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Dear America
Dear America: Cannons at Dawn
Kristiana Gregory returns with a stunning new sequel to the bestselling Dear America title THE WINTER OF RED SNOW!Abigail Jane Stewart returns in this brand-new sequel to THE WINTER OF RED SNOW. The Revolutionary War toils on, but the Stewart family can no longer avoid getting involved. Abby's father joins the Continental Army, while Abby, her mother, and her siblings become camp followers. They face daily hardships alongside the troops and continue to spend time helping the Washingtons. Filled with romance and adventure, Abby's frontline view of the war captures the heartache and bravery of the soldiers, as well as the steep cost of freedom.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
69 people are currently reading
1927 people want to read
About the author
Kristiana Gregory
73 books340 followersKristiana Gregory grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean. She's always loved to make up stories [ask her family!], telling her younger siblings whoppers that would leave them wide-eyed and shivering. Her first rejection letter at age ten was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the LA Times, and finally author.
Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.
JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.
BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.
Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.
New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.
Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.
Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.
JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.
BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.
Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.
New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.
Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
April 24, 2022
This was the sequel to The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777. Cannons at Dawn was worth listening to, but I did find it a bit dull at times. Still, it's a book that is completely clean and wholesome and that I would recommend to young girls, middle grade readers, and lovers of historical fiction and/or the Dear America series.
December 13, 2015
Once upon a time in the early nineties I read MANY of the Dear America series books. One of them was the Winter of Red Snow. Recently, I discovered that there was a sequel for this novel released in 2011 when I was about 22 years old. I am now 25 and I still have a lot of love for this series. Even though they are designed for kids they give a lot of insight on what day to day life must have been like for the different people (mostly young ladies) in different time periods. I still love historical fiction and have found that this series has some of the best research. This story features many of the characters of the previous novel and all of them sound like actual historical people and not fictional characters. The historical figures that are mentioned also seem very true to their real life counterparts. I don't care if I'm technically a grown woman, I still enjoy reading this series.
September 14, 2023
I loved this one even more than the first one!! It was so sweet, and very, very historically accurate. Willie and Abby were the sweetest!
September 19, 2023
my tiny self was way more hardcore than I am because wow this was intense and I just know she would have read it with no reaction but I was STRESSED 😂
March 1, 2011
In this sequel to The Winter of Red Snow, Abigail Jane Stewart continues her diary in January 1779. Her father has recently joined the army and she is worried about him. Then her family's home burns down, and they have trouble finding a place to stay because most of their relatives moved away during the British occupation of Philadelphia. While her older sister remains in Philadelphia, Abby, her younger brother and sister, and their mother join the Continental Army as camp followers.
Life following the army is full of many hardships for Abby and her family. The winters are long and brutally cold and there is rarely enough food. There is also the worry that the Americans will lose the war, as the British have occupied many cities in the southern colonies, the Continental Army does not have enough supplies, and the promised aid and troops from France have not yet arrived. But there is also happiness, too. Abby and her family make several new friends, and there is also romance, as Abby finds herself falling in love with Willie Campbell, a young soldier.
The Winter of Red Snow was one of my favorite books from the original Dear America series, so when I learned there would be a sequel after all these years I was so excited. And I am happy to say I was not disappointed at all. The American Revolution is one of my favorite settings for historical fiction, so I really enjoyed reading Abby's diary, which brought to life the hardships faced by the American soldiers and their families during the final two years of the war. This book is now one of my favorites from the series and I would highly recommend it to all readers who enjoyed other books in the Dear America series. And if you haven't read any books from the series yet but love historical fiction, these two books are a great place to start.
Life following the army is full of many hardships for Abby and her family. The winters are long and brutally cold and there is rarely enough food. There is also the worry that the Americans will lose the war, as the British have occupied many cities in the southern colonies, the Continental Army does not have enough supplies, and the promised aid and troops from France have not yet arrived. But there is also happiness, too. Abby and her family make several new friends, and there is also romance, as Abby finds herself falling in love with Willie Campbell, a young soldier.
The Winter of Red Snow was one of my favorite books from the original Dear America series, so when I learned there would be a sequel after all these years I was so excited. And I am happy to say I was not disappointed at all. The American Revolution is one of my favorite settings for historical fiction, so I really enjoyed reading Abby's diary, which brought to life the hardships faced by the American soldiers and their families during the final two years of the war. This book is now one of my favorites from the series and I would highly recommend it to all readers who enjoyed other books in the Dear America series. And if you haven't read any books from the series yet but love historical fiction, these two books are a great place to start.
