Charlotte Spies for Justice: A Civil War Survival Story

By Nikki Shannon Smith and Alessia Trunfio

Twelve-year-old Charlotte lives on a plantation in Richmond, Virginia, where the American Civil War is raging. All around her, citizens and the Confederate army are fighting to protect slavery -- the very thing Charlotte wishes would end. When she overhears the plantation owner conspiring against the Confederates, Charlotte knows she must join forces with her. Maybe together they can help the Union win the war and end slavery. Helping a spy is dangerous work, but Charlotte is willing to risk everything to fight for what is right -- justice for all people. Nonfiction material on the Civil War, a glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781496587572

Nikki Shannon Smith

Nikki Shannon Smith is from Oakland, California, but she now lives in the Central Valley with her husband and two children. She has worked in Elementary Education for over twenty-five years, and writes everything from picture books to young adult novels. When she’s not busy with family, work, or writing, she loves to visit the coast. The first thing she packs in her suitcase is always a book.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Richmond, Virginia

Miss Van Lew’s home

January 29, 1864

A lot of people came and went from Miss Van Lew’s big old house at the top of Church Hill. It was hard to know who they were. Some were white, and some were colored. Some I never saw again, and a few seemed to be Miss Van Lew’s friends. All I knew was that my favorite was Mister McNiven. He owned the town bakery and visited us every single day.

Most of Miss Van Lew’s visitors didn’t pay any mind to a twelve-year-old colored girl, but Mister McNiven did. Besides Miss Van Lew, he was the nicest white person I’d ever met. He always said, Mornin’, Charlotte. It’s a good day to be alive. Then he’d hand me a whole loaf of fresh bread, just for me.

I don’t know why Mister McNiven always said it was a good day to be alive. The North and the South had been at war for three long years now. Every day was full of battles and dead soldiers and hoping the North would win. Even though I lived in the South, where slavery was alive and well, I knew the North was right. I had been a slave, and it was horrible.

Miss Van Lew hated slavery too. One time she’d said, It just makes me sick to see one human being act as if it’s OK to own another.

Her daddy used to have slaves right on this very farm. He’d died before I was even born, and Miss Van Lew had freed all his slaves. She’d wanted to right his wrong. My cousin Mary had been one of those slaves. After she’d freed her, Miss Van Lew had even sent Mary to the North to go to school for a while.

That had all happened while I was a slave on a plantation in Maryland. But Miss Van Lew had been so mad at her daddy that she’d looked for the kin of all his slaves and freed them too. She’d found me four years ago and bought my freedom. She even gave me a place to live and work at Church Hill. She never did find my mama and daddy, though.

My cousin Mary was the only family I had. The first time we met, we’d hugged like we’d known each other all our lives. You’re in good hands now, Mary had said. I’ll take care of you.

And that’s just what she did. Mary and I were like two peas in a pod, and she treated me like her little sister. We’d shared a cabin across from the main house for a year. Mary used to borrow books from Miss Van Lew to read to me. Sometimes we’d stayed up late, and Mary had taught me to read by the light of the fire. But now she worked somewhere else—I wasn’t sure where—and I never got to see her.

I missed Mary every day, but I was still glad to be where I was. Every morning I stood on Miss Van Lew’s porch and waited for Mister McNiven, and today was no different. I wrapped my old blanket tightly around my shoulders and shivered as I watched for the bakery wagon. It felt as if the cold was trying to bite me.

My mind wandered while I waited, and I thought of Mister McNiven’s words. Maybe it’s a good day to be alive because there is still hope, I thought. Maybe the North will win the war. It was time for slavery to end, so I kept my fingers crossed for the Union soldiers.

Charlotte? There’s still no sign of Thomas McNiven? Miss Van Lew’s voice drifted down the stairs and right out to the porch.

No, Miss Van Lew! I called back. Mister McNiven did seem to be a little bit later than usual, but I didn’t see any reason to worry. Miss Van Lew sounded concerned, though.

From outside I could hear her upstairs, making all kinds of bumps and thumps. She was always moving furniture around up there. Truth be told, Miss Van Lew was odd. First off, she was a white lady in

Reviews for Charlotte Spies for Justice

[Johanna McLeod · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how the author makes the book seem like your really there. That’s a quality that really makes someone love a book.??????

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Things I liked:
a gentle introduction to the Civil War
cool spy techniques for sharing information
based on real people and their actions
Black and White people working together to change things for the better

Things I was less excited about:
Charlotte is a free person, but she still acts as a servant and there's no talk of her wages -- as an adult who has more context I can see the ways in which her situation is far improved from what a slave child might endure -- a clean and tidy cabin with a floor and windows and heat and furniture; protection rather than abuse from the white people who have direct power over her; regular food -- but she's still absolutely subject to the whims of her employer, with little explanation. She still seems to be hungry and cold on a regular basis, and she's still censured for defiance. Again, it makes sense in the context of the story that these things protect her from worse, but it troubles me as a reader. I guess that's what real history looks like -- often uncomfortable and hopefully troubling to the reader.

I really love this series -- in particular, I love what Nikki Shannon Smith is doing with it -- her stories keep centering Black children in history in a way that most other writers have failed to do. She's bringing visibility to the fact that not only have Black people been in this country since its founding, but they've also been active participants in most, if not all of the significant events. She backs up her fiction with really great spotlight nonfiction in the back matter, and she consistently involves lesser known historical figures in the narrative.