Amelias War [Paperback]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: SCHOLASTIC INC. (1999)
• ASIN: B001U0E3KW
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,263,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amelia's War: Worth the Read, November 17, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Amelia's War (Hardcover)

Amelia's War, a historical fiction novel by Ann Rinaldi, takes place in Hagerstown, Maryland, at small town caught in the middle between the Confederacy and the Union in the year 1862. Amelia Grafton is the 13-year-old daughter of a staunch Union man, and is determined to stay neutral and not take part in the war going on around her. Mr. Dechart, the father of Amelia's friend Josh, is arrested after he publishes an article with southern leanings in his newspaper. Because he learned of the story he wrote about from Amelia, Amelia decides to not interfere with anything related to all the chaos anymore. Less than a year later, Jinny Pearl, Amelia's older brother Wesley's girlfriend, decides to disguise herself as a man and runs away to join the army. All around her, Amelia's friends and family are making decisions and joining in the war, be it in the army or helping out at hospitals. Amelia hasn't made it her war, like everyone else has. Jinny tells her "It isn't your time yet, that's all... when the time comes, you'll know it." Amelia's War is a fabulously accurate account of the American Civil War and how its wake took a toll on the people of Hagerstown. Rinaldi's vivid snapshot passages bring the compelling tale alive with the characters and surroundings that shape Amelia's life. "There he sat in a place of honor, all gussied up in his new cavalry uniform with the sash around his waist, the sword, and the hat turned up on one side with a feather. And those shiny boots..." Amelia's War is an intriguing story of "danger and menace, loyalty and love, during a war in which not all the casualties are on the battlefield, and some of the deepest wounds are invisible." When the final chapter is read and the answer to how Hagerstown got away with paying a lesser ransom to General McCausland without even knowing it is realized, Rinaldi's work seems nearly perfect in its conclusion.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, April 7, 2000

By 

lindzkeats - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amelia's War (Hardcover)

I just finished this book literally five minutes ago. It's Friday night and normally the last thing I would be doing is reading but this book is different. I even declined going to a party just so I could finish it. It has everything you would ever want in a book especially a wondrful ending. You can really see how Maryland was cut in to by the Civil War. My favorite part is when Josh's Uncle is going to burn the town unless he gets 200,000 dollars and Amelia...Well I won't tell you what happens. Ann Rinaldi took a true fact of History and made a thrilling book. I highly reccomend it. (It is not my favorite of her books though, I prefer the Last Silk Dress and A Break With Charity).

29 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its not long enough!, October 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Amelia's War (Hardcover)

This was not the best rinaldi ive ever read,. but it was one of her best ones to come out in the past few years. I love how rinaldi takes a myth, or mystery, and solves it with a spunky young girl. If you liked this book you will also like.. Mine eyes have seen, by ann rinaldi. i also think you will like 'a ruby in the smoke' and all subsecquent novels by phillip pullman. katherine lasky has some good historical fiction out right now also. whoever you are and what ever your looking for in a book, you will love this book. theres some romance, a lot of controversy, and some downright tough dicitions. i loved this book.