July 26, 2017
Really great follow-up to Winter of the Red Snow--which was one of my favorite Dear America books back in the day! In this one, Abby and her family camp along with the Continental Army through the last years of the Revolutionary War. There is some light romance, as the characters are getting older. Definitely geared toward the older readers of the series.
This book tackled more than one issue of the time, and appeared to be extremely well-researched, as well as detailed. Slavery (including runaways), desertion, mutiny, military life, battle, daily living, and much more were a part of this book, yet it didn't feel overdramatic, or too broad. It simply read exactly as it should have--as a peek into the life of a young girl living during that period of time. Even as an adult reading I learned several new facts and facets of Revolutionary life.
This book tackled more than one issue of the time, and appeared to be extremely well-researched, as well as detailed. Slavery (including runaways), desertion, mutiny, military life, battle, daily living, and much more were a part of this book, yet it didn't feel overdramatic, or too broad. It simply read exactly as it should have--as a peek into the life of a young girl living during that period of time. Even as an adult reading I learned several new facts and facets of Revolutionary life.
June 20, 2011
I LOVED Winter of the Red Snow (this book's prequel) but I didn't feel like this one really carried on that book's greatness. The story was really disjointed and the author had Abigail take several long breaks from writing in her journal because she didn't have any ink. I mean, I get it, it was the Revolutionary War and supplies were low and that includes ink, but I also kind of feel like it was a little bit of a cop out. Also, this book covers like, three years instead of just one year, so while it needed to so something to break all of that stuff up, I didn't like the way it was done. Another thing I didn't love was the way they handled Abigail's whole getting married and pregnant storyline. Yes, it was super common for 15-year-olds to be married and pregnant during this time period, but I felt like Abigail was like, "Oh boy, I'm getting married!" and then jumped straight to "Oh boy, I'm pregnant!" without any kind of slight mention of what's going on. Granted, this is a J book so any mention of something like that would have jumped this book straight up to teen, which I'm sure Scholastic didn't want (and we probably wouldn't want - it just makes things complicated :P)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2022
This book was super good! I loved that I got to hear the rest of Abigail's story, and it didn't disappoint either! This book talked about the Revolutionary War, friendship, family, and love. The only thing I wasn't sure that I really liked is that it picked up at a different spot then the last book left off. But, I suppose, that's all part of the plot, even if it was a little confusing at the beginning. Otherwise, great book!
March 7, 2023
A solid and enjoyable sequel. Winter of the Red Snow is my all time favorite Dear America book. I was excited to see a continuation of Abigail’s story, especially as it covered some lesser known events than the first book, such as the winter at Morristown. The life of women and children who followed the army was vividly portrayed. As with the first book, Gregory doesn’t shy away from the unsavory realities of warfare, army life, and 18th century living, but she still infuses her story with hope.
July 29, 2020
Not the most exciting of the Dear America books. Admittedly, Abby isn't one of the more compelling characters in the series, but this sequel just felt too bogged down in trying to make facts interesting. Unfortunately, I wound up losing interest 2/3 of the way in because I didn't care about what general was where, how many British were supposed to be here or there, etc. These books are usually interesting because they have a great balance of historical fact and historical fiction, but this one was a miss for me and focused far too much on relaying facts than making me care about Abby and her family.
June 5, 2021
If you are interested into historic detail, I think this book is packed full of it. My lower rating relates to the fact, while I think history was captured well, the story overall seemed weaker, to me.
May 19, 2011
As part of their relaunch of their hugely successful Dear America series, Scholastic has published a sequel to one of the earlier diaries in the series, The Winter of Red Snow, published in 1996. Two years have past since Abigail chronicled the despair and misery of the terrible Valley Forge winter of 1777-78, but the war still drags on, now nearly four years old. Her father is camped with Washington's main army in New Jersey when Abby and her family are forced to flee their home after a fire destroys everything they own. After seeking shelter with a cousin who cannot keep them, they soon join the many women and children who are encamped with the American troops. They must earn their keep by laundering and mending, and return are given rations by the army. Martha Washington and her slave, Oney, also live by the camp (although in better accommodations!) and appear numerous times during this story.
