Books We Love from the Park Ridge Public Library Children’s Staff

This is a new historical fiction series from this author called “I Witness”.  Avi explains that although these stories are fictional, he tried to stay as close to what really happened as possible.  The author has used real newspaper accounts, letters, telegraph messages, and whatever eyewitness accounts he could find.  This really makes the story more interesting knowing how many of the details are true.  I really felt like I was on board the Monitor along with the main character, Tom Carroll.  Tom is a 13-year-old boy growing up during the Civil War, and his father has just been killed fighting for the Union.  Since it is just Tom, his mother, and his sickly sister, Tom must get a job to help support his family.  He finds himself working for the inventor of the first ironclad ship, the Monitor, whose main purpose is to fight and win the war for the North.  This mission and the workings of this ship are TOP SECRET, and Tom almost becomes prey to some “Rebs” – spies for the South, so he must escape by going on board the Monitor.  Next thing you know he is in the middle of the big fight!  This story was intriguing and exciting and would be great for boys!

Posted by: Mary