Have you heard of the 16-year-old girl who won the Revolutionary War? Are you aware of the President's wife's brave actions during The War of 1812? Libby McNamee's research takes these historical tidbits from obscure to fresh through her recently published works: 

• Susanna's Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War
• Study Guide for Susanna's Midnight Ride
• Dolley Madison and the War of 1812: America's First Lady
• Study Guide for Dolley Madison and the War of 1812

I reviewed both McNamee's novels and the two accompanying study guides in softcover format.

Susanna's Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War tells how a 16-year-old girl exhibited unbelievable bravery and thereby changed the course of history. The tale unravels over twenty-six chapters. The book also includes an epilogue, afterword, and acknowledgments. It is 219 pages.

The Study Guide for Susanna's Midnight Ride is sixty-one pages long. It includes one page of academic information and how it applies to Virginia Standards of Learning, a page about the author and the book, and two pages on the House Joint Resolution no. 649 for Susanna Bolling Day. (She truly deserves her own day!) The study guide devotes one page to each chapter of the novel. Answers are included.

Dolley Madison and the War of 1812: America's First Lady consists of thirty-two short chapters plus an epilogue, author's note, selected bibliography, and acknowledgments. Also included are four of Dolley Madison's favorite recipes woven into the story. The book is 237 pages long.

The Study Guide for Dolley Madison and the War of 1812 is seventy-two pages long. It includes two pages of academic information and how it applies to Virginia Standards of Learning, a page about the author and the book, and a complete synopsis of the story. The study guide devotes one page to each chapter of the novel. Answers are included.

McNamee's books can be found in shops and historical sites throughout Virginia and at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. Current Amazon prices are $14.99 for the novels and $7.99 for the study guides. Kindle editions are also available through Amazon at $4.99 each for the books and $2.99 each for the study guides.

Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble list the reading age as 9 to 12. This should not deter older students and adults from opening these novels. I expect more mature readers who have already acquired some knowledge of these early American time periods will thoroughly enjoy turning these pages, perhaps even more so than younger readers. These books offer the opportunity to discover fascinating, lesser-known history. A homeschooled student could read them independently or use them as a read-aloud. I reviewed these products to evaluate whether to include them in an upcoming First Ladies study for my eleven-year-old daughter. I enthusiastically will.

McNamee's novels are examples of living books at their finest. These are stories from long ago that seem to be taking place in real-time. McNamee wrote in first person and present tense, allowing readers to live the adventures and fully experience these historical moments. Readers and listeners will feel the characters' emotions, picture the surroundings, join the excitement, and even smell the smells of the settings.

The study guides are simple but helpful, including five vocabulary words and five multiple-choice quiz questions on one page per chapter. For example, vocabulary words include "debonair" and "animosity." In addition, space is provided to write the definition behind each vocabulary word. Here are two examples of quiz questions from the Study Guide for Dolley Madison and the War of 1812:

From Chapter 24, "How does Dolley cross over the Potomac?"

1. Bridge
2. Ferry
3. Boat
4. Swimming

From Chapter 28, "What do the British abandon?"

1. Canada
2. The Chesapeake Campaign
3. The Octagon House
4. Nothing

Answers to the vocabulary and quiz questions are provided as well as two to three additional discussion questions. The discussion questions are intended for just that—discussion. Answers are not included for these discussion questions as each is thoughtfully designed to prompt conversation and expression of opinions. For example, "Do you approve of Susanna's treatment of Mistress Blandford? What would you do?" and "Do you think Dolley adapts well to her desperate circumstances?"

A "final discussion questions" page is included near the end of each study guide and consists of eleven questions. Examples include:

• What character did you relate to the most?
• What made you connect?
• Do you agree that the War of 1812 is a forgotten war?

I liked these books very much and believe they will work well for my 11-year-old child as read-alouds. I liked them so well that I look forward to reading them a second time. Readers will be drawn in by the attractive covers, which are also high-quality and sturdy.

Both novels are surprisingly lighthearted and uplifting overall. They provide positive, exemplary models of strong and brave women. Susanna's Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War expertly unfolds a true tale of a 16-year-old girl's amazing contribution to the American cause.

Dolley Madison and the War of 1812: America's First Lady covers a war and a president not widely studied. It enlightens readers on the attitudes of and relationships between political parties and between many of the founding fathers in the years between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Throughout the book, Dolley refers to her husband, President James Madison, as "Jemmy." The author's choice to make the book personal gives readers an interesting perspective on the President. I enjoyed learning about Susanna Bolling as well as both Dolley Madison and President Madison.

Parents with younger or sensitive children who are not ready to take in the harsh realities of war may wish to use these two novels as read-alouds to summarize details in some areas. Similarly, parents may appreciate being made aware of strong wording used to convey intense emotions as well as brief mentions of spirits looking down on certain characters.

One thing to consider if using the Study Guide for Dolley Madison and the War of 1812 is that a student can view the answer keys while working on each quiz page. The book is set up so that the quiz page and the answers page face one another. Homeschool parents can easily adapt in the way that works best for their child by conducting oral quizzes or simply providing something to cover the answers. (The Study Guide for Susanna's Midnight Ride instead includes answers on the reverse of each page. Seeing answers while using the study guide is not a concern for this study guide.)

I hope Libby McNamee continues to share her thorough research through many more historical novels and study guides. Her ability to illustrate characters through words is impressive, as is her skill at balancing serious topics with a touch of lightheartedness. She educates with interesting detail and keeps her stories moving. I recommend Libby McNamee's novels and study guides and add a "Huzzah!" as Susanna Bolling, or Dolley Madison might say. Huzzah for author Libby McNamee for revealing two intriguing parts of history!

Product review by Heidi Mosher, The Old Schoolhouse®, April 2022