Dear Ellen Bee
Brianna Ogburn
Book and Author Statistics
The book has not received any awards, however one of the authors named Mary E. Lyons, who is pictured on the right, has received the Golden Kite Award for Fiction. The second author, Muriel M. Branch, has received numerous education awards including the 1998 Outstanding Educator of the Year award, 1997 Cable Educator of the Year, and a 1996 Virginia Hero.
3 Significant Quotes
Quote: “If I help Miss Bet, maybe it’ll help another Liza some time. I guess Miss Bet and I should be fighting the Rebels, not each other, since they’re the ones who keep hurting my people.”
This slave auction was eye opening to Liza because it made her realize that even though she was free, so many of her people were still suffering and mistreated by slave owners. This line from the book is significant because it indicates that she going to stop arguing with Miss Bet. She realizes there are bigger issues, and she is now willing risk everything to be a Union spy in order to save her own people.
Quote: “Life will be empty without my Bet’s brilliant eyes and impossible blond hair, but I cannot, I will not, marry an abolitionist.”
This quote was from a letter that Miss Bet’s fianceé sent her telling her that he has called off their engagement. Miss Bet was constantly disliked by the people around her because she was a Southern woman who agreed with the North. This quote is important because even though Miss Bet was judged and disliked for being an abolitionist in the South, she always remained loyal to the Union.
Quote: "Hide it in your album, too, and keep the album in a safe place."
This quote is significant to the text because it shows how important the album is and how valuable the information inside its. The content in that album is so top secret that it must be hidden. If the album falls into the wrong hands, the Union spies and their families and friends could all possibly be arrested or killed.
Main Conflict
The main conflict in the book is, obviously, the Civil War that is happening between the North and the South. Fighting occurs because the South wants to secede from the North because the South is for slavery, but the North is against slavery. The most important point of the Civil War was the Battle of Gettysburg because it resulted in a great Union victory, and the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi and Chattanooga, Tennessee. The resolution to the war was when Confederate armies surrendered and the Confederate President was captured.
3 Details that Make the Story Interesting
Wilson Joins the 1st Regiment
One event that makes the story interesting is that Wilson decides to join The U.S. Colored Troops, First Regiment. This makes the story interesting by creating suspense for the readers because they, along with his life Liza, are wondering where Wilson is at and if he is still alive or wounded.
Liza Works at the White House of the Confederacy
A detail that makes the story entertaining is when Liza goes to work at the Confederate White House as a servant for the Confederate President and his family. This grabs the reader's attention because Liza is going to be a spy for the Union and report any information she hears or finds. This is very dramatic because if anyone finds out Liza is a Union spy or finds her album then she could be killed, sold back into slavery, and arrested.
Secret Spy Code
One thing that makes Dear Ellen Bee fascinating is how Miss Bet, Liza, and all of the other spies have to use spy codes, code names, and invisible ink to keep their information secret so that no one else knows their plans. They have to keep their identities classified so that no one can find out their who they are and what their scheming to do. It makes the story interesting because what they are doing is very dangerous, and these spies are willing to risk their life to help the Union prevail and end the Civil War victorious.
3 Historical References
Elizabeth Van Lew (look for different pic)
Elizabeth Van Lew was a real woman who did, in fact, keep a scrapbook and a diary for over forty years. She really was a Union spy who risked everything in an effort to have slavery abolished and the Union preserved. Dear Ellen Bee may be a historical fiction, but it does contain content that is based on real characters and events that is inspired by existing historical documents.
Battle of Gettysburg
Dear Ellen Bee makes a reference to the Battle of Gettysburg. It talks about how General Lee of the Confederacy had a disastrous plan and that the battle resulted in a great Union victory. Also, a sentence is wrote about how Vicksburg, Mississippi and Chattanooga, Tennessee fell. This text about the Battle of Gettysburg is a fact because what is said about the Battle of Gettysburg is true and really did happen in the real Civil War.
Confederate White House
In Dear Ellen Bee, Mary Elizabeth Bowser (Lisa) worked in the Confederate White House as the President's family's servant. Not only was she there to play a servant, she was there to spy on anything that had to do with the Confederacy's war plans. This made a reference to history because Mary Elizabeth Bowser really was servant and spy at the White House. As a black servant, she was unnoticed by the white people. She could listen in on conversations if other generals came over for dinner or a meeting because they saw her as invisible and dumb.
Review on Book
In my opinion, this book was not the best book I have ever read, but it is not a terrible book because it did have some suspenseful moments where I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next. However, most of the book to me was lacking action. Even though it may not of been my favorite book, you might enjoy this book if you're interested in what life was like in the South during the Civil War. This book is not like others because it was written from the perspective of two very different people, a young freed slave and a white Southern woman, who lived in the same time period and worked together to achieve the same goal.