When the army moves, Abby and her family must follow along, part of a "ragged, noisy crowd." The winter is once again brutal and food is scarce and often rotten, filled with maggots. All are waiting for the Marquis de Lafayette to return from France, with French ships and supplies. But life goes on, with babies being born in the camp, some new friends being made, and romance blooming between Abby and a young soldier, Willie. The soldiers build huts for shelter from the winter weather, and Abby tries to keep some normalcy by attempting to teach the younger children their letters. Spies are everywhere, including the treacherous Benedict Arnold, and with rations and pay scarce and non-existent, the American troops are threatening mutiny. The British seem to be having victory after victory in the Southern colonies. Will the war ever end?
Although this book can stand alone without having read the first book about Abby's family, I would recommend reading them in order for a richer experience. Once again Kristiana Gregory captures the adventure, trials, misery, and triumph of this exciting period of American history through the eyes of a sympathetic young colonist. Highly recommended!
When the army moves, Abby and her family must follow along, part of a "ragged, noisy crowd." The winter is once again brutal and food is scarce and often rotten, filled with maggots. All are waiting for the Marquis de Lafayette to return from France, with French ships and supplies. But life goes on, with babies being born in the camp, some new friends being made, and romance blooming between Abby and a young soldier, Willie. The soldiers build huts for shelter from the winter weather, and Abby tries to keep some normalcy by attempting to teach the younger children their letters. Spies are everywhere, including the treacherous Benedict Arnold, and with rations and pay scarce and non-existent, the American troops are threatening mutiny. The British seem to be having victory after victory in the Southern colonies. Will the war ever end?
Although this book can stand alone without having read the first book about Abby's family, I would recommend reading them in order for a richer experience. Once again Kristiana Gregory captures the adventure, trials, misery, and triumph of this exciting period of American history through the eyes of a sympathetic young colonist. Highly recommended!
September 2, 2011
Think diaries are boring? Wait until you read this! I loved this book to the core. I was amazed by what a girl of only 13-15 went through but I was even more amazed by how Kristiana Gregory handled the diary format, very believably (better than most other books in a diary format did). I have already read a different diary novel by this author (Cleopatra-Daughter Of The Nile) but haven't liked it nearly as much as I liked this book and I thought that was great! The way she wrote this was just really beautiful and chillingly real. Here is my review:
Abigail Jane Stewart is a normal girl during the 1770s in the Revolutionary War. After their house burns to ashes, she, her mother, younger sister and baby brother start being one of the camp followers as some of the other soldier's families are, where food is scarce, the cold is terrifying and the war is right around the corner. The only thing that makes her feel safe is Willie, the soldier she falls in love with and a married girl she befriends while on the journey. But is there still hope even in the most troubling of times? The way this novel is written, you are sure to cry for the characters loses and struggling but are sure to heartedly laugh when they find happiness and hope.
I felt for the protagonist as if I was her, I cried for the soldiers as if they were my own and I laughed until my eyes stang from happiness when Abigail found hers. A very interesting historical note and even though I didn't read Abigail's first diary, "The Winter of Red Snow", it didn't keep me from enjoying this one fully. Think again about diaries, this one held adventure and romance twirling it and playing with the words so that they almost seem to dance. Also- the character isn't made up- she was real, just type in her name into Google...I would highly recommend.
Interest level: Medium
Reading level: Easy
Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjfrex...
Abigail Jane Stewart is a normal girl during the 1770s in the Revolutionary War. After their house burns to ashes, she, her mother, younger sister and baby brother start being one of the camp followers as some of the other soldier's families are, where food is scarce, the cold is terrifying and the war is right around the corner. The only thing that makes her feel safe is Willie, the soldier she falls in love with and a married girl she befriends while on the journey. But is there still hope even in the most troubling of times? The way this novel is written, you are sure to cry for the characters loses and struggling but are sure to heartedly laugh when they find happiness and hope.
I felt for the protagonist as if I was her, I cried for the soldiers as if they were my own and I laughed until my eyes stang from happiness when Abigail found hers. A very interesting historical note and even though I didn't read Abigail's first diary, "The Winter of Red Snow", it didn't keep me from enjoying this one fully. Think again about diaries, this one held adventure and romance twirling it and playing with the words so that they almost seem to dance. Also- the character isn't made up- she was real, just type in her name into Google...I would highly recommend.
Interest level: Medium
Reading level: Easy
Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjfrex...
