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Toliver's Secret
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When her grandfather is injured, 10-year-old Ellen Toliver replaces him on a top-secret patriotic mission. Disguised as a boy, she manages to smuggle a message to General George Washington.

Lexile Measure: 740L (What's this?)

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Yearling; Reprint edition (October 19, 1993)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0679848045

ISBN-13: 978-0679848042

Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 7.4 inches

Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #40,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #34 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States > Colonial #2156 in Books > Children's Books > Action & Adventure

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 - 7

I used this novel to teach a summer reading class for fourth and fifth grade students. Our theme was the American Revolution. Toliver's Secret is about a timid girl who is asked to help the Patriots by delivering a secret message, hidden in a loaf of bread, to a courier. As the simple plan becomes complicated, she learns to be more self-confident and to believe in herself. Even though the story is set in the past, young readers can relate to her emotions in a timeless manner. I would use this book again to enhance discussion about the American Revolution and to learn about the importance of overcoming fears that get in the way of accomplishments.

This is an outstanding piece of historical fiction for young readers. It can be used in a classroom to bring the Revolutionary War alive in the minds of young readers. You take every step with Ellen Toliver and hold your breath with every obstacle she faces. Ten year old Ellen changes from a timid, shy girl to a confident, spunky girl,and young readers can identify with her feelings. The ending satisfies the reader's need for closure to Ellen's adventures, but it also leaves the reader with a question to wonder about. I couldn't put this book down the first time I read it. My fourth grade students want a sequel!

This book was a perfect novel to illustrate the perils of war, and the American Revolution for my fifth grade class. I used it as the middle level novel for my American Revolution literature circles. It worked extremely well, and I felt my average readers got as much out of our studies as my advanced readers who were able to read a more challenging novel. I highly recommend this book.

Young,gentle,and quiet Ellen Toliver learns to stand up for herself and to have great courage in Toliver's Secret. It takes place in New York, in the winter time during the Revolutionary War. Each day Ellen dreads to go to the well to get water because each time Dicey bullies her. Prefering to stay inside with her mother and grandfather, she rarely goes outside. But after her breathtaking adventure she changes her mind. Her grandfather,being an American spy, asked Ellen to tade a message hidden in a loaf of bread to Elizabeth Town. Find out what daring adventures ahe goes through, getting braver and braver at each step. I think this a wonderful book and anyone who likes adventures should read it.

This is an excellent and cool book. It is very interesting.It is about a timid girl who learns to be brave.Once I started reading the book I got lost in it. This book teaches you how to fight bullies.This book will give you an idea about life during the revolutionary war. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventures and is brave.

Toliver was a girl who was very timid. She was bullied at the water pump every morning. Her grandfather has to send a VERY important message to George Washington (leader of the continental army). On the day he has to deliver it, he sprains his ankle and can't make the journey. He believes in Toliver even though she doesn't believe in herself. She dresses in boy clothes and goes out of the house with the loaf of bread that her mother baked the message into. When she gets outside, two boys grab it and run away, teasing her. She runs after them and a women gives her a broom. She swats at them until they drop the loaf. She grabs it, runs, and hides. Now she is lost. She eventually gets to the dock where she has to ride across on a fisherman's boat. She looks everywhere, but there are no boats beside British soldier boats. One soldier smells her bread and grabs her into the boat. He shoves her down in-between himself and another soldier. Then he tries to get the bread. She tries her best to keep it away from his fat fingers. You have to read the book to find out about what happens on the boat trip. People who like short, quick-read, historic fiction books will like this book. I liked it because you felt like you were standing right next to Toliver when she was in the boat. This book had a good characterization because you know what most of the characters are feeling. If you like going on a journey with a young girl, you should read this book.

By CleoToliver's Secret is about Ellen, a girl living in the 1770s. Ellen finds out that her grandfather is a spy for the Patriots. She is surprised when she learns her grandfather is unable to complete his next mission, but is even more surprised to learn that she is needed to complete it for him. Ellen has always been a shy and timid girl, in fact she's someone who has been easily bullied, so this mission will certainly test her bravery. Will disguising herself as a boy on a ship full of redcoats enable Ellen to become a more courageous girl? Will she have the confidence and strength needed to deliver a message that will help the Patriots win their freedom from Britain, or will she pay the price for her daring act of patriotism?Despite the lively story line, this book isn't the best. I like historical fiction a lot, but I didn't feel I learned anything from this book. Rather, this book used all the history I already knew, to tell Ellen's story. This was fine because I read it after having studied the colonial period. Someone unfamiliar with this history however, might become confused or overwhelmed because it's so packed with information specific to colonial America. So, despite the great plot and good characters, this book will probably only be enjoyable to someone who has a background in colonial history.

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