Kristiana Gregory
We join Abigail Stewart half a year after The Winter of Red Snow ended, in January of 1779. Her father has enlisted in the Continental Army, and when a devastating fire destroys Abby's home, she, her mother, and siblings must make their way to Philadelphia, then on to the Continental Army camp to be near Abby's father. The winters are brutally cold, food is scarce, and the anguish of war is ever present. But not all is desperate. Abby meets
...Through diary entries, 11-year-old Abby Stewart, whose family lives near Valley Forge, records what it must have been like to live among the soldiers, along with the myriad emotions that a young girl might have had toward them and the war. This realistic look at the Revolutionary War is rounded out with lengthy historical notes, as well as an epilogue that reveals the fates of these fictional characters.
At first, 13-year-old Hattie and her family find the wagon train adventue exciting, but as time passes, death, disease, weather, and the terrain make it a tedious and dangerous trip. Through Hattie's diary, the rigors - and the joys - of this fascinating era in history are deftly chronicled.