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A review by kstoczanyn
The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble
5.0
This was my third picture book for the historical fiction week.
The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Robert Papp is about young Maddy Rose, a spy whose father died at the Battle of Princeton and whose brother Jonathan (aged 15) is currently fighting for the Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. Maddy and her Jonathan develop a system to track the British ships in the harbor: Maddy hangs the laundry in a certain way and Jonathan takes this information back to George Washington's camp. Maddy is devoted to find out that he brother is killed as the British advance to Philadelphia after the Battle at Brandywine Creek. She creates a flag from his blue coat, her red stockings, and white petticoats in his honor.
This book contains historical information related to the the American Revolutionary War to set the scene of the story and mentions more throughout the story with the Battle at Brandywine Creek (New Jersey) and the eventual departure of the British from Philadelphia. More important than the words in the book, the pictures are absolutely stunning. I reviewed the illustrators website to see if I could find out more information about the paintings and found that it was Papp's first illustrations and that Maddy was working for Betsy Ross (introduced in the story as Mistress Ross, but something I didn't catch). The illustrations are incredibly detailed and I was convinced they were actually photographs. They truly helped set the scene for the story and kept the reader engaged. I would recommend this book to elementary and middle school students learning about the Revolutionary War and perhaps doing some work with perspectives.
The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Robert Papp is about young Maddy Rose, a spy whose father died at the Battle of Princeton and whose brother Jonathan (aged 15) is currently fighting for the Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. Maddy and her Jonathan develop a system to track the British ships in the harbor: Maddy hangs the laundry in a certain way and Jonathan takes this information back to George Washington's camp. Maddy is devoted to find out that he brother is killed as the British advance to Philadelphia after the Battle at Brandywine Creek. She creates a flag from his blue coat, her red stockings, and white petticoats in his honor.
This book contains historical information related to the the American Revolutionary War to set the scene of the story and mentions more throughout the story with the Battle at Brandywine Creek (New Jersey) and the eventual departure of the British from Philadelphia. More important than the words in the book, the pictures are absolutely stunning. I reviewed the illustrators website to see if I could find out more information about the paintings and found that it was Papp's first illustrations and that Maddy was working for Betsy Ross (introduced in the story as Mistress Ross, but something I didn't catch). The illustrations are incredibly detailed and I was convinced they were actually photographs. They truly helped set the scene for the story and kept the reader engaged. I would recommend this book to elementary and middle school students learning about the Revolutionary War and perhaps doing some work with perspectives.