Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl History Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Greg Dearth (Author), Kathleen Ernst (Author), Peg Ross (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-A little-known aspect of the American Revolution comes alive in this absorbing novel set in 1775. Elspeth Monro and her grandparents recently moved from Scotland to North Carolina to escape the poverty and political instability of their homeland and are forced to choose sides in the brewing conflict. Elspeth tries to live a normal life, spending time with friends and learning to become a weaver. However, local Patriots continually confront the members of her family, using scare tactics to try and persuade her grandfather and cousins to join their cause. Even more disturbing, the Patriots seem able to anticipate the family members' whereabouts, suggesting that someone is spying on them. This well-told story has an intriguing plot, and details about the Scottish settlers and life in the Colonies are carefully integrated into the narrative. The element of mystery keeps readers guessing and the family's betrayer is truly a surprise. Each character is three-dimensional, with complex reasons motivating his or her behavior. A helpful section with information about the time period rounds out the description of this unique segment of history.
Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-10. In North Carolina in 1775, Elspeth MacKinnon, 12, and her grandparents are refugees from Scotland and the brutal war with Britain that killed Elspeth's parents. Patriots in America want to fight the Loyalists who support the British king, and Elspeth's grandparents are split about which side they are on; they're not even sure about whether to fight at all. Suspense builds, new war breaks out, Elspeth's cousin is killed, and her grandfather arrested. Who is spying on the family? Can Elspeth trust her English friends? At times the author's research shows, and the plot bogs down with daily details--what the people eat and wear and how they make it. But characters are drawn with extraordinary depth, especially the women at home; wounded by past wars, Grandmother is bitter and angry. The shocking solution to the mystery of who has betrayed the family reveals the anguished history as well as the truth about those who join the militia but are not sure why. A competent entry in the History Mysteries series. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584858796
• ISBN-13: 978-1584858799
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #808,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen Ernst is a novelist, social historian, and educator. Her seventeenth book is "The Heirloom Murders: A Chloe Ellefson Mystery," the second in a series of novels for adult readers that are set at historic sites. The first Chloe book, "Old World Murder," was published in 2010 and is available from Amazon as a trade paperback and for the Kindle.

Kathleen's historical fiction for children and young adults include eight American Girl mysteries set between 1732 and 1945, and five novels for young readers set during the American Civil War. These titles have earned four Arthur Tofte Juvenile Fiction Awards, the Flora MacDonald Award, a WILLA Finalist Award, an Edgar Award nomination, and three Agatha Award nominations.

Kathleen has also authored a nonfiction adult book about the Civil War, "Too Afraid to Cry: Maryland Civilians in the Antietam Campaign," which was an alternate selection of the History Book Club. It tells the stories of non-combatants who found themselves caught up in the bloodiest day in American history.

For ten years Kathleen wrote instructional video scripts for public television; honors for those include a regional Emmy Award, Platinum Best of Show Aurora Award, and a Wilbur Schramm Award of Excellence.

Kathleen has a Masters Degree in History Education and Writing from Antioch University, where her self-designed program focused on nontraditional methods of teaching and learning history--with a special emphasis on historical fiction. She spent over a decade as a Curator of Interpretation and Collections with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Historic Sites Division, which provided great material for her novels.

She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Scott and Sophie the cat. Some of her greatest pleasures include gardening, learning folk crafts, traveling to research new books, and hearing from readers.

Kathleen has a blog, Sites and Stories, writes poetry and essays, and is working on her third Chloe Ellefson mystery and new books for American Girl.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unpredictable and Exciting Yet Informative!, May 27, 2004

By 

Bob (Dresher, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl History Mysteries) (Paperback)

Intriguing historical information and an exciting mystery all rolled together into a fabulous book -- the name of the series says it all -- History Mysteries. This latest installment in one of my favorite series is no different. Betrayal at Cross Creek is the story of Elspeth Monro's, a Scottish immigrant to North Carolina at the start of the American Revolution, search for the person threatening her family. The thrilling adventure will keep readers fascinated until the surprising conclusion.
The story starts when Elspeth, her Grandda, and her American friend Mercy are frightened by Patriots trying to convince Grandda to join the Patriots. Elspeth and her family are threatened repeatedly after this. Grandda is undecided about which side to join, and Grannie, remembering the horrors of The '45, a war Scotland lost against England many years ago, is against the war altogether, and doubts the wisdom of fighting the powerful British army a second time. Elspeth begins to only feel at ease when she is at her weaving apprenticeship to Mercy's mother, Mistress Blair. But when she suspects Mr. Blair of betraying her family to the Patriots, along with Tall Tam MacRacken, who she's heard mysterious tales about, she thinks nothing could be worse.
However, the situation does get worse -- much worse. Elspeth's cousins, Duncan and Robbie, run away to join the Loyalist army and Grandda enlists too to protect them. Now Elspeth has to protect her grandmother and aunt. Can she keep her family strong and solve the mystery of their betrayal to the Patriots, too?
This book was a wonderful way to learn about a less-covered side of the American Revolution -- the role of the new immigrants who weren't on either side. I learned a lot, and enjoyed a great story at the same time. The plot was unpredictable and exciting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, February 6, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl History Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is another in the History Mystery series from American Girl, in which a young American girl is confronted by a mystery that will tax her resolve and her ability. This is the story of Elspeth Monro, whose family fled from the wars and troubles of Scotland, only to find themselves caught up in the American Revolution. Someone is trying to force her grandfather to declare himself for the Patriots, someone who knows all about the family's comings and goings, but who? Also, Elspeth's grandmother has a great grudge against a newcomer to the community, is this man her family's enemy? There's more going on here than meets the eye, and Elspeth will need all of her courage and determination to see this thing through.

The final chapter is a bit of a bonus, a look at the experiences of the Scottish immigrants during the American Revolution. My thirteen-year-old daughter has been a fan of the American Girls books for years, and I was quite glad when this one fell into our hands. The story is quite gripping, and keeps you at the edge of your seat. Also, the mystery is handled expertly, and the ending is quite a surprise.

My one and only complaint is that this book does not contain the nice illustrations that we had come to expect with the American Girls stories. It would have been nice to see what the people in the story looked like. But, that said, the story is excellent, and will keep you reading, unable to put the book down. My daughter and I both highly recommend this book to you!

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but pretty heavy stuff, January 17, 2012

By 

dpcarico - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl History Mysteries) (Paperback)

As a mystery, this story was only moderately interesting; and the writing is not up to Kathleen Ernst's potential, based on other American Girl books that she has written. Furthermore, be aware that this book has some really challenging elements -- including descriptions of war atrocities -- that will be too much for some children.