Tanya Landman

The Civil War technically ends slavery for the young Black woman who narrates this tale, but her search for true freedom takes her on a long and winding journey.

Told in crisp and unornamented style from the viewpoint of the main character, this story ranges from an antebellum Georgia plantation to the American west, as Charlotte -- who becomes Charley early on -- takes on a male identity for protection and survival, drifts into the U.S. Cavalry almost by chance, and ends up with one of the Black cavalry units that saw action during the Indian Wars.

Readers familiar with the general shape of the era will recognize some of the historical events, but Landman has wisely kept the telling strictly within the view of a cavalry trooper who has little or no awareness of the significance of individual battles and troop movements. As Charley O'Hara continues day-to-day survival within the troop, she slowly changes from viewing all Indians as just an amorphous enemy to seeing them as individuals fighting to maintain their traditional ways of life, and further begins to understand that "freedom" -- particularly freedom based on skin color -- can be a very elusive thing.

One might quibble at the coincidental meeting that leads Charley to the final action that shapes her future, but it's a small price to pay within a fresh and powerful story.… (more)

This was a pretty good book. Also, Romans? That is really cool. Usually YA books are fantasy, contemporary or sci-fi/dystopian while history can be a setting that is just as great. I believe this is only the third childrens/YA novel I've read that is about this time period.
The tagline suggests a huge rebellion, but that's not what this book is about. I liked that. There are so many books about that already.
Instead, it is filled with traveling and clever schemes. Cassia and Marcus are witty and manage to sneak around Europe while transporting fugitives. I was suspicious of Marcus in the beginning, but once the perspective switched I almost laughed. Silly Marcus collected all kinds of little clues and drew a hilariously wrong conclusion.
I did not like the ending, however. The author basically goes "Did they survive or are they dead? Did the others live happily ever after or not? You know what, you decide!" Which makes no sense because the narrator lives long enough to know all the answers.
And I would have liked to see more of Silvio. He just disappears halfway and he was such a nice character.… (more)

One of the better historical novels from Barrington Stoke, and about half way through I guessed that it was a re-telling of the life of Annie Oakley, even though the main character's name is Maggie.
Maggie lives with her father and mother in a back woods cabin. She has always felt her mother doesn't quite love her as much as she loves the two older children, but this is made up for by Maggie's father who sees her as his favorite and teaches her to shoot with deadly accuracy.
When her father dies, Maggie is sold off to the poor house until she turns 14. She is then given out to a seemingly nice couple to help look after their newborn child, but they are monsters - the mother beats her senseless and the father rapes her. So Maggie decides to go back home. Once there, her mother turns on her again but it is the Stepfather who stands up for her when, starving, she borrows a gun and successfully hunts some rabbits and squirrels, which she then sells in town. Then along comes a travelling road show that changes her life forever.
For older readers due to the rape scene. A short yet complex book with a happy ending.… (more)