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Title details for Sophia's War by Avi - Available

Sophia's War

A Tale of the Revolution

by Avi
Angela Goethals
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Lives hang in the balance in this gripping Revolutionary War adventure from a beloved Newbery Medalist.
In 1776, young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, which is newly occupied by the British army. Sophia is horrified by the event and resolves to do all she can to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of General Clinton, the supreme commander of the British forces in America. Through her work she becomes aware that someone in the American army might be switching sides, and she uncovers a plot that will grievously damage the Americans if it succeeds. But the identity of the would-be traitor is so shocking that no one believes her, and so Sophia decides to stop the treacherous plot herself, at great personal peril: She's young, she's a girl, and she's running out of time. And if she fails, she's facing an execution of her own.
Master storyteller Avi shows exactly how personal politics can be in this "nail-biting thriller" (Publishers Weekly) that is rich in historical detail and rife with action.
"Avi's setting is impeccable (especially the descriptions of the prisons where rebel soldiers were kept); the intrigue on the home front, real; and the tension of living in enemy territory, intense."—Horn Book Magazine

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 1, 2012

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781470320454
      • File size: 213139 KB
      • Duration: 07:24:02

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 730
    • Text Difficulty: 3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      At the start of the Revolutionary War, Sophia is only 12. Narrator Angela Goethals's voicing is appropriately tremulous in the midst of such upheaval. Overall, her diction is clear and resonant. She uses vowels to create character, giving Sophia her early innocence with rounded open words. As she lives under the British occupation of Manhattan, Sophia's voice gains a commanding edge. By age 15, she has grown into a young woman capable of the vengeance she vowed upon her brother's death in the miserable conditions of an English prison. But even in the midst of revenge, Sophia's loyalties are tested by the charms of the English officer John André. In an author's note, Avi delineates fact from fiction and describes the inspiration for the story. A.M.P. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      February 1, 2013

      Gr 5-9-Set in 1776 during the American Revolution when New York was under siege by the British, Avi's tale (Beach Lane Books, 2012) of resistance features an amazing female protagonist, trials aplenty as she tries to avenge her brother's death, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sophia's family believes in freedom and desperately wants America to govern itself. Her brother goes off to fight, is captured, and ends up dying in a filthy hold of a British prison boat. John Andre, a charming English officer who is billeted with Sophia's family, fails to intervene to save her brother. Despite having a schoolgirl crush on Andre, Sophia is conflicted by his failure to save her brother. After witnessing the execution of Nathan Hale, Sophia is determined to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of the commander of the British forces in America. Sophia uncovers some crucial information and sets out to reach West Point before Benedict Arnold can turn it over to the British. Avi's outstanding text and Angela Goethals's spot-on narration make the Revolutionary War come alive for listeners, providing a real sense of the time period. A perfect choice for school and public libraries.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

      Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from August 13, 2012
      Newbery Medalist Avi (Crispin: The Cross of Lead) channels the mood, language, and danger of the Revolutionary War in this seamless blend of history and fiction, set in British-occupied New York City. Twelve-year-old Sophia Calderwood idolizes her older brother, William, a fervent Patriot soldier who has gone missing after the Battle of Brooklyn. In the first half of the book, Sophia’s desperate search for William leads her to several deplorable prisons where rebels are being held. The second half takes place when Sophia, now 15, becomes a spy who uncovers the truth about Benedict Arnold. The book is chockful of fascinating historical details, including the conditions for those stranded in New York and the failed meetings between Arnold and John André, his (real-life) British contact. Avi doesn’t sugarcoat the brutal realities of war as Sophia races to find help intercepting John André, who was also a boarder in her home years earlier and her first crush, in this rich, nail-biting thriller. A glossary of period terms and an
      author’s note are included. Ages 8–12.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:730
  • Text Difficulty:3

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