Star Spangled Secret (School & Library Binding)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-Set in and around Baltimore and Washington City in 1814, this well-paced mystery will engage readers and perhaps spark interest in the many oddities surrounding the War of 1812. Caroline Dorsey, 13, refuses to believe that her beloved brother Charlie, 14, perished while in service aboard the privateer Liberty. The youth was an excellent swimmer who "loved the sea more than the land" and could not have drowned by simply falling off the deck, despite the claims of the ship's captain. Against her mother's wishes, Caroline begins her own secret investigation. Everyone from the unsavory characters at Baltimore harbor to President James Madison provides information that brings the novel to its exciting climax during the patriotic defense of Fort McHenry. Things get wrapped up a bit too neatly, but the protagonist's resourcefulness and determination make it difficult for readers to begrudge her the happy ending. Though the writing is nowhere near as eloquent as in Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Orchard, 1990), this quick read should appeal to a similar audience.

Ronni Krasnow, New York Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. When 13-year-old Caroline Dorsey, growing up in the early nineteenth century, learns of her older brother Charlie's death (he drowned after falling from the deck of a ship that he was working on), she senses that something is wrong. An accomplished swimmer, he should have been able to save himself. The absence of a body further convinces her to investigate. Against her mother's wishes, Caroline enlists the help of indentured servant Sean Foley, and the two travel to Baltimore's waterfront to interview sailors and dockhands. Eventually Caroline and Sean rescue Charlie, but not before being kidnapped by British loyalists during the battle to defend Fort McHenry and the enormous American flag flying above it. Kimball has done a good job weaving setting and historical details into the story. Caroline and Sean are well-developed multidimensional characters, and hints of future romance between them will please middle-grade readers. This is a good choice for fans of historical fiction; pair it with Harriette Gillem Robinet's Washington City Is Burning (1996) for another view of the period. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Topeka Bindery (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613556690
• ISBN-13: 978-0613556699
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,137,428 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting historical mystery., September 29, 2001

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

This review is from: The Star-Spangled Secret (Paperback)

Thirteen-year-old Caroline Dorsey was devastated when her father and baby sister Rebecca died in a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Unwilling to spend another summer in Philadelphia, Caroline's mother decided that she would take her two remaining children, Caroline and fourteen-year-old Charlie, and move to her father's Maryland plantation. But Charlie is determined to go to sea, and his mother doesn't have the will to refuse her son's greatest wish. Meanwhile, Caroline returns to boarding school in Philadelphia, where she receives a letter with news that Charlie has fallen off the deck of his ship and drowned. Caroline knows that can't be true. So she returns home, determined to discover the truth. I highly recommend this combination of history, mystery, suspense, and adventure.

5.0 out of 5 stars teen book, July 31, 2009

By	Susan Casper - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Star-Spangled Secret (Paperback)

The book is a great resource when you are trying to show your students how to "hook" the reader so they want to read more.