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Spitfire
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Spitfire
by
Kate Messner (Goodreads Author)
October 1776Twelve-year-old Abigail Smith disguises herself as a boy, steals a leaky rowboat, and sets out to join the American Fleet on Lake Champlain. She's desperate to find her uncle, her only living relative and her only hope for a real home. Young Pascal De Angelis is on board an American ship awaiting battle with the British when Abigail climbs aboard. When the Brit...more
Paperback, 138 pages
Published
September 14th 2007
by North Country Books
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This work of historical fiction is written in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Pascal DeAngelis and Abigail (Adam) Smith, a couple of 12 year olds on board the Spitfire, a small armed boat for the Continental Navy on Lake Champlain. Abigail (Adam) is an orphan, having lost both her father and older brother to smallpox after the Battle of Quebec in the winter of 1775-76. Previously she had also lost her mother, although I don't recall there being anything in the story which tells us...more
Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com
A spirited girl who wants to do more than sit idly by during the Revolutionary War, Abigail Smith takes action. Determined to find her only living relative, Abigail cuts her long hair, sheds the frilly dresses she's been forced to wear, and puts on her brother's britches.
Thus disguised, she presents herself to General Benedict Arnold and takes her place as a sailor aboard the Spitfire, a battleship in an American Fleet facing off against the Briti...more
A spirited girl who wants to do more than sit idly by during the Revolutionary War, Abigail Smith takes action. Determined to find her only living relative, Abigail cuts her long hair, sheds the frilly dresses she's been forced to wear, and puts on her brother's britches.
Thus disguised, she presents herself to General Benedict Arnold and takes her place as a sailor aboard the Spitfire, a battleship in an American Fleet facing off against the Briti...more
Feb 20, 2009
Liz
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who is interested in Historical Fiction or adventure
Recommended to Liz by:
kate messner
I learned a lot about the battle of Plattsburgh from this book. It is about Abigail Smith who dresses as a boy so that she can fight and try to find her Uncle Zeb and only living relative. she makes very good friends with a boy her age named Pascal who knows her only as "Adam"
Feb 06, 2008
Emily Beeson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
homeschoolers
Recommended to Emily by:
review copy
Shelves:
historical,
realistic-ya
Spitfire has great voice, two great voices actually. Abigail (known as Adam) disguises herself as a boy to fight against the British in 1776. During her adventures, she finds friendship in Pascal.
We follow these two young fighters through their battles on the ship, the Spitfire.
I found it a little bit confusing jumping from one character to the other, since they alternate chapters in first person. Despite this, the story is well-written and the characters are enjoyable.
It is a quick, easy read....more
We follow these two young fighters through their battles on the ship, the Spitfire.
I found it a little bit confusing jumping from one character to the other, since they alternate chapters in first person. Despite this, the story is well-written and the characters are enjoyable.
It is a quick, easy read....more
A very insightful young reader's book. The story is well paced with great characterization. I would recommend it to any young reader who wishes to be lost in history.
Disguised as a boy called Adam, Abigail Smith joins the American Fleet and the subsequent battle against the British Fleet on Lake Champlain. The alternating viewpoints of Adam and "his" new friend Pascal gives readers a sense of the commitment that new Americans had to their newly founded country. I found myself particularly interested in the details of battle and life aboard the Spitfire. The freezing conditions tempered with only a few blankets, the process of firing the cannon, and the act o...more
Really good! I just wished it had ended differently. . .=[
exciting book written by our own teacher!!
Historical fiction for teens.
A good book for young readers and for anyone who has a love for history.
May 25, 2013
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Kate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, bot...more
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