August 11, 2016
This story picks up six months after The Winter of the Red Snow in 1779 with Abby and her family living in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Her papa has joined the Continental Army to fight for freedom. He's a cobbler by trade and no longer young. Abby worries for his safety. When their home is burned in a terrible accident, the Stewart women and children have no choice but to leave Valley Forge and travel Philadelphia to be with family. The journey is difficult and dangerous and the Stewarts do not find what they expected. While Abby's older sister Elisabeth finds a reason to stay, Mrs. Stewart, Abby, Sally and little Johnny must leave Philadelphia and follow the army. Another difficult winter is on the way and Abby worries about being the oldest child at home and prays the war will end soon. The Stewarts soon bond with other camp followers and soldiers, including the handsome Willie Campbell, a blacksmith's son. As the months pass, Abby matures and grows into a woman who is capable of caring for her family through the most difficult times. I would put this book in the Young Adult category, rather than Middle Grades. Gregory spares nothing from her details about the difficult conditions of army life in the 1770s. There's also quite a bit of romance, including some marriages and births which may not interest younger readers. I love this series because of the wonderful, realistic historical details and this book is no exception. I really felt for Abby's family and turned the pages wondering what would happen. The secondary characters are richly drawn as well and I cared a lot about them and hoped they would survive the brutal years of the war. This is another excellent book from one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I'm so pleased that Scholastic has brought back the series for a new generation.
July 27, 2015
This book, like many I've read by Kristiana Gregory, is very well researched and full of great historical accounts. I really enjoy stories that can mix fiction with historical facts, and Gregory has a knack for it.
The continuing story of Abigail Stewart starts out strong and engaging and follows her through the end of the war. Toward the middle I started to lose interest as the diary entries become farther apart (sometimes months), and rely too heavily on facts, dates, and historical figures to drive the story. It becomes very war driven and monotonous. (I understand this was probably true to real life; I think a little more insight into Abigail's thoughts, feelings, and opinions would have helped to flesh out this young woman as she transitions from a girl of twelve to a married woman of fifteen in the midst of all the chaos). I feel the strong characters I came to love fell to the wayside as, in my opinion, Abigail (and possibly the author) grew tired of writing and just wanted to wrap it up.
If you read the epilogue of "Winter..." then you already have an idea of what would become of the characters. Gregory added some new characters that, again, have a strong beginning but seem to grow tired and weary of being in the story.
I would recommend this book to those who like to follow a character or story to the very end, no matter what. Those who are looking for a Revolutionary War fix, I would recommend picking up "Winter of the Red Snow" first, not because you have to read it to understand this book, but because it gives you more of a storytelling account and a greater appreciation for the characters.
The continuing story of Abigail Stewart starts out strong and engaging and follows her through the end of the war. Toward the middle I started to lose interest as the diary entries become farther apart (sometimes months), and rely too heavily on facts, dates, and historical figures to drive the story. It becomes very war driven and monotonous. (I understand this was probably true to real life; I think a little more insight into Abigail's thoughts, feelings, and opinions would have helped to flesh out this young woman as she transitions from a girl of twelve to a married woman of fifteen in the midst of all the chaos). I feel the strong characters I came to love fell to the wayside as, in my opinion, Abigail (and possibly the author) grew tired of writing and just wanted to wrap it up.
If you read the epilogue of "Winter..." then you already have an idea of what would become of the characters. Gregory added some new characters that, again, have a strong beginning but seem to grow tired and weary of being in the story.
I would recommend this book to those who like to follow a character or story to the very end, no matter what. Those who are looking for a Revolutionary War fix, I would recommend picking up "Winter of the Red Snow" first, not because you have to read it to understand this book, but because it gives you more of a storytelling account and a greater appreciation for the characters.
July 29, 2020
“The Winter of Red Snow” was one of my favorite books in the Dear America series, so I was really excited to see that there would be a sequel to it. Somehow, though, I totally forgot about it, and it took me 9 years to finally pick this up. Oh well, better late than never.
This started off as a pretty slow read for me, and I must admit I was worried that I couldn’t enjoy these books as an adult without the cloud of nostalgia hanging over them. But about halfway through, I started to really like this, and ended up speeding straight through to the end.
This was a really enjoyable sequel, and it was nice to be back with Abigail and her family, but I did feel a bit detached from the whole story. I also seriously thought I was missing a few pages at one point, when she mentioned an upcoming event with Willie and then only mentioned it as an aside later. (Trying to avoid spoilers...)
Still, I did enjoy this overall, and now I am absolutely itching to re-read some of my childhood favorites from this series. These are the books that got me into historical fiction, but there are so many of the plots that I barely remember, and I want to rectify that.
