Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South

By Ann Rinaldi

A girl flees her plantation to find her injured brother and bring him home: “Impeccably researched, vividly detailed…filled with very human characters.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
In Camden, South Carolina in 1780, the Revolutionary War has arrived, and fourteen-year-old Caroline is feeling the pressure. Her father is in prison. Her brother is off fighting for the Loyalists. And she, her mother, and her sister are confined to just a single room in their spacious plantation house as a British colonel occupies the rest.
 
But even a British colonel can’t stop Caroline when she learns that her brother has been injured. She rushes to his aid, taking along her “secret” grandmother—a slave on her family’s plantation. But along the way, the two will encounter trigger-happy soldiers and desperate rebels, and Caroline will find her world turned upside down…
 
Named a New York Public Library “Book for the Teen Age,” Cast Two Shadows is a “deftly plotted and fast-paced” historical adventure (School Library Journal).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: May 1, 2000
• ISBN: 9780547351155

Ann Rinaldi

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey. 

Reviews for Cast Two Shadows

[brainella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Caroline Whitaker is fourteen-years-old, and is witnessing the American Revolution first hand. A British officer and army had commandeered her home. Her father (a Patriot) has been imprisoned, her brother Johnny (a Loyalist) is wounded, and the British, before her eyes, hang her best friend. Her sister is becoming the mistress to the cruel British officer who has stolen their house.Adding to Caroline’s fears and self-doubt, she knows she is the result of her father's dallianace with one of his black slaves. No one acknowledges or talks about this. Her grandmother, Miz Melindy, lives with the slave. When Caroline and Miz Melindy take a long wagon journey together to save Johnny (who has turned to the other side) the young heroine learns how to deal with the uncertainty, violence and anger in her life. This is a great book for young adults to get an idea about how tumultuous and frightening the Revolutionary period was. Caroline tries to be as mature as possible, but is still confused and scared. The plot moves quickly and the characters are well developed and likeable.

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being that I have an ancestor that fought in the Siege of Charleston during the Revolutionary War, I have a particular interest in stories set in that era and place. This is set 120 miles from Charleston, on a plantation. Dealing with her father’s imprisonment for being a Rebel, her brother at war for the British, and her sister’s increasing infatuation with the colonel who occupies their home, the main character must also sort through her emotions about her history – that she is the daughter and granddaughter of a slave. At fourteen, she is faced with choices outside her experience or comfort – but war does that to people. Rinaldi doesn’t spare the reader the realities of war. Not everyone gets a happy ending. She accurately captures the confusion, pain, loss, love, hope, courage, and cowardice that permeated the South during the war. My only complaint was the prose. It was a bit – juvenile – compared to what I expected. I understand this is a story for young adults, but I think the prose could have been tighter, more adult, more complex, maybe? It doesn’t detract from the story but it does a disservice to the reader, by underestimating their intelligence. The edition I have contains an author’s note, bibliography, and questions in the back, all of which facilitate quality discussions about the topics approached in the story. This book is worth reading, particular for older school children or for those interested in the American Revolution.

[junipersun · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book, enjoyable by an adult even with a 14 yr old main character. Caroline matures rapidly when the British (Revolutionary War) invade her family's home and she copes with the killing of a friend, her interracial heritage, and questioning who can be trusted in a time of shifting alliances. Set in South Carolina, her family were plantation owners but she was much more of a tomboy than her sister.Well researched, with bibliography for further background.