Sybil Ludington earned a place in American history on a rainy night in 1777 when she rode 40 miles through enemy-infested woods to summon her father's regiment to halt a British raid on Connecticut and New York. Though Paul Revere is the most celebrated revolutionary to sound the call to arms, Sybil Ludington's ride was bolder and far more dangerous, and she was only sixteen years old. Widowed young, she became a successful businesswoman in a profession then dominated by men and raised her son to become a man of stature in his community. This is her first biography.
V.T. Dacquino is the author of several books for young children, including the popular young adult novel Kiss the Candy Days Good-Bye, a Dell/Yearling paperback. He is the founder of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Writing Academy and has made numerous appearances at schools and historical sites based on his adult biography, Sybil Ludington: The Call to Arms. A "classroom-ready version" of this book for fourth and fifth grade students was released in May 2008. The book includes exercises in DBQ's and is published by Purple Mountain Press.
Dacquino has released a new book with History Press called, Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley: An Investigative Journey. Readers will read: the confession of George Denny, hanged in Putnam county in 1844; tales of the haunted Smalley's Inn, still open to diners in Carmel, New York; the tale of Chief Nimham, massacred in Van Cortland Park in 1778: and more. The book was released for Halloween 2007.
He most recently addressed teachers at the October 17, 2008 New York State Historical Association October Conference for Teachers at Cooperstown, NY. He has addressed English teachers at annual conferences at the county, state and national levels. He has presented at BOCES Young Adult conferences for over twenty-five years. Mr. Dacquino has been a teacher in Westchester County for over 30 years and is recently retired as the director of the BEPT Teacher Center serving the Pelham, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe School Districts. He retired from teaching in 2007 to dedicate more time to his writing and lecturing. He resides with his wife, June, in Mahopac, NY.
