Last in a Long Line of Rebels

by Lisa Lewis Tyre Narrated by Dorothy Dillingham Blue

Overview

Debut novelist Lisa Lewis Tyre vibrantly brings a small town and its outspoken characters to life, as she explores race and other community issues from both the Civil War and the present day.
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Lou might be only twelve, but she's never been one to take things sitting down. So when her Civil War-era house is about to be condemned, she's determined to save it-either by getting it deemed a historic landmark or by finding the stash of gold rumored to be hidden nearby during the war. As Lou digs into the past, her eyes are opened when she finds that her ancestors ran the gamut of slave owners, renegades, thieves and abolitionists. Meanwhile, some incidents in her town show her that many Civil War era prejudices still survive and that the past can keep repeating itself if we let it. Digging into her past shows Lou that it's never too late to fight injustice, and she starts to see the real value of understanding and exploring her roots.

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2015 - AudioFile

Young people who like Southern fiction with a smidge of history and a dash of mystery won’t want to miss this little gem. Tyre’s wonderful debut novel gives narrator Dorothy Blue a chance to show her prodigious skills. Blue gives every character a unique Southern voice—from main character 12-year-old Louise Mayhew to her feisty, flirty grandmother, Birdie. An additional character is Louise’s ancestor whose Civil War-era diary entries add the history as well as characters of the period. Is the Civil War gold mentioned in the diary real or just legend? Can it somehow help Louise and her friends save the 176-year-old house that has been the Mayhew home for generations? Blue mixes in the mystery with a sure hand. N.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/15/2015
Tyre’s accomplished debut takes place in 1999 in the small Southern town of Zollicoffer, Tenn., where 12-year-old Lou Mayhew’s 175-year-old home is her only claim to fame. The daughter of a junkman and a pregnant “enviro-artist” mother, Lou is determined that the summer before seventh grade will be less boring than the previous one. Eavesdropping one day, she learns that her beloved house may soon be razed, and her mission immediately becomes clear. Enlisting her best friends to help save her home, high-spirited, persistent Lou finds a new interest in history—especially her family’s, which holds its own surprises. As the four children try to solve a Civil War mystery and find a cache of purportedly missing gold, they also confront a contemporary case of racism. Strong secondary characters, including Lou’s thrice-divorced flirtatious grandmother, help build the strong sense of small-town community. Tyre masterfully weaves historical details into Lou’s discoveries in ways that never feel facile, while deftly and satisfyingly resolving past and present puzzles. Ages 10–up. Agent: Susan Hawk, Bent Agency. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

* “Accomplished debut. . . . Strong secondary characters, including Lou’s thrice-divorced flirtatious grandmother, help build the strong sense of small-town community. Tyre masterfully weaves historical details into Lou’s discoveries in ways that never feel facile, while deftly and satisfyingly resolving past and present puzzles.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“Louise Duncan Mayhew’s perspective in the 1860s is an intriguing contrast to Lou’s modern narration at the turn of the 21st century. . . . The story addresses injustice in plain language that is accessible to young readers who enjoy whodunits.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Tyre’s debut features characters that are believable in their naïveté and sense of invincibility. . . . Louise’s account of their summer adventures, with chapters headed by entries from a Civil War diary, should please middle-grade readers looking for a solid story with an intriguing historical connection.”—Booklist

“The characters are true to life. . . . In the midst of solving a Civil War–era mystery, Lou and her friends confront racism in their own time. Lou feels deeply and is single-minded in her pursuit of justice. A solid debut novel for middle graders who enjoy a blend of history and mystery.”—School Library Journal

“The rumors of the gold, a found diary, and the arrival of a visitor strangely interested in Lou’s house add up to an engaging amateur sleuth story, complete with a satisfying ending. A fine readalone, this might also provide an approachable and entertaining supplement to a classroom unit on the Civil War.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Middle school readers will gain an appreciation for history and mystery as Lou and her friends attempt to unravel her family’s tangled past. . . . As they search for clues, they begin to see how the past is closely linked to the present and that injustice did not stop with the Civil War. The small southern town setting, the engaging characters, the well-developed plot, and the exciting resolution make this a charming coming-of-age debut novel. Diary entries add an authentic historical flavor.”—School Library Connection

Kirkus Reviews

2015-06-06
In Tyre's debut middle-grade novel, a girl's research into her family's history uncovers racism and injustice both past and present. Lou had prayed for an exciting summer, but fighting to save her 175-year-old family home from demolition wasn't what she had in mind. When Lou overhears the city's plan to seize the Mayhew family home, she and her friends make a plan. Their best chance is to register the house as a heritage site, so they search the museum, the library, and a Civil War-era diary written by Lou's ancestor for evidence of its historical significance. Instead, they stumble upon another mystery: an unsolved murder and stolen gold. Excerpts from the diary make this feel like historical fiction; Louise Duncan Mayhew's perspective in the 1860s is an intriguing contrast to Lou's modern narration at the turn of the 21st century. A major theme is the persistence of racism. Tensions are running high in town after the high school football star loses a college scholarship because of the coach's prejudice, and Lou's neighbor, who is intrusively suspicious of a black man visiting their house, is as disappointing as her slave-owning, Confederate ancestor. In the end, Lou and her community learn that it's never too late to right a wrong. Though at times heavy-handed and didactic, the story addresses injustice in plain language that is accessible to young readers who enjoy whodunits. (Mystery. 9-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172020834
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/29/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Last in a Long Line of Rebels"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Lisa Lewis Tyre.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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