Saturday, April 2, 2011

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloris Whelan

Rosalind is living in India because her father is a soldier there and her mother doesn't want to let her go to London for her schooling.  After all, her brother died there in his youth...


Simon & Schuster sent me eGalley of this book to review (thank you).  The hardcover edition will be available April 19th.  It is historical fiction written for ages 9-12.  


The author has researched this time period well and presents a story that shows quite plainly the British soldiers did not believe the Indian people could govern themselves.  They thought they couldn't handle that responsibility.  This is also the time when Ghandi is first being recognized as a "troublemaker".  He believes in peaceful protests, but any British citizen that even wants to listen to him at a public forum is punished in some form.


Ms. Whelan does a good job of showing the differences in the cultures and lifestyles.  She also shows that the British had some of their own family difficulties, even in London.


Rosalind comes of age in this story and suffers the consequences.  However, she gives her aunt a chance for a new beginning and manages to find a love interest along the way.


With the way this story ended, I expect there will be a sequel.  If not, there should be.  Rosalind's story isn't done yet.


Get yourself a copy of this interesting book and see how brave Rosalind can be.  I wouldn't say all the acts of courage in this story are small.  It takes a lot of personal strength to go against your upbringing.


Happy reading!

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