This started off as a pretty slow read for me, and I must admit I was worried that I couldn’t enjoy these books as an adult without the cloud of nostalgia hanging over them. But about halfway through, I started to really like this, and ended up speeding straight through to the end.
This was a really enjoyable sequel, and it was nice to be back with Abigail and her family, but I did feel a bit detached from the whole story. I also seriously thought I was missing a few pages at one point, when she mentioned an upcoming event with Willie and then only mentioned it as an aside later. (Trying to avoid spoilers...)
Still, I did enjoy this overall, and now I am absolutely itching to re-read some of my childhood favorites from this series. These are the books that got me into historical fiction, but there are so many of the plots that I barely remember, and I want to rectify that.
April 13, 2013
While the first book in this series isn't bad, I loved its sequel so much more.Abby and her family are forced to follow the Continental Army after their home burns down in Valley Forge. It the mist of the chaos and confusion of the Revolutionary War Abby matures from a twelve year old girl to a married woman of 15. I loved that the story took place during all the major points of the war. We get to see Mary Washington, Benedict Arnold, the Wick farm, Williamsburg, Newburgh, and finally the end of the war at Yorktown. People from all walks of life including freed slaves are included here and it was interesting to see the battlefield from a woman's point of view. This book is a great read for anyone (old and young alike) who are interested in the Colonial period.
February 19, 2025
Reading all the Dear Americas and Royal Diaries (55/63)
Disclaimer I read this a bit ago, but I'm counting it because it was close enough! We're getting close to my deadline and I'm cutting myself some slack.
I was excited to find out there was a sequel (published 15 years afterward) to The Winter of Red Snow, but I found it just okay. Maybe it was reading for the first time as an adult? I'd also like to take this time to be sad about the updated book covers. I really liked the originals where they found a historical image to represent the girls.
Okay, but now I'm looking at my history and apparently I did read this in 2012...I have no memory of that, hahahaha. Oh well!
Disclaimer I read this a bit ago, but I'm counting it because it was close enough! We're getting close to my deadline and I'm cutting myself some slack.
I was excited to find out there was a sequel (published 15 years afterward) to The Winter of Red Snow, but I found it just okay. Maybe it was reading for the first time as an adult? I'd also like to take this time to be sad about the updated book covers. I really liked the originals where they found a historical image to represent the girls.
Okay, but now I'm looking at my history and apparently I did read this in 2012...I have no memory of that, hahahaha. Oh well!
March 17, 2016
Too much information on the historical things that are happening. Willie asked her to marry him rather out of the blue; where was the romantic lead-up? There was a bit, but hardly any at all. Even during when the character's pregnant, she only mentions it a few times; if I'd been in her place that would have been one of my main subject's! The author did not write very well on Abby's personal life and it felt gappy.
January 2, 2017
This Dear America was a little more romantic than the previous ones I've read and a little too neatly wrapped up in the end I think. Considering the time period and the war going on and children and wives moving from camp to camp with sickness and hunger I expected more sadness and despair. I just found it hard to believe everyone was spared. I somehow didn't quite connect; but it was good.
January 19, 2012
I do love the Dear America books and this one is no exception. It picks up in the second half of the Revolutionary War and we see how every day families are effected by the war around them. I would love to read a third book about Abby, to see more about her life after the war.
June 20, 2011
I loved reading the first ever sequel in the Dear America series! It was a very good continuation of Abby Stewart's life.
October 18, 2021
This is one of those rare sequels we all sometimes wish we had. Cannons at Dawn is the sequel to The Winter of Red Snow.
Abby (Abigail) Jane Stewart is once again writing to us, only after a tragedy on the homestead, they are on the road following the army their father has joined, the Continental Army. The diary covers roughly 2 years of events of Abby, her mother, her one sister and her young brother toiling behind the army. They survive (somehow) while walking all over the place, washing the soldier's clothing in their cooking pot and joining forces with a variety of people, and by people I mean other women.
Abby's sister Elisabeth ducks out early in this book, choosing to stay behind in Philadelphia with her wounded soldier love and soon to be husband (we later find out). Abby, as a result is now one of the primary caregivers to her two younger siblings, Sally who is 8 and Johnny who is 3. Obviously it's Johnny who takes up the majority of her time and gets into a few hairy situations.
Through Abby we get to hear second or third hand about the trials of the soldiers, many of whom are near starved to death with old tattered clothing, no boots, etc. Abby mentions them raiding homesteads for food and supplies as they travel, with the majority of the theft happening in the winter months. Soldiers complain about having to eat the bark off the trees just to have something in their bellies. There is massive desertion after months of hunger and not being paid. Many leave when their contract with the army is up. There is news (via horse messenger) of spies and their resulting punishment. I'm sure the names mentioned are rather infamous in the US now.
