Carrie Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of the YA
novels, including Need and Captivate. Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a
Great Pretender is her first picture book.
Mark Oldroyd lives in the small town of Battle (as in 1066) in
England. Mark is well known for his atmospheric, detailed
illustrative style. He is a traditional artist, creating his
illustrations with unbelievable speed, as acrylic paintings. He has
a beautiful sense of color and composition, which has led him to
work with a broad range of clients including the Radio Times,
English Heritage, and A&C Black for children' s classics. In
between commissions, Mark enjoys playing in his bluegrass band and
building giant firework filled papier-mache effigies, as part of
the town' s annual bonfire celebrations.
Great things can come from games of make-believe! As a girl, Sarah
Edmonds practiced at being what her father wanted most: a boy. This
skill later served her (and the Union army) well when she joined
its ranks as a male nurse. Upon hearing that President Lincoln
needed troops, she refused to accept that she couldn't contribute.
After a friend was killed in battle, Edmonds upped the ante and
became a Union spy, sneaking behind the Confederate lines to relay
their strategies to the north. Based on a book she wrote.
--ForeWord Magazine-- "Website" (5/1/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Jones makes a confident departure from her bestselling YA novels
with an entertaining and powerful Civil War-era story about living
by one's own rules. Realizing she would never satisfy her father's
desire for a son, teenage Sarah Emma Edmonds fled from Canada to
America where she assumed the identity of Frank Thompson. Edwards
then joined the Union Army, first as a male nurse, then as a spy,
passing herself off as a slave and, later, as an Irish peddler:
'She was a woman (Sarah) pretending to be a man (Frank) pretending
to be a woman (Bridget).' In Oldroyd's full-bleed spreads,
characterized by strong cross-hatching and angular shapes,
Edmonds's eyes twinkle with her secret knowledge, while Jones
delivers her story with the assuredness of a natural storyteller.
--Publishers Weekly-- "Journal" (3/28/2011 12:00:00 AM)
As far as we know, Sarah Emma Edmonds began dressing as a boy early
on, in an attempt to please her abusive father, who hated girls.
When she emigrated from Canada to the United States as a teenager,
she kept pretending: It was easier to earn her living as a boy.
When the Civil War broke out, Sarah enlisted under the name Frank
Thompson and became a spy. Frank was a master deceiver: She/he
portrayed a slave boy, a female Irish peddler and an
African-American laundress. As Frank, Sarah braved bullets and rode
through battles. Only when she became ill with malaria could she no
longer pretend--but she was never discovered. Frank Thompson
deserted, and a very ill Sarah Edmonds sought treatment at a
private hospital. Jones, in her first departure from novels for
teens, tells Sarah's story with strong simplicity, quoting at times
from Sarah's own memoirs. One small quibble is that she ends the
story too soon, at the close of the Civil War. An author's note
says that Sarah Edmonds died in 1898 in La Porte, Texas, but gives
no details of her later life. Oldroyd's illustrations convey
Sarah's likeness through all her many disguises, and help readers
will see her as both sympathetic and brave. Recommended, especially
for middle grades studying the Civil War. --Kirkus Reviews--
"Journal" (3/1/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Sarah Edmonds, disguised as a man, fought alongside and spied for
Union troops during the Civil War. Jones enumerates these feats
with touches of humor, and she continues Sarah's story throughout
the war and her subsequent marriage. Oldroyd makes effective use of
broad, rough-hewn brush strokes, particularly in creating an
impressionistic background that frequently allows a detailed
illustration of Sarah to take center stage. --The Horn Book Guide--
"Journal" (11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM)
The cover portraits cleverly introduce the book's topic. The front
shows a person in a Civil War Union uniform, winking, with one hand
hidden. The back presents a rear view of the same figure but now
her fingers are shown to be crossed. Below the uniform, a skirt and
parasol are displayed. As a teenager in the 1850s, Edmonds ran away
from her abusive father and native Canada to come to the United
States. Being on her own, she found it safer and easier to dress as
a man. When the Civil War began, she is quoted as saying that
patriotism was her primary impulse for enlisting in the Union army
as 'Frank Thompson, ' then working as a nurse and a spy. Her
practice at pretending served her well as she once again changed
her name and took on various new identities behind enemy lines.
Using an informal, conversational style, Jones succeeds in keeping
the complicated narrative at a level appropriate for young readers.
Based on Edmonds's own writings as well as secondary sources, the
book presents a believable account of the woman's actions. While
some speculation is included as to her motivations, the text makes
clear what is known and what is not. The illustrations portray
Edmonds's feelings through her expressions and provide a visual
context for readers. Employing a palette heavy on blues, yellows,
and greens, with white outlining for emphasis, the pictures are
impressionistic with realistic details. An unusual heroine, Edmonds
will capture readers' attention. --School Library Journal--
"Journal" (4/1/2011 12:00:00 AM)
This large-format picture book tells the remarkable story of Sarah
Emma Edmonds, who grew up in Canada in the 1840s, raised by a
father who mistreated her. Disguised as a boy, she ran away in her
teens and supported herself by selling Bibles. When the Civil War
began, she enlisted as a male nurse in the Union army. Later, she
became a spy, passing on information gained when she disguised
herself as a male slave, an Irish peddler woman, and an African
American laundress. The portrayal of Sarah as a child, dressing as
a boy in hopes of pleasing her father, will resonate with many
readers, and the story of her later adventures is well worth
telling. However, Jones overuses the words pretend and pretender in
the text, making valid points but with little subtlety. The
large-scale artwork offers dramatic scenes featuring Sarah in her
many disguises. Accessible to younger children than most books on
the Civil War, this would be a good addition to many collections.
--Booklist-- "Journal" (4/15/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Two complementary biographies track the life of Sarah Edmonds, a
woman who, disguised as a man, nursed, fought alongside, and spied
for Union troops during the Civil War. The accounts differ slightly
in detail although each author lists similar sources. For example,
Jones has Sarah posing as (or as she repeats throughout the text,
pretending to be) a boy to please her harsh, Canadian father, while
Moss indicates Sarah's first impersonation came from her need to
escape an arranged marriage, crossing the border into the United
States as Frank Thompson. Here, Frank, a.k.a. Sarah, enlists in the
Union Army, and her dedication and bravery make her the perfect
candidate to act as a spy. Jones enumerates these feats, often
continuing the touch of humor indicated on the jacket that shows a
mock daguerreotype portrait of a uniformed Frank, broadly winking
at the reader (see the back of the jacket for the punchline), and
continues Sarah's story throughout the war and her subsequent
marriage. Moss, on the other hand, puts her emphasis on Sarah's
early work and initial mission, concluding the biography before
war's end. Hendrix's art, heavily shading pages in orange for
battle scenes or blue for the somber settings of night or makeshift
field hospitals, emphasizes the horror and drama of war. Using
hand-lettered text reminiscent of broadsides of the time, he
visually shouts danger to the reader when tension is the highest.
For his part, Oldroyd makes effective use of broad, rough-hewn
brush strokes, particularly in creating an impressionistic
background that frequently allows a detailed illustration of Sarah
to take center stage. Both books contain a bibliography (Moss's is
the most extensive) and an author's note. Additionally, the Moss
account includes an artist's bibliography and note, an index, and a
glossary. --The Horn Book Magazine-- "Journal" (7/1/2011 12:00:00
AM)
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