraits cleverly introduce the book's topic. The front shows a person in a Civil War Union uniform, winking, with one hand hidden. The back presents a rear view of the same figure but now her fingers are shown to be crossed. Below the uniform, a skirt and parasol are displayed. As a teenager in the 1850s, Edmonds ran away from her abusive father and native Canada to come to the United States. Being on her own, she found it safer and easier to dress as a man. When the Civil War began, she is quoted as saying that patriotism was her primary impulse for enlisting in the Union army as "Frank Thompson," then working as a nurse and a spy. Her practice at pretending served her well as she once again changed her name and took on various new identities behind enemy lines. Using an informal, conversational style, Jones succeeds in keeping the complicated narrative at a level appropriate for young readers. Based on Edmonds's own writings as well as secondary sources, the book presents a believable account of the woman's actions. While some speculation is included as to her motivations, the text makes clear what is known and what is not. The illustrations portray Edmonds's feelings through her expressions and provide a visual context for readers. Employing a palette heavy on blues, yellows, and greens, with white outlining for emphasis, the pictures are impressionistic with realistic details. An unusual heroine, Edmonds will capture readers' attention.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 28, 2011
Jones makes a confident departure from her bestselling YA novels with an entertaining and powerful Civil Warâera story about living by one's own rules. Realizing she would never satisfy her father's desire for a son, teenage Sarah Emma Edmonds fled from Canada to America where she assumed the identity of Frank Thompson. Edwards then joined the Union Army, first as a male nurse, then as a spy, passing herself off as a slave and, later, as an Irish peddler: "She was a woman (Sarah) pretending to be a man (Frank) pretending to be a woman (Bridget)." In Oldroyd's full-bleed spreads, characterized by strong cross-hatching and angular shapes, Edmonds's eyes twinkle with her secret knowledge, while Jones delivers her story with the assuredness of a natural storyteller. Ages 7â11.

March 1, 2011
As far as we know, Sarah Emma Edmonds began dressing as a boy early on, in an attempt to please her abusive father, who hated girls. When she emigrated from Canada to the United States as a teenager, she kept pretending: It was easier to earn her living as a boy. When the Civil War broke out, Sarah enlisted under the name Frank Thompson and became a spy. Frank was a master deceiver: She/he portrayed a slave boy, a female Irish peddler and an African-American laundress. As Frank, Sarah braved bullets and rode through battles. Only when she became ill with malaria could she no longer pretend--but she was never discovered. Frank Thompson deserted, and a very ill Sarah Edmonds sought treatment at a private hospital. Jones, in her first departure from novels for teens, tells Sarah's story with strong simplicity, quoting at times from Sarah's own memoirs. One small quibble is that she ends the story too soon, at the close of the Civil War. An author's note says that Sarah Edmonds died in 1898 in La Porte, Texas, but gives no details of her later life. Oldroyd's illustrations convey Sarah's likeness through all her many disguises, and help readers will see her as both sympathetic and brave. Recommended, especially for middle grades studying the Civil War. (Picture book/biography. 5-10)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 15, 2011
Grades 2-4 This large-format picture book tells the remarkable story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, who grew up in Canada in the 1840s, raised by a father who mistreated her. Disguised as a boy, she ran away in her teens and supported herself by selling Bibles. When the Civil War began, she enlisted as a male nurse in the Union army. Later, she became a spy, passing on information gained when she disguised herself as a male slave, an Irish peddler woman, and an African American laundress. The portrayal of Sarah as a child, dressing as a boy in hopes of pleasing her father, will resonate with many readers, and the story of her later adventures is well worth telling. However, Jones overuses the words pretend and pretender in the text, making valid points but with little subtlety. The large-scale artwork offers dramatic scenes featuring Sarah in her many disguises. Accessible to younger children than most books on the Civil War, this would be a good addition to many collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)