Reviews

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War by Carla Bauer, Thomas B. Allen

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Quick, fun, informative read about a part of Harriet Tubman's life - and the US Civil War in general - that most USians don't learn in school.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Slavery, and Racism

Moderate: Sexism, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Gun violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Suicide

Minor: Blackface

egeiger11's review against another edition

5.0

So often you hear about Harriet Tubman's involvement with the Underground Railroad. I didn't realize, though, how much of a role she played in the Union espionage, fighting, & even planning, leading, & attending some major attacks on important Southern strategy points. Great & informative read.
Would be a great history resource for middle & high schoolers, an easy read, but overall, still really informative.

amysutton's review against another edition

5.0

This is a fantastic non-fiction middle grade book that looks at Harriet Tubman’s life by focusing on her contributions to the Civil War spy efforts. Harriet Tubman is the focus of the narrative, but there’s also a ton of facts given on Gullah heritage in SC, African American regiments, warfare technology, and major battles. As an adult, I learned a ton of information, and I love how accessible it is so that my 5th graders could understand and appreciate it, too. The inclusion of the slave spy codes and pictures was also very captivating. I plan to read the George Washington book in this series, and I can’t wait for more books to be added.

heathero621's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

3.0

My son (age 12) and I were reading this book for history to learn more about Harriet Tubman as part of his history curriculum.  I was actually hoping that this book would have had more about Harriet Tubman in it.  The beginning there is a lot about her and then the middle is really all about the Civil War and how abolitionists and black people helped the Union.  There would be some mentions of Harriet here and there, but not as many as I hoped.  The last chapter had a bit more about her, but the book still felt incomplete.  I would have rather read a book that was mostly about her.  My son agreed with my thoughts.

curlie80's review against another edition

4.0

A side of Tubman's life and the lives of other former slaves that I did not know much about

verkiezen's review against another edition

3.0

Harriet Tubman Secret Agent by Thomas Allen was a very interesting compendium of history around the Civil War primarily through the life and actions of Harriet Tubman. This one is a little more difficult for young children -- it comes across as a little more dense than the "Who was" biographies. I'd be interested to read the "Who was Harriet Tubman" for comparison's sake.

I really thought Allen did a much better job of documenting his facts, however. There was a bibliography and footnote appendix at the back of the book which I appreciated. Allen also covers a lot of events of the Civil War, not just things that are directly related to Tubman, but those that are also indirectly related.

Over all, I feel like I learned a lot from the book, but it wasn't quite as enjoyable as other nonfiction choices.

audrarussellwrites's review against another edition

5.0

This book fell off the shelf and onto my foot while I was browsing at a used bookstore. Great information, and even greater resource list in the back, about Harriet Tubman and other enslaