Stolen: Civil War Series, Volume 1
In 1860, thirteen-year-old Amaranda “Ama” Van der Peyser, a student at the Female Seminary in Troy, New York, learns some horrifying news: Carl and Hannah Blanding, Black twins adopted by her aunt Alice, have vanished on their way from Albany to Oberlin, Ohio, where the two were to attend college. Soon the family’s worst fear is confirmed: the twins have been kidnapped and taken to New Orleans, where they will be sold into slavery—unless the Van der Peysers can get to them first.
Stolen is well researched, with a memorable cast of characters, including cameos from some real-life figures such as William T. Sherman. Nichols has a wry sense of humor: “Sarah was smug about the admiring glances she received from other diners. Ama was smug because she knew things Sarah didn’t.” At times, the narrative is marred by the characters’ pontificating to each other for the reader’s benefit—”Remind us all how the funeral proceeds,” a character commands at one point—but on the whole, this is an engaging read. I look forward to other books in what promises to be a series.
