“With so few pages left, the odds of finding a clue to the gold were disappearing like snowflakes on warm asphalt.”

Em stumbles upon a Civil War diary when cleaning up a museum with her mother. While she knows she should tell her mother about it, she wants to read it first. There’s always been the rumor that some gold went missing from the South at the end of the war and Em wants to see if the diary mentions the gold. In the meantime, they find out that her aunt might lose her house without some financial help. The gold would help them so much.

As I tackle my to-read pile in my house, I’m reading some of the shorter books first. The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain was one of the shorter ones Someone many years ago gave us the book for my daughters (it’s signed by the author); however, I can’t remember who. (If it’s you, let me know!) It’s a middle-grade novel that brings the Civil War to a personal level.

When Sarah decides to put the diary back and “find” it again to show her mother, she finds herself waking up in the house, but during the time at the end of the Civil War. She is in Sarah Chamberlain’s house, the woman whose diary she found. However, she can’t remember many details about her past at all. As she learns to live in the past, she slowly pieces together that she can help Sarah change something sad from her diary, but she must act quickly.

The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain was a quick and interesting read. It’s a great book for middle school and teenage readers who love history. It’s fast-paced and keeps the seriousness of the war at the right age level. My daughters will be reading the book next.

Do you have a young reader who enjoys history? Comment below if you think he or she would like this book!

Buy The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain here (affiliate link).