The Secret of Sarah Revere » (1)

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.

The spunky daughter of Paul Revere tells the story of her father's rides and the intelligence network of the Patriot community prior to the American Revolution.

The ALAN Review

Although the term "unease in Boston" frequently characterizes that city's political turmoil prior to the American Revolution, it could also describe the personal conflicts of Sarah Revere, teenage daughter of Paul Revere. What was Sarah to think of her father's clandestine meetings? of Dr. Joseph Warren's strong bond with her new stepmother, Rachel? and of Rachel's apparent support for her father but obvious friendship with Lady Frankland and Margaret Gage? "What matters?" she asks her father, "The truth? Or what people think?" Little does Sarah know of truth: she is privy to only a piece of the picture both within her own household and throughout the city. From this limited window she judges others, imagining many "what ifs" rather than recognizing what is. While setting is fully realized, plot suffers. Sarah, the outsider, remains apart from the action - her personal turmoil is simply less gripping than the political conflict surrounding her.1995, Harcourt/Gulliver, 320 pp., Ages 12 up, $11.00. Reviewer: Betty Carter