Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring: A Spy on History Book by Enigma Alberti & Tony Cliff

What worked:

This historical fiction follows Mary Bowser as she collects secrets from the desk of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy during the Civil War, to help the Union win the war. It includes many facts from this critical time in our country’s history that young readers might not know. They’ll learn that there were four million slaves in the South who had no freedom or rights as human beings. The story mentions famous battles and army officers from both sides, including Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. Many people might not know that Lee changed the South’s strategies by becoming more aggressive against the North instead of defending Richmond, Virginia. 

The most dramatic aspect of the story is Mary’s role as a spy. It’s incredibly important that she pretend she can’t read to avoid suspicion. She’ll be immediately caught if anyone sees her reading even a single piece of paper. The pseudo-antagonist is another servant who’s mistrustful of Mary from the moment she arrives at Davis’s house and constantly watches her. Mary examines important papers on the president’s desk while pretending to dust the room, always on the lookout for the other servant. Another dangerous part of Mary’s role is passing the information to others in the spy ring. She must be careful to do it unnoticed or her friend or the baker might be hanged as spies. Paragraphs at the end of the book describe the real lives of the main characters and what happens to them after the Civil War ends.

What didn’t work as well:

The plot moves very quickly, so there’s little depth to the plot or character development. The narrator’s voice is like a separate observer, so readers may not make emotional connections with Mary’s character.

The final verdict:

This book shares information about an important time in United States history that may be new to today’s readers. Mary’s perilous role as a spy is engaging, especially when President Davis and other Confederates become aware that their secrets are being passed to the Union army. It’s an educational, exciting tale and I recommend you give it a shot.