Most Popular Books by Ann Rinaldi

I had freckles. I had sandy hair. I was too short. Would my feet even touch the ground if I sat on the throne? These are the words of lady Jane Grey, as imagined by celebrated author Ann Rinaldi. Jane would become Queen of England for only nine days before being beheaded at the age of sixteen. Here is a breathtaking story of English royalty with its pageantry, privilege, and surprising cruelty. As she did in her previous novel Mutiny''s Daughter, Ms. Rinaldi uses powerful, evocative writing to bring to life a teenage girl caught in the grip of stirring times. Ages 12+

For two sisters growing up surrounded by the Civil War, there is conflict both outside and inside their house.

While waiting for a church meeting in 1706, Susanna English, daughter of a wealthy Salem merchant, recalls the malice, fear, and accusations of witchcraft that tore her village apart in 1692.

As a teen, Sarah Wheelock has vowed never to let a man control her. With this conviction, she leaves her life on a Michigan farm, disguises herself as a boy, and fights in the Civil War.

After serving Martha Washington loyally for twenty years, Oney Judge realizes that she is just a slave and must decide if she will run away to find true freedom.

A "suspenseful [and] exciting" tale of a young woman''s battle to save her beloved horse during the Revolutionary War, inspired by a true story ( Booklist). The Revolutionary War is raging. Food and firewood are scarce, and Tempe Wick is worried that she will not be able to care for her ailing mother and her family and still maintain their farm in New Jersey, where troops are now camped. Her ability to hold on to her world is further threatened when a mutinous soldier demands that she lend him her beloved horse, Colonel, in exchange for keeping her brother''s rum-smuggling activities secret from the authorities. This dramatic historical novel is based on a real event that has been popularized into American legend. "Crammed with authentic detail." — Kirkus Reviews A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Hannah is the strong one. The one who cares for her brothers and sisters; the one who''s kept the family together. But now, everything is changing. Her father is more distant, and her siblings are starting lives of their own. That''s when Hannah decides to make a quilt. A quilt of fabrics from people who are special to the family; people they trust. And when the sisters are separated, Hannah makes sure they each have a piece of the quilt. The quilt she hopes will bring her family together again.

A young girl living in South Carolina during the American Revolution discovers the duplicity within herself and others.

A teenage orphan is caught up in President Lincoln''s assassination—and another macabre plot—in this "fast-paced and dramatic" historical novel ( Publishers Weekly). Emily''s mother always told her that she should avoid Uncle Valentine, a doctor, that he was involved in things she shouldn''t know about. But after Emily is orphaned—as Washington, DC, is in chaos due to the end of the Civil War—she has nowhere else to go. Now, in addition to coping with the loss of her mother, the fourteen-year-old finds herself involved in two mysteries. First, she wonders about her best friend, Annie Surratt, and the Surratt family. Annie has a signed picture of the handsome actor John Wilkes Booth in her room—but there seems to be more of a connection between Booth and the Surratt family than Emily thought...possibly including the plot to kill Lincoln. At the same time, Uncle Valentine''s odd behavior leads Emily to suspect that he is involved with body-snatching. As dark secrets swirl around her, Emily must figure out who she can trust, in this suspenseful tale "with a wealth of interesting background information" ( Publishers Weekly). "Rinaldi has woven two interesting plots here into a fine coming-of-age historical novel....Makes readers feel as if they are living in history."— Booklist "A vivid account of the moral ambiguities surrounding body snatching—for medical research—at the close of the Civil War."— Publishers Weekly

A young girl who serves as letter writer for her blind stepmother is haunted by her unwitting role in Nat Turner''s Rebellion, one of the bloodiest slave uprisings in the history of America.

