Review: The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart

The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart by Kristiana Gregory.  Scholastic.  1996.


The fictional diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, like other books in the Dear America series fills the space where the American Girl series leaves off.  The books in these series are aimed at a little older tween audience, and are more graphic about historical conflicts taking place during the characters' lives.  An interesting contrast is that in the American Girl series the characters are definitely living in pivotal times of history, however they tend to hear about important historical events in the news, the way most people at different historical times experience cultural change.  In the Dear America series the characters are closer to the actual events, maybe not as realistic in terms of the general population, but hey, someone had to be there.


Abigail's diary describes much of her daily life, most of which involves chores and helping her mom around the house in general.  The one catch is that her family lives close to the camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in the years 1777-78.  Abigail describes the lives of the soldiers in the camp and the tension surrounding the outcome of the war.  The title refers to Abigail watching the soldiers march in the snow without shoes, witnessing their bloody feet turning the snow red.


An appropriate read for 4th to 7th graders.
ATOS Book Level: 5.5 
AR Points: 4.0