What a delicious account of uniquely female bravery! This too-little-known story will inspire girls to express their courageous selves by looking to untold histories of their great foremothers.

Rosetta Wakeman left her family in 1862, cut her hair, and took on the identity of Lyons Wakeman as she strove to find adventure as well as support her family. After enlisting in the Union Army, Lyons went south to fight in a few battles/skirmishes before eventually dying from disease at age 21. Her letters survived to inspire the author to explore her experiences as a Union soldier.

Many, we are told, will appreciate this volume for its historical gender fluidity, and what that allegedly inspires in the biologically confused young of today. Many should appreciate this volume for the story of bravery, individual risk, and patriotic endeavour, as a woman just out of her teens cropped her hair, dressed in her pa's clothes and presented as a man to fight in the American Civil War. Rosetta Wakeman had a bit of a boring prospect when she decided to undertake her bold move, had some hard, physical work on the way to the front, and from then on was Lyons (or sometimes Edwin) Wakeman, and despite all the communal living a soldier must undergo, nobody was any the wiser.

OK, the story as shown here is not of someone who made a major difference to the world – she was on the move a lot, and engaged in one major battle that didn't seem to amount to much from this telling. But it is still interesting to consider how, and indeed how many, such females took the snip to their hair, dropped their voice, and fought to stay a man to fight alongside men. Her letters survived, and are used well here – and sparingly, for the text of the main part is nicely brief. A lot of more adult-geared end-matter makes up the final chunk of this book.

Visually this is strong, using very uncommon techniques to create a historical grain and mood really in keeping with the feel of the piece. In the end, despite my opening comment, it has very, very little in common with the 'womanface' of the mid-2020s. Its moral of 'where there's a will there's a way' is backed up by hard historical fact and reports right from the woman's pen. To that end this is definitely a four star success.

This is a beautifully crafted work on the contributions of Rosetta “Lyons” Wakeman who disguised herself as a man in order to enlist for the Union during the Civil War. The care in the art style (scratchboard, based on wood etchings common for the era) and the details in the afterword with timelines and letters make this not only an inspirational read but a delightfully detailed work of historical research. It feels like an ode to Rosetta and the women of her time, not just an informational book for children. This is a great picture book for anyone wanting a look at history through the eyes of women who were there or Civil War history.

Lyons Wakeman was a real soldier during the Civil War. He fought bravely and wrote letters home about those experiences. Thankfully, those letters were saved and now we can see the true story of Lyons’ life. Using the letters, author Joanna Lapati shows us that Lyons was in fact Rosetta Wakeman who wanted something more than life on a farm. She is one of many women who disguised themselves as men and fought during the war.

The story is clear and concise, but rich with detail. The artwork is stunning and an integral part of the story. It effectively captures the mood of the tale and is careful not to glorify war.

This book is great for kids interested in history and the Civil War, in particular. It would also be a great addition to a classroom library for older students (even high school) as a resource to share varied experiences of soldiers during the Civil War.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much to Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Rosetta Wakeman a woman who used the male disguise Lyons Wakeman during the civil war, wrote many letters home sharing her story out at war in disguise, she became one of only few documented woman on the battle front of the war.

What a fascinating story, I love history and this is a piece of history that I’d never discovered before so getting to read the story of what she went through, how she put herself into the forefront of war, how she disgusted herself so well no one had a clue who she really was and supporting her family at the same time. She sounded like such an incredible historical figure. To put herself into that battle field and fight is incredible.

I really learnt a lot from reading this, the amount of fact file after reading the story is incredible it just keeps going on and it’s really so detailed and interesting, giving you an even more in depth perspective and story of her. I was so glad that the author included so much more within this book not just the story.

I enjoyed reading this story and I think others that like history or want to learn more history would really love this book, or people who don’t know much about this particular area of history like I didn’t would really be hooked by this great book, it’s also a great book for young budding historians to read as they will learn something so different and fascinating. It also has really unique illustrations throughout that were so interesting to look at and really worked either way this type of book.

I found this story reminding me of Mulan, without the romance and disney fairytale faults. I was intrigued to learn about a woman who faught in the Civil War, as I dis not know there was a woman who did. However, I found that this picture book left me wanting more of the story, I wanted to learn even more about Rosetta and her bravery. I also was not a personal fan of the illustartion style that was used.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Guts for Glory focuses on the Civil War through the life of Rosetta Wakeman, who chose army over domestic duties.

New York Upstate, 1862: As the war between the North and South continued, the women remained home to tend to all domestic chores. As those chores became dull for Rosetta Wakeman, one night, she cut off her braid and dressed in her pa’s old clothes, and slipped out of the house. Disguising herself as Lyons Wakeman, she found a job transporting coal up along the canal, and later enlisted into the army.

Her life before the war is very brief. The main focus is her time during the war.

The illustrations are original, but they are gray in tone, reflecting the dire situation of war.

To soften this gray atmosphere, it would be nice to learn more about her before the war; how her childhood was shaped to make such decision to join the army.

Some of the words used, I’d imagine they might be hard to pronounce for children or need further explaining. The book includes glossary at the end, but to make it more accessible for children I’d say the explaining of vocabulary would be better if it were incorporated into the story.

There are two moments when the story feels abrupt: when she goes from working as canaller to enlisting. It’s very sudden, and the end feels the same way.

The target audience is 7-12 years which is quite broad. I think it has to be read to children between 7-9.

Overall, it is an interesting story and originally presented.

This picture book biography is about a woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the American Civil War. The story is simple and straightforward, and it includes excerpts from letters that this woman wrote home to her family. The scratchboard illustrations represent a historic style, and even though the pictures will appeal much more to adults than to children, they have a very authentic feel.

The story ends abruptly, and as you read the author's note, it becomes clear that the story cuts off suddenly because this soldier wrote her last letter home just shortly before she died of illness. I personally would have preferred for this to be part of the story, but understand why the author left things hanging ambiguously in a book for children.

In addition to sharing more context about this woman's life, the historical note at the end includes more information about the author's research, and about her personal passion for uncovering hidden histories of female Civil War soldiers. As a fellow history buff, I found all of this intriguing. Overall, this book will appeal more to adults than to children, but it's a great addition to Civil War literature that highlights hidden history in a deeply authentic, carefully researched way.