Abby's clothes are also tattered, her hem in pieces and hanging well off the ground as she grows. They use strips of rags to hold their shoes together and Abby complains the strings to tie her bonnet have rotted away in the harsh conditions.
Abby continues her odd sort of friendship with Mrs. Washington. She also strikes up a relationship with a 17 year old soldier named Willie. She's 13 at the start of the book when they start talking an flirting (okay, courting?), and is 14 when she and Willie marry. this is a rather normal age to get married in 1779 I'd imagine. She talks of not knowing anything about being a wife and asking someone with little more experience then her self. Then BOOM she's married and all that talk just stops. Guess she figured it out? lol The part that got me was the accurate fact that she gets pregnant shortly after being married, at 14, and will be expecting her child when she is merely 15. Wow, the accuracy I didn't think I would see in a Dear America.
Conclusion
All in all, it was pretty good. It's mostly just a bunch of travelling back and forth, being told what she was told about a battle, cooking, laundry, and babysitting. Oh and late 1700's courtship while following an army. Which is pretty much minimal courtship before marriage. Just saying.
Abby (Abigail) Jane Stewart is once again writing to us, only after a tragedy on the homestead, they are on the road following the army their father has joined, the Continental Army. The diary covers roughly 2 years of events of Abby, her mother, her one sister and her young brother toiling behind the army. They survive (somehow) while walking all over the place, washing the soldier's clothing in their cooking pot and joining forces with a variety of people, and by people I mean other women.
Abby's sister Elisabeth ducks out early in this book, choosing to stay behind in Philadelphia with her wounded soldier love and soon to be husband (we later find out). Abby, as a result is now one of the primary caregivers to her two younger siblings, Sally who is 8 and Johnny who is 3. Obviously it's Johnny who takes up the majority of her time and gets into a few hairy situations.
Through Abby we get to hear second or third hand about the trials of the soldiers, many of whom are near starved to death with old tattered clothing, no boots, etc. Abby mentions them raiding homesteads for food and supplies as they travel, with the majority of the theft happening in the winter months. Soldiers complain about having to eat the bark off the trees just to have something in their bellies. There is massive desertion after months of hunger and not being paid. Many leave when their contract with the army is up. There is news (via horse messenger) of spies and their resulting punishment. I'm sure the names mentioned are rather infamous in the US now.
Abby's clothes are also tattered, her hem in pieces and hanging well off the ground as she grows. They use strips of rags to hold their shoes together and Abby complains the strings to tie her bonnet have rotted away in the harsh conditions.
Abby continues her odd sort of friendship with Mrs. Washington. She also strikes up a relationship with a 17 year old soldier named Willie. She's 13 at the start of the book when they start talking an flirting (okay, courting?), and is 14 when she and Willie marry. this is a rather normal age to get married in 1779 I'd imagine. She talks of not knowing anything about being a wife and asking someone with little more experience then her self. Then BOOM she's married and all that talk just stops. Guess she figured it out? lol The part that got me was the accurate fact that she gets pregnant shortly after being married, at 14, and will be expecting her child when she is merely 15. Wow, the accuracy I didn't think I would see in a Dear America.
Conclusion
All in all, it was pretty good. It's mostly just a bunch of travelling back and forth, being told what she was told about a battle, cooking, laundry, and babysitting. Oh and late 1700's courtship while following an army. Which is pretty much minimal courtship before marriage. Just saying.
January 11, 2025
This is a very event-heavy diary ("this happened, then this happened, etc."). I tend to not rate very high Dear America books that lack internal personal reflections to balance out such event-heavy accounts. But this particular book was different.
I felt Gregory masterfully selected dynamic events that significantly propelled the story forward, giving the narrative arc tremendous momentum and offering the reader great historical understanding. I could also see how everything that happened contributed to each character's development and their evolving relationships with one another. The author kept me at the edge of my seat the entire book! I think this sequel is just as good, if not better, than its prequel. I also love when Dear America authors present scenarios in which the women get in on the action, not merely twiddling their thumbs at home.
I appreciate the vivid details of the suffering they endured, as well as the subtle nuances that remind us such conflicts are often neither black nor white. Gregory shows us that no one particular group of people should be deemed the villain, and that the unique individuals within these groups present so much more complexity than what we often choose to acknowledge.
