Sarah's Ground [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

All my life I have done what my

family wanted. I have performed

and made them happy. Until now.

Now I have broken out on my own

Sarah Tracy has spent her entire life under constant supervision, always under the thumb of one older sibling or another. Now, at eighteen it's time for her to get married, so she is sent to dinner parties, plays, teas, soirees, talks, and chaperoned walks -- always accompanied, always watched.

Sarah's tired of it -- tired of being shipped around, tired of being reminded that it's time to find a suitable husband. She knows that a husband is definitely not what she wants. But the year is 1861 and it's not proper for girls of Sarah's age to be single or independent.

Then Sarah sees an advertisement looking for a young woman to oversee Mount Vernon, the beloved, though now dilapidated, family home of George Washington. Intent on securing the position, she lies to her family and her potential employer, and she becomes mistress of this decaying symbol of American freedom.

And then comes the American Civil War. As battles rage around her, Sarah is determined to create a haven of peace at Mount Vernon. With consummate skills, feminine wiles, and a true sense of diplomacy, Sarah single-handedly manages to keep Mount Vernon out of the war. But while she is able to influence generals, soldiers, and even the president, she learns she doesn't hold such sway over her own heart -- as she also discovers true love.

Based on a true story, this is the amazing tale of one girl's path to womanhood.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-This Civil War tale is based on a true story. Eighteen-year-old Sarah Tracy, a Yankee from Troy, NY, is anxious to escape her family's matchmaking schemes. In 1861, when she hears of an opportunity for employment at Mount Vernon, she jumps at the chance to live and work there. Soon Miss Cunningham, head of the Association that purchased the property from the Washington family, is called home to South Carolina, and the teen is left in the company of the servants-and Mr. Upton Herbert, an eligible bachelor who is the plantation's superintendent. While refurbishing the estate, the two must confront many challenges in seeing it through the war, from privations to threats from the armies. Of course, adversity unites them. This gently told story shows how war impacts noncombatants; it is sure to be popular with Rinaldi fans and lovers of historical fiction.
Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Like Rinaldi's In My Father's House (1993), this historical novel is set in Virginia during the Civil War and loosely based on a true story. The setting is not a battlefield but a place revered by both the Union and the Confederacy, Mount Vernon. Just before the war breaks out, narrator Sarah Tracy, an 18-year-old from Troy, New York, accepts a position as caretaker at Mount Vernon. The determined, if inexperienced, Sarah faces a series of threats to the house, to Washington's tomb, and to her own reputation and security. From her encounters with neighbors and soldiers and from the curiously anticlimactic scene in which the Mount Vernon slaves are freed, Sarah learns that issues and attitudes are not always simple or predictable. The book highlights the many societal restrictions on eighteenth-century women as it introduces a sympathetic heroine who looks for ways around them. An epilogue, an author's note, and a bibliography are appended. A quiet but involving piece that Rinaldi's many fans will enjoy. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; 1 edition (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689859244
• ISBN-13: 978-0689859243
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,705,904 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid slice of well-known American history., June 16, 2004

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sarah's Ground (Hardcover)

This historical novel, set during the tumultuous times of the Civil War, profiles the work of Sarah Tracy, a young woman who is determined to lead an independent life. Sarah is tired of her family's constant supervision and their reminders that it's time for her to find a suitable husband. So she lies to her family and potential employer in order to secure a position as caretaker of Mount Vernon, George Washington's former home.

Sarah's struggle to keep Mount Vernon's grounds neutral, practically sitting on the border of the North and South and within miles of bloody conflicts, brings her into contact with famous figures from the Civil War, including Abraham Lincoln. She must decide how to handle the African-American servants working at Mount Vernon, whose status is unclear. She also has to work closely with Upton Herbert, a gracious Southern gentleman who becomes very important to her.

Ann Rinaldi, a historical re-enactor herself, certainly knows how to make the past interesting. Her main characters are three-dimensional and relatable; teens will be able to sympathize with Sarah and understand why she is so annoyed with her family. It's a shame though that the Epilogue feels the need to defend Rinaldi's artistic license. Most people should understand that a historical novel might embellish a story to make it interesting to the modern reader.

The author explains in the Epilogue that she invented the storyline of Sarah's friend Mary and their argument over Upton Herbert. Stories in which women argue over a man are disappointing and should almost always be avoided. Luckily, though, this story has enough going for it to overcome that problem. The Epilogue does refer to Sarah and Upton's future, answering questions that readers will no doubt want answered.

Ann Rinaldi once again brings to vivid life a slice of little-known American history in a way that will have readers wanting to learn more about Mount Vernon and Sarah's history.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice, quiet read, July 16, 2005

By 

Ruby (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sarah's Ground (Hardcover)

Rinaldi has the most wonderful gift: she can take the tiniest, unknown aspect of history and make it as a brilliant as a star.

True to her talent, she once again chooses a lesser known event in history and gives it depth and dimension.

If you're looking for a highly devoloped romance, this isn't it. If you're looking for bloody action scenes from the Civil War... this isn't it. Instead, "Sarah's Ground" offers the point of view of a young woman and her struggle to remain neutral during the escalation of violence between the Union and Confederacy. She makes it her duty to protect Mount Vernon, where George Washington made his home decades before.

This book is a quiet, relaxing read in which you can easily whittle away the afternoon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It'll hold your interest only because the main characters were real., April 23, 2006

By 

MAB (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sarah's Ground (Hardcover)

"Sarah's Ground" is a very mature book author Ann Rinaldi wrote. I found it interesting that she chose to employ the use of a diary method, yet kept the use of chapters and didn't use dates for each entry - just a double space between each one. The story was a bit slow moving, and I would have enjoyed reading more about the refurbishing of the house. I had no idea that Mount Vernon was neutral ground during the Civil War, much less that there was a Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. What further astonished me was that there really a Sarah Tracy and Upton Herbert, and I was blown away to find out in Rinaldi's author's note that they were real people. If only for that reason read this book. I "sorta" recommend