Spitfire
by Kate Messner; Illustrated by Martha Gulley
Published by North Country Books
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Reviewed by Harold N. Walters
(This book is illustrated with sketches by Martha Gulley and cover painting by Gail Smith Schirmer)
It’s October, 1776. Abigail Smith’s father and her brother Nathan have died of smallpox since fighting at Ile aux Noix in Quebec. Believing her uncle Jeb is serving with the Continental Forces on Lake Champlain, Abigail runs away from Mrs. Dobbins’ household to find him. Knowing it will be impossible to join the any ship as a girl, Abigail disguises herself in her brother’s clothes before she launches her rowboat into the lake.
When Abigail reaches the Congress, Pascal De Angelis, a boy on the cusp of his thirteenth birthday, pulls her aboard. He does so reluctantly, not because he recognizes her as a girl but because he fears she might be a British spy. Within days, however, Pascal is comfortable with his new shipmate — Adam Smith.
Aboard the Congress, Abigail meets the commander of the American Fleet, General Benedict Arnold, whose “features look like they were made of broken glass.” A battle with the British is imminent, and every hand is needed, so General Arnold assigns Abigail and Pascal to the gunboat Spitfire.
Hearing her orders, Abigail recalls fondly her father calling her a spitfire. She sees the irony in being assigned to the Spitfire.
Despite the harrowing turmoil and slaughter they witness, Abigail and Pascal sense they are part of something much larger than the particular engagement near Valcour Island. As Pascal says, “Even if it feels like we’re tearing things to pieces, perhaps we’re building something.” It’s true. The revolution is forging a new nation.
Abigail and Pascal narrate alternate chapters that allow for two points of view and interpretations of events. Pascal speaks as a boy who wishes to overcome any fear preventing him from becoming a full-fledged soldier. Abigail, although competent in battle, is more concerned with finding her uncle.
This historical novel provides is an informative, exciting story about a significant military encounter during the American Revolution. In her “Acknowledgments” Messner says, “History is really about stories.”
Armchair Interviews says: The story of Abigail and Pascal and their adventures aboard the Spitfire, is a fitting tale.
Author’s Web site: http://www.KateMessner.com