A Line in the Sand: the Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas 1836 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

by Sherry Garland (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Thirteen-year-old Lucinda Lawrence recounts the story of the Texas Revolution, from September, 1835, to April, 1836. Important incidents, such as the "Runaway Scrape" and the Battle of San Jacinto, come to life with the girl's description of how these events affected her family. Carefully researched and historically accurate details add interest and give a clear picture of the many hardships and simple joys of early Texas farm life. Lucinda's diary also becomes a way for her to express the excitement of a teen crush, sadness over the deaths of family members, and disgust and disappointment over the horrors of war. Unfortunately, the narrative occasionally seems disjointed and lacks the transitional links that provide a smooth continuity from one diary entry to the next. Also, Lucinda's family often travels from one location to another, resulting in plot threads that don't always seem necessary. The title and cover are misleading; they imply that the book focuses on a girl's eyewitness experiences during the Alamo confrontation. That battle segment actually occurs late in the book, proportionally few pages are devoted to it, and the protagonist's only experience with it is hearing booming cannon fire as her family flees San Antonio. Still, this is a pleasurable story. An addendum summarizes the history of Texas from 1519 to 1847, and includes black-and-white reproductions.
Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, King-
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In the journal she receives for her twelfth birthday in 1835, Lucinda Lawrence describes the hardships her family and other residents of the "Texas colonies" endure when they decide to face the Mexicans in a fight for their freedom.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590394665
• ISBN-13: 978-0590394666
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,714 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #7 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Historical > Dear America
  #34 in	Books > Children's Books > Educational > Explore the World > Fiction > United States
  #49 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Military & Wars

• This item is part of The Dear America Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great new Dear America book., August 23, 1998

By A Customer

For her thirteenth birthday in 1835, Lucinda Lawrence's grandmother sends her a diary. Lucinda lives in Gonzales, Texas, when the American settlers were fighting to break free of Mexico, and she writes of many historical events, including the Alamo (where she loses a brother and an uncle), Goliad (where another of her uncles is killed), the Battle of San Jacinto, and the "Runaway Scrape," when the women and children of Texas barely escaped a step ahead of the Mexicans. Lucinda's diary is another wonderful Dear America book and I highly reccomend it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pioneer girl comes of age during the time of the Alamo., July 24, 2000

By	Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Living in the tiny, remote settlement of Gonzales, Texas, in 1835, pioneer farm girl Lucinda Lawrence has just celebrated her thirteenth birthday. Her father is against war with Mexico - he learned the horrors of war firsthand during the War of 1812. Lucinda's brothers find the idea of war glorious - her oldest brother, Willis, is eager to fight against the oppresive Mexicans. Lucinda's mother just doesn't want to lose anymore children - her youngest, a baby girl, died during the journey from Missouri to Texas years earlier. Lucinda's friend, Mittie Roe, wants her father to come home safely from his trading expedition. And Lucinda herself isn't sure what she wants - the Mexicans are treating the American settlers badly, but she fears the war will go poorly for the outnumbered, ragtag settler army. But like it or not, over the next few months, Lucinda and all her family and friends will be swept up in the war for Texas independence. Some of them will survive, and some of them will not. But through it all, Lucinda matures from a girl to a young woman who knows where she stands and what is worth fighting for. I highly reccomend this excellant book, particuarly to fans of the Dear America series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Line in The Sand, January 14, 2000

By A Customer

I think the book, A Line in The Sand, was a very good book because it tells about how life was during the Alamo War. This book was sort of boring at the beginning, then I kept on reading and I didn't want to stop. This book was bad in some ways because Lucinda kept going on and on about one thing. I would recommend this book to people who like to read about what it was like in the olden days and to people who like to read about wars.