Title: Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring
Author: Enigma Alberti
Series: Spy on History
Major Themes: Civil War, Mystery, Puzzles, Slavery
Synopsis: Posing as a slave in order to gain entrance to the Confederate White House, Mary Bowser tries her hardest to get information to the Union.
There are not very many books I’ve downloaded for reviewing that sucked me in like this one did. When I opened Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring, I ended up spending more time than I should have right then, reading it. What a fascinating story! I’ve always been quite interested in stories about the Civil War and the slaves, but had never read anything quite like this story.
Mary Bowser was a free black woman, but she posed as a slave in order to gain entrance to Jefferson Davis’s mansion. Using her speed-reading skills and photographic memory, she gathered information as she dusted his desk, then wrote down whatever she learned in her diary, which she kept hidden. Every time she turned around, however, Mrs. Davis’s Irish maid was watching her. How long would she be able to keep up the pretense that she was witless and illiterate? How would she get her information to the Union?
Built into this exciting book is a mystery to solve. Use the included tools to crack the codes and find the answer to the unsolved question. Any child who enjoys history, or who loves puzzles, would have fun with this book.
I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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