Virginia Dickens is angry. Her father and brother Jed have left her behind while they go off to Uncle Jack's farm to help him hide his horses from Confederate raiders. It's the summer of 1863 and Pa and Jed believe 9-year-old Virginia will be out of harm's way in the sleepy little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Too soon they all discover how wrong they are, as Union and Confederate soldiers descend on Gettysburg for the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Virginia has front-row seats to this horrific episode of history, and she records every incident and feeling she experiences in her journal (which is actually Jed's; he entrusted it to her when he went away, asking her to be his "eyes and ears in Gettysburg").

Mary Pope Osborne's gripping story is a welcome addition to the popular My America historical-fiction series. Neither Osborne nor Virginia shy away from telling the truth, brutal and painful though it may be. This lends a certain depth, appeal, and integrity to the book that a history textbook could never match. Real players in the Civil War, including Robert E. Lee and Abe Lincoln, make cameo appearances, while the fictional characters seem just as authentic. Osborne has written a wide variety of other engaging stories, including Adaline Falling Star. (Ages 8 to 11) --Emilie Coulter