“Carefully researched and lovingly written, Rinaldi’s latest presents a girl indentured to John and Abigail Adams during the tense period surrounding the 1770 Massacre. . . . Fortuitously timed, a novel that illuminates a moment from our past that has strong parallels to recent events. Bibliography.”—Kirkus Reviews

A surprising Revolutionary War tale of a family beset by a mother''s mental illness: "Often gripping...the portrayal of Patrick Henry is unusually complex."— Publishers Weekly Patrick Henry, the famous statesman of the American Revolution, has a secret: He keeps his wife in the cellar. It''s the only alternative to an asylum, for, slowly losing her mind, Sarah Henry has become a serious danger to herself and her children. Narrated by the Henrys'' two daughters, Patsy and Anne, who must take on new responsibilities, this compassionate novel explores the possibility that Patrick Henry''s immortal cry of "Give me liberty or give me death" may have first been spoken by his wife as she pled for her freedom—and "delivers another intriguing spin on history" from the popular author of young adult fiction ( Kirkus Reviews). Includes a reader''s guide

On the night of President Abraham Lincoln''s assassination, his frantic wife, Mary, calls for her best friend and confidante, Elizabeth Keckley, but the woman is mistakenly kept from her side by guards who were unaware of Mary Todd Lincoln''s close friendship with the black seamstress. How did these two women--one who grew up in a wealthy Southern home and became the wife of the president of the United States, the other who was born a slave and eventually purchased her own freedom—come to be such close companions? With vivid detail and emotional power, Ann Rinaldi delves into the childhoods of these two fascinating women who became devoted friends and confidantes amid the turbulent times of the Lincoln administration.

A "what if?" story about Mary Christian, half-Tahitian daughter of Fletcher Christian, second in command and leader of the mutiny on the British ship Bounty.

In 1851, thirteen-year-old Cecilia has her eyes opened to the horrors of slavery when she accompanies her ornithologist uncle on an expedition in search of the rare "Scarlet Ibis," and watches as he shows slaves the way to the Underground Railroad.

The acclaimed author of The Last Silk Dress and Time Enough For Drums tells the intense, provocative story of a slave, Harriet Hemings, who some believe was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson. "Tantalizing . . . history brought to life by a skillful and imaginative author".--VOYA. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

How could Lizzy Enders''s father abandon her at a girls school run by nuns? She''s surrounded by Catholics--but she''s Methodist! Shunned by the other boarders, Lizzy befriends a wandering carpenter named José, who with just three tools--and unflagging faith--builds an elaborate spiral staircase in the new chapel in mere weeks. When he disappears without a trace, Lizzy realizes that the way she sees things is not always the way they are. Inspired by the legend of the "miraculous" staircase in the Chapel of Loretto in Santa Fe, Ann Rinaldi skillfully blends the mystery surrounding the staircase''s builder with the daily trials of a spunky thirteen-year-old girl growing up in the 1870s.

An independent-minded young maid tells the story of social-climber Peggy Shippen and how she influenced Benedict Arnold’s betrayal of the Patriot forces. Revolutionary Philadelphia is brought to life as Becca seeks to find her “missing pieces” while exploring the complicated issues of the war between the impoverished independence men and the decadent British Tories. “This tale of treachery comes alive under [Rinaldi’s] pen.”--Kirkus Reviews

The daughter of Paul Revere tells of her father''s secret—and her own: " A lively, exciting picture of Boston going to war...excellent."— VOYA Thirteen-year-old Sarah Revere knows her father is a Patriot hero, a champion of the Colonies against the British. But she also knows that Paul Revere guards a secret about the start of the Revolutionary War that he will tell no one—not his new wife, not his best friend, not even his trusted daughter. It seems everyone in her family has secrets. Sarah''s even got one of her own—and it''s tearing her apart.... This is a "beautifully crafted" novel of a young girl growing up—and a country''s battle for independence ( School Library Journal). "As usual, Rinaldi has done her homework; the book is solidly researched and extremely well written. Readers will not soon forget these characters...Vivid in the best sense of the word."— Kirkus Reviews A New York Public Library "Book for the Teen Age" Includes a reader''s guide