Have enjoyed every Ann Rinaldi book I have read. ( )

Good YA read. As I read this I thought a teenage girl disguising herself as a boy, then fighting in actual battles was ludicrous. Thankfully, at the end, the author provided some examples of girls who did that during this conflict. ( )

I have always loved historical fiction and Ann Rinaldi writes great YA level books in this genre. I find that she writes books that pretty accurate factually and that also have great characters who I am interested in learning how they live in the time period they exist in. ( )

Cases of young women disguising themselves as men to fight in battle are often mentioned, and this book does a fine job of explaining motivations, and showing difficulties for the young women, both before, during and after their charade. Particularly interesting was the detailed description of Washington, D.C. during the Civil War years. Depicting the nation’s capital in its infancy provided a nice contrast of the way the city is viewed today. Additionally, the story presents a thought provoking case of both the hindrances and benefits of being a woman in the 1860s. The ending of Sarah Wheelock’s adventure takes place at the beginning of the Civil War, and ends with her returning to “battle” to face more unknown tasks; the reader is left pondering what her future may entail.
The author notes provides specifics about the real characters mentioned in the book as well as background on cities, campaigns and young women like Sarah. A very enlightening final word.

A girl in Blue opens with a less than original plot of a 16 year old young woman disenchanted with her life on the farm, and her father's insisting that she will marry a widowed neighbor. The story takes place at the very beginning of the U. S. Civil war. She schemes a plan to leave the farm and join the army as a young man. Her plan works; it is several months before she is found out. At that time her skill at working under disguise are put to test in a different manner, and the plot becomes much more original and interesting.

Girl in Blue is a very readable YA title. The story is easy to follow & seems historically accurate. I think there could have been a stronger conclusion. There are a few questions in my mind as to who was really passing along the info. It's a good read that most over age 12 could enjoy (adults as well). ( )