Juliet's Moon [Paperback]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

War is turning Juliet Bradshaw's world upside down. Her brother, Seth, rides with William Quantrill's renegade Confederate army, but he's helpless when the Yankees arrest Juliet along with the wives and sisters of Quantrill's soldiers as spies. Imprisoned in a dilapidated old house in Kansas City, Juliet is one of a handful of survivors after the building collapses, killing most of the young girls inside.

When she's reunited with her brother, Juliet finds the life she had previously known is gone. Surrounded by secrets, lies, murder, and chaos, she must determine just how far she will go to protect the people and things she holds dear.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

“Pa dead. House and barn burned. Negroes run off.” These events mark the end of 12-year-old Juliet’s childhood, and the beginning of further Civil War trauma. First, she is imprisoned for aiding Quantrill’s Raiders, a gang of anti-Yankee guerrillas to which her brother belongs. Then, the prison collapses—a real event that Rinaldi says inspired this novel, which concludes with a note and a scholarly bibliography. Invented character Juliet survives the collapse, and the rest of the book deals with her near-daily confrontation with threats and her mounting competence in dealing with them. Rinaldi’s latest lacks the cohesion of her best historical fiction, with the role of historical figure Sue Mundy, a man who masqueraded as a female Raider, seeming particularly underdeveloped. But Juliet’s turbulent yet loving relationship with her protective brother is warmly evoked, and the book’s mixed characterization of the Raiders will spur readers, like the heroine, to contemplate how wartime exposes the “dark side of the moon” within everyone. Grades 5-8. --Jennifer Mattson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"One of Rinaldi's best." (Kirkus Reviews )

"Based on one of the most dramatic events in the Civil War....The story of Quantrill and his Raiders carries legendary status and this novel provides YAs with a look at the world of midnight raids and the decisions that relatives had to make in order to keep their secrets." (Kliatt )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; Reprint edition (January 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547258747
• ISBN-13: 978-0547258744
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #750,016 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dark Side, April 30, 2008

By 

Rocker H (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Juliet's Moon (Great Episodes) (Hardcover)

Ann Rinaldi's new book, Juliet's Moon, introduces the reader to several of the Civil War's less savory characters; William Clark Quantrill, Sue Mundy (aka Jerome Marcellus Clarke) and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson.
While it certainly is an interesting read and serves the purpose of introducing these rogues to the teen reading public, Juliet's Moon adds a sugar coating that tempers their true ferocity. These men were notorious murderers, responsible for hundreds of innocent deaths. Some of the upright boys that rode with them were Frank and Jesse James, and the Younger brothers. William Anderson, was known to possess a necklace with the scalps of Union soldiers attached. Ms. Rinaldi chooses to portray these guerillas as kindly southern gentlemen just doing what had to be done to protect their own. The "All's fair in love and war' philosophy.

The writing was spot on, as usual for a Rinaldi book. She has an uncanny knack of drawing her audience back in time and quietly passing on a history lesson as she goes. In that respect, this book is on the mark as well. However, by presenting the aforementioned characters in such a favorable light, she, perhaps, is doing the readers a disservice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars girl power historical fiction, December 16, 2008

By 

M. Tanenbaum (Claremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juliet's Moon (Great Episodes) (Hardcover)

This Civil War story takes place in Missouri in 1863 and features a 12-year old heroine whose brother is part of Quantrill's Raiders, a renegade band of Confederate soldiers. Her adventures include being sent with other girls to a Yankee prison, killing a Yankee soldier (shades of Gone with the Wind), and being kidnapped by a half-crazy confederate soldier.
I thought this book painted a very positive picture of Quantrill's Raiders, who are portrayed as kindly Southern gentlemen, when they actually performed many atrocities. I was a bit surprised by this whitewashing, especially from this particular author, who generally writes excellent historical fiction.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Wonder, September 22, 2010

By 

Linda Hudson "Lopezian" (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juliet's Moon (Great Episodes) (Hardcover)

I picked this book up at the library because, at first, I thought it was about Anastasia....of the Russian Romanov family. There is a photograph of Anastasia on the cover, but this is a book about the American Civil War! When I looked the book up, I noticed there is another edition of this book with a different, older girl/woman featured on the cover....anyone else notice this?

I thought the book was pretty good, though I agree that Quantrill's Raiders were sugar-coated a bit. I suppose how you see such people depends on what side you were on.