Cast Two Shadows

In 1776, the colonists of America started a war against Great Britain. They began a fight for freedom from tyranny, daring to dream of a free country. While the revolution started out as a grand and glorious fight for liberty, it soon became very obvious that war was nothing to be proud of; it kills young men in the fields, destroys families forever, and sets father and son against each other. But for the cause of liberty the patriots fought on through the war and bought their freedom dearly. Cast Two Shadows by Ann Rinaldi paints a picture of the end of the revolution perfectly. Through the eyes of a young southern girl, we see the other side of the war and exactly what fighting does to families.

Caroline has people hanging inside her - not literally, but she has seen things. She has seen the horrible things that the British have done; she's seen what war can do. The British killed her friend, a boy she had grown up with. It all happened so fast. One moment he was with her, her childhood friend, riding over the hills with her and the next he was just a hanging body in a tree. He's gone but he still hangs inside Caroline, and she is determined that she will not let anyone else hand beside him. So when Caroline has the chance to save her brother's life, she goes to help him. But the way to him is full of danger and British soldiers. Will Caroline be able to save her brother in time and will she learn something about herself along the way?

I loved this book, while it is probably below my reading level it was still great. It was a little slow to start but Ann Rinaldi still offers up and interesting perspective of the Revolutionary War from the point of view of the south. The pacing was almost perfect and Rinaldi's characters and descriptions jumped right off the page. I do recommend that only kids 12 and up read this book, as there is a bit of langues and several chapters with gruesome descriptions and thing that might upset younger children. Parents should also be aware that the book mentions things like mistresses and "confusing" family angles. But, in general, this was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it is worth a read.

*****
RJ