Side note: does anyone else get extremely annoyed when married gals (who don't suffer from infertility) are surprised when they're pregnant as Abigail was? I get that intimacy wasn't as openly discussed back then, but I would still like to think seasoned wives gave young brides some explanation on the cause and effect. Come on, hun, you're sexually active - that's how it works! Babies don't just come out of nowhere, good grief!
I've embarked on a mission to reread all of the Dear America and Royal Diaries books from my preteen years. Despite being geared toward young girls, they continue to offer engaging material that I enjoy as an adult, some of which I didn't appreciate all those years ago.
Disclaimer: I am not a historian; therefore, my reviews will not include whether or not I found these books to accurately reflect the period's events and the author's research. I enjoy history but know only basic facts, so I tend to assume the events around which the fictional stories are centered are accurate. Because I have an English and literature background, I review them from a narrative/storytelling perspective. Please refer to other books for more history-based critiques.
I felt Gregory masterfully selected dynamic events that significantly propelled the story forward, giving the narrative arc tremendous momentum and offering the reader great historical understanding. I could also see how everything that happened contributed to each character's development and their evolving relationships with one another. The author kept me at the edge of my seat the entire book! I think this sequel is just as good, if not better, than its prequel. I also love when Dear America authors present scenarios in which the women get in on the action, not merely twiddling their thumbs at home.
I appreciate the vivid details of the suffering they endured, as well as the subtle nuances that remind us such conflicts are often neither black nor white. Gregory shows us that no one particular group of people should be deemed the villain, and that the unique individuals within these groups present so much more complexity than what we often choose to acknowledge.
Side note: does anyone else get extremely annoyed when married gals (who don't suffer from infertility) are surprised when they're pregnant as Abigail was? I get that intimacy wasn't as openly discussed back then, but I would still like to think seasoned wives gave young brides some explanation on the cause and effect. Come on, hun, you're sexually active - that's how it works! Babies don't just come out of nowhere, good grief!
I've embarked on a mission to reread all of the Dear America and Royal Diaries books from my preteen years. Despite being geared toward young girls, they continue to offer engaging material that I enjoy as an adult, some of which I didn't appreciate all those years ago.
Disclaimer: I am not a historian; therefore, my reviews will not include whether or not I found these books to accurately reflect the period's events and the author's research. I enjoy history but know only basic facts, so I tend to assume the events around which the fictional stories are centered are accurate. Because I have an English and literature background, I review them from a narrative/storytelling perspective. Please refer to other books for more history-based critiques.
January 22, 2021
Miraculously, the author of Cannons at Dawn took most of the suggestions I suggested in my review of The Winter of Red Snow, which is shocking, because I wrote the review after she wrote this book.
The second-person pronouns in this book are, mercifully, almost normal. The characters address everyone as "you," not "thou," except, for some reason I can't begin to understand, they use "thy" as a possessive program, and one person uses "thee" once as an object pronoun. I don't get this at all and I'm 95% sure it's just wrong. Verb endings are also -th-less.
I suggested that The Winter of Red Snow would have been more interesting if Abigail had been a camp follower. She was a camp follower in this book, and it was slightly more interesting. Unfortunately, she is a camp follower of the most boring section of the army: the normal one. It is frankly unacceptable that Francis Marion appears nowhere in this book.
The second-person pronouns in this book are, mercifully, almost normal. The characters address everyone as "you," not "thou," except, for some reason I can't begin to understand, they use "thy" as a possessive program, and one person uses "thee" once as an object pronoun. I don't get this at all and I'm 95% sure it's just wrong. Verb endings are also -th-less.
I suggested that The Winter of Red Snow would have been more interesting if Abigail had been a camp follower. She was a camp follower in this book, and it was slightly more interesting. Unfortunately, she is a camp follower of the most boring section of the army: the normal one. It is frankly unacceptable that Francis Marion appears nowhere in this book.
December 18, 2021
This was a bizarre sequel to what was already kind of a lackluster book. We find the Stewart family joining the Continental army and following them around as the Revolutionary War unfolds, experiencing the war and camp life. Now I recognize that camp life was pretty monotonous and pretty dire and difficult, and there's only so much to say. But without action from the historical events, it fell to the characters, who were already pretty flat and uninteresting, and meant this book just became as much of a muddy slog as the treks they undertook to follow the army around. I didn't really see any reason to stretch the book from 1779 to 1781 either, other than just for the sake of witnessing the Battle of Yorktown. The two stars comes from an accurate and interesting portrayal of the figures in the book the author continued to name drop endlessly, and the interesting contrast from the first book to this book of being affected by the army's thefts and desperation to being desperate in the army, particularly in the winter. However, that's as much praise as I can give it. Also I found the romance trite and forced and uncomfortable in the age difference. Just because it's historically accurate doesn't mean it needs written... Ready to move on.
