Top Secret Files: The Civil War, Spies, Secret Missions, and Hidden Facts From the Civil War

The pigpen cipher, the Devil's Coffee Mill, and germ warfare were all a part of the Civil War, but you won't learn that in your history books! Discover the truth about Widow Greenhow's spy ring, how soldiers stole a locomotive, and the identity of the mysterious “Gray Ghost.” Then learn how to make a cipher wheel and send secret light signals to your friends. It's all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The Civil War. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Table of Contents:
Secrets The Plot Against Lincoln The Black Dispatch Confederate Signal Corps Spy Training: Secret Signals Spy Training: Spy Kit Slave Turned Spy: John Scobell Spy, Soldier, Nurse: Sarah Emma Edmonds La Belle Rebelle: Belle Boyd Crazy Bet Widow Greenhow Savvy Spy or Super Scammer?: Lafayette Baker Southern Spy for the North Spy Training: Spy Fan Spy Training: Secret Eggs The Great Locomotive Chase Sneaky Retreat Operation Dabney The Sanchez Sisters Secret Messages How to Wreck a Railroad Spy Training: Make a Cipher Wheel Spy Training: Make a Scytale Secret Weapons Abraham Lincoln’s Secret Weapon Harmonica Pistol Winans Steam Gun Secret Submarine The Devil’s Coffee Mill Spy Balloons Germ Warfare Ironclads: The Secret Weapon of the Navy In the Limelight Spy Training: Secret Map Spy Training: Hot Air Balloon Secret Forces Johnny Clem, Boy Solider The Gray Ghost The Jessie Scouts McNeill’s Rangers Attack on the Albemarle Spy Training: Tracking Practice Spy Training: Ranger Camp Bibliography About The Author

About the Author :
Stephanie Bearce is a writer, teacher, and science nerd. She likes teaching kids how to blow up toothpaste and dissect worms. She also loves collecting rocks and keeps a huge collection of fossilized bones in her basement. When she is not exploding experiments in her kitchen or researching strange science facts in the library, Stephanie likes to explore catacombs and museums with her husband, Darrell.

Review :
Stephanie Bearce has a wonderful way with words which will appeal to the young people reading this book, and I repeatedly report that I loved reading this series. It will appeal to all . . . Each chapter tells about secrets that were dealt with by children and women as well as the usual male spies. Where and how are secrets that most of us did not know until these books. The pictures and titles and pages that specifically tell children how to “spy” will appeal to young people as much as the stories.,Elaine S. Weiner,Gifted Education Communicator, 9/1/15 Bearce focuses her writing talents on topics such as espionage, secret weapons, technological innovations, and daring missions that may be little known by readers. In telling these stories in brief, Bearce does an excellent job of drawing her readers into the realm of the unexpected within the context of America's deadliest conflict. In each instance Bearce brings to life a cast of characters who in some cases failed and, in others, had a significant impact upon aspects of the war.,Greg M. Romaneck,Children's Literature, 9/1/15 This is a very well balanced look at the Civil War. Bearce shows that the Union and the Confederacy both had successes and failures. She also includes information about men, women and children, slave and free. It isn't a comprehensive look at the Civil War but it does give young readers information that they aren't going to find in other books on the topic. Bearce is a former teacher and she knows both how to hook her readers and how to deliver the facts . . . Pick this one up for history buffs, those who aren't sure and even adult enthusiasts.,Bookshelf: What We're Reading, 3/2/15