Elizabeth, a young girl living in the twenty-first century, feels anything but special. In fact, she feels “useless”. Her mother has passed away, and her father often travels for business, leaving her to stay with a neighbor of family friend. This time, her father is sending her to her Aunt Libby’s house. Elizabeth has never met her Aunt Libby, but she quickly finds out that her aunt is awkward, quiet, and an awful cook. The only thing Elizabeth finds comfort in is her room and a picture of a young girl named Zee, who looks remarkably like Elizabeth. Elizabeth is determined to find out more about Zee. The book intertwines the lives of Elizabeth and Zee. Zee’s story takes place during the American Revolution. Zee, feeling just as useless as Elizabeth, finds the strength and courage to leave her home and go into battle with her father and brother. As Elizabeth discovers more of Zee’s story, she is eager to find the places where Zee once walked and lived. Elizabeth finds that she has a purpose: to make sure Zee’s story is told. In the end, Elizabeth realizes that she is far from “useless”, and the adventure brings her closer to her aunt and father.
This story would be a great way to introduce the American Revolution to students. It shows how the Revolution seemed to children their age, and how they felt during this time. If you do not need to do a unit on the Revolution, you could have students practice writing letters by writing their own letter to Zee. They could ask her how she felt, what she experienced, and other questions about life during this time. You could also have students research their family trees, just like Elizabeth did. They could pick someone in their family tree that they look up to, or that they are a lot alike, and write about them.