March 24, 2020
I loved "The Winter of Red Snow" in middle school (and I actually reread it last year) so when I found out that a sequel had been released, I was so excited. I think this is the only sequel in the Dear America series.
I enjoyed that they changed the setting in a believable manner to having her family be camp followers. It showed how fragile families were when their husbands/fathers left for the war and they had to fend for themselves. Everything could change in a minute. Also, I'm pretty sure this was the only book I've read (in this series or any other) that focused on camp followers. While I'm pretty sure this is a slightly sanitized version (there's no mention of prostitutes who followed the camp, and Abby's wedding night is completely skipped over) it also showed the hardships that came with the families following the troops. My one complaint is that the grammar wasn't great - there were some run-on sentences that annoyed me. But all in all, a pleasant way to pass an afternoon of self-quarantine.
I enjoyed that they changed the setting in a believable manner to having her family be camp followers. It showed how fragile families were when their husbands/fathers left for the war and they had to fend for themselves. Everything could change in a minute. Also, I'm pretty sure this was the only book I've read (in this series or any other) that focused on camp followers. While I'm pretty sure this is a slightly sanitized version (there's no mention of prostitutes who followed the camp, and Abby's wedding night is completely skipped over) it also showed the hardships that came with the families following the troops. My one complaint is that the grammar wasn't great - there were some run-on sentences that annoyed me. But all in all, a pleasant way to pass an afternoon of self-quarantine.
October 11, 2018
In a rare occurrence for the Dear America series this is a sequel of sorts. The first we read about the characters are in the Winter of Red Snow. This one Cannons at dawn take place the year after the last left off. Usually you have to be content with the epilogue.
In this one we get to see Abby grow into a young woman and fall in love. There are realities here that show life for young girls back in 1779 were different than now.
We get to see the the Patriots in hardships and glory. We learn that not everyone was a Patriot but Tories or loyalist. We see briefly what happens to the Tories and how hard life was for the Patriots.
I read both of these in one four hour setting. A quick read for a mature reader. Also an engaging and educational one for the audience this was written for.
In this one we get to see Abby grow into a young woman and fall in love. There are realities here that show life for young girls back in 1779 were different than now.
We get to see the the Patriots in hardships and glory. We learn that not everyone was a Patriot but Tories or loyalist. We see briefly what happens to the Tories and how hard life was for the Patriots.
I read both of these in one four hour setting. A quick read for a mature reader. Also an engaging and educational one for the audience this was written for.
August 23, 2021
This is a weird entry in the series in that it is the 2nd diary of Abigail Jane Stewart (the first is Winter of the Red Snow) and it spans from 1779-1781, so she is older than other protagonists in this series by the end.
It follows Abby's family following the American army as camp followers during the Revolutionary War. I don't think this was quite as good as others in this series. While the story was always going to be somewhat disjointed due to the frequent movement of the army and the women's lack of direct connection with those movements, it was made worse by Gregory going to a lot of trouble to introduce certain fictional characters who ultimately basically disappear without doing anything of any import.
Real people portrayed in this book include George and Martha Washington, Benedict Arnold, and Lafayette.
It follows Abby's family following the American army as camp followers during the Revolutionary War. I don't think this was quite as good as others in this series. While the story was always going to be somewhat disjointed due to the frequent movement of the army and the women's lack of direct connection with those movements, it was made worse by Gregory going to a lot of trouble to introduce certain fictional characters who ultimately basically disappear without doing anything of any import.
Real people portrayed in this book include George and Martha Washington, Benedict Arnold, and Lafayette.
September 25, 2017
I love how this book is set up as diary entries. This makes the story very personal and there are many human feelings that are discussed. Since the book is written in sequential order, readers can follow along with the time line and if an event sparks their interest, research is made a little easier. This book follows the Stewart family as they become involved with the Revolutionary War. The events are true and learning about them is fun because the reader gets to see how it directly impacted a family. Studying history can be boring and it can be hard to understand how people were effected, but this book shares exactly how the families were impacted by the war, their struggles and their fears.
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