Sarah Emma Edmonds was a great pretender by Carrie Jones, illustrated by Mark Oldroyd; Nurse, Soldier, Spy by Marissa Moss, illustrated by John Hendrix

[This review originally published in 2011]

The Text: Both of these biographies focus on the life of Sarah Emma Edmonds, who passed as a man named Frank Thompson, first to make a living and then to join the Civil War. She fought in battle, worked as a nurse, and then masqueraded as a spy - a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman!
Eventually, she fell ill and was forced to leave the army for fear of being discovered. She eventually married, wrote a memoir, and donated the proceeds to help African Americans and veterans. Jones' biography focuses on Sarah's masquerades, from passing as a boy to escape her father's temper to her escapades in the war. Jones' emphasizes Edmonds' possible feelings throughout her story and has a confidential, casual tone. Moss' biography deals specifically with Edmonds' war years, writing crisply and briskly about her time as a spy and her work with wounded soldiers.

The Illustrations: Oldroyd's illustrations are hazy pastels. The cover is the clearest picture, with most of the spreads showing swirling, scratchy textures. Edmonds' face is the only clear one, peering through the mist of colors. John Hendrix' illustrations are more clear-cut caricatures, with brisk, definite lines and a variety of typefaces and designs to show off Moss' more dialogue-focused text.

The Extras: Carrie Jones' biography includes a brief author's note which speculates on Edmond's motivations in addition to offering some additional information about her life and a brief bibliography.

Marissa Moss' biography includes a lengthy author's note on her writing methods and an extended history of Edmond's life after the Civil War. John Hendrix includes an artist's note that explains how he researched the drawings and has additional information about the hand-drawn typography. Moss' biography also includes an extensive glossary, two bibliographies, and index.

Verdict: Carrie Jones' biography of Sarah Edmonds has a lively tone, but the illustrations are uninspired and the information is more speculative. Marissa Moss' text and John Hendrix' illustrations are altogether more brisk, and have an enthusiastic clarity and movement that will attract a wider readership. I recommend the latter biography for the library collection and suggest pairing it with Were I not a girl by Lisa Robinson for a look at a similar story with more contemporary interpretations.

Sarah Emma Edmonds was a Great Pretender
ISBN: 978-0761353997; Published April 2011 by Carolrhoda Books; Borrowed from the library

Nurse, Soldier, Spy
ISBN: 978-0810997356; Published March 2011 by Abrams; Borrowed from the library

Revisited: Nurse, soldier, spy is still in print and available in both hardcover and paperback. Sarah Emma Edmonds is out of print.