This review was originally posted on Rachel's Reading. For hundreds more like this, check it out!

I remember the stand that held these books in my elementary school library so well. I can't remember all of the ones that I read, and honestly only one really has stayed with me so long that I made sure to purchase it. Now that I'm teaching middle school, I wanted to reread them before putting them in my classroom. This book followed Abby whose family lives in Valley Forge throughout the beginnings of the revolutionary war. It also discusses the harsh realities of colonial life such as the harsh winters, child loss, high child mortality rate, and just..the cost of fighting for freedom.

I found this book really interesting, and although it always takes me a little bit to get into the diaries, once I do, they move so quickly and the authors do such a phenomenal job of really creating characters through the diaries. This series is such a wonderful way for kids to learn American History through the eyes of people their own age and understand the good and the bad of our past in our country.