Every enslaved person in the South needed Mary.
It would be dangerous. Mary had to keep to herself and pretend that she wasn’t very smart, and that she couldn’t understand writing or maps. She memorized every scrap of information she found, then she snuck the information out of the Davis household and into the hands of the people it would help.
But she had to be very careful: getting caught could mean getting caught by the neck at the end of a rope because the Confederacy was quick to punish spies with death.
Could Mary find the most important clues of all before someone saw her spying?
Loosely based on a real person and a true story, “Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring” is a story that’s as exciting as they come. I have to admit, I was breathless.
Even though your child might sense that things will resolve positively by the end of this story, authors Alberti and Cliff surely raise a kid’s adrenaline with a plot that both thrills and teaches. Yes, part of this tale is fictionalized but Mary—who actually existed, as did all of the people in this story—is a great role model; her bravery, wisdom, and (according to the authors) her smooth transition to post-war life is absolutely inspirational. What will further hold a young reader’s imagination is the mystery woven inside the story itself; there are clues all over this book—even inside the title page!—and a side-story whodunit that’s just plain fun.
(“Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring” by Enigma Alberti and Tony Cliff, c.2017, Workman, $12.95/$19.95 Canada, 96 pages plus extras. )
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