My Brother Abe: Sally Lincoln's Story

Virtually nothing is known about Sarah Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's older sister. This novel follows the few known facts of the Lincoln family's early life, starting with the Lincolns' move from Kentucky to Indiana when Sarah was nine through their years living in a log cabin, the death of Sarah and Abe's mother when Sarah was eleven and Sarah's new responsibilities as woman of the cabin, culminate with the arrival of a stepmother a year later. The details of Sarah's character have been invented, but this novel provides real insight into Abraham Lincoln's childhood, as well as the role of women on the frontier.

Harry Mazer is the author of many books for young readers, including Please, Somebody Tell Me Who I Am; My Brother Abe; the Boy at War trilogy; The Wild Kid; The Dog in the Freezer; The Island Keeper; and Snow Bound. His books have won numerous honors, including a Horn Book honor and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults citation. Along with his wife, Norma Fox Mazer, Harry received an ALAN award in 2003 for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont.

ISBN: 9781416938941
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: December 29, 2009

"Mazer has succesfully imagined a story of the Lincoln children's childhood told from Sally's point of view...this is solid historical fiction, offering a unique and likeable protagonist and a believable recounting of historical events."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Sally...is a smart, strong, and sassy characters, and...it is most succesful as a congenial story of a heastrong young lady's life in the wilderness of early nineteenth-century America."--Kirkus Reviews "Through such vivid details, Mazer offers an engaging and believable tale of survival."--School Library Journal "The dramas of frontier life quickly prove absorbing...Contemporary readers will easily relate to Sally...Fans of historical novels will savor the details evoked here."--Publishers Weekly