Helpful Score: 1
This is book 7 of the Elsie Dinsmore Life of Faith Series. It takes place post Civil War; Elsie and her family live in the south. Her family, out of the country during the war, has now returned to their opulent estate and is being accused by some of being traitors to the south because of their absense during the war, and because they have friends in the north. This historical fiction gives the reader a look into the post war climate and activities of the Ku Klux Klan, addressing some very real problems of that time period, as the south struggled to adjust to life without slavery, and learning a new way of relating to African Americans.
As my father came from the south, I've witnessed first hand how his family had a love for the African American people, and yet there was still a strong devotion to the south and the Confederate side. Reading this story puts a young person in the shoes of someone living at that time who cared for people of all races, and loved the land they called home, but whose extended family held strong prejudices.
My daughter, 11, has read all previous books in the series and found this book to be one of her favorites, thus far. She devoured Book 7 like I've never seen her do before. With each chapter, she would report to me that it was "the most exciting, suspenceful, scarey, ect. chapter yet!" giving me a blow by blow account of what had happened in the chapter. She would even sneak off to read it when she was supposed to be doing homework, because she couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next.
The suspense and excitement run high in this next to last installment of the Elsie series. Elsie and her family never fail to take the moral high ground, even in difficult situations. The love and commitment between Elsie's family and her black nursemaid, Chloe, is rich and unwavering.
As my father came from the south, I've witnessed first hand how his family had a love for the African American people, and yet there was still a strong devotion to the south and the Confederate side. Reading this story puts a young person in the shoes of someone living at that time who cared for people of all races, and loved the land they called home, but whose extended family held strong prejudices.
My daughter, 11, has read all previous books in the series and found this book to be one of her favorites, thus far. She devoured Book 7 like I've never seen her do before. With each chapter, she would report to me that it was "the most exciting, suspenceful, scarey, ect. chapter yet!" giving me a blow by blow account of what had happened in the chapter. She would even sneak off to read it when she was supposed to be doing homework, because she couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next.
The suspense and excitement run high in this next to last installment of the Elsie series. Elsie and her family never fail to take the moral high ground, even in difficult situations. The love and commitment between Elsie's family and her black nursemaid, Chloe, is rich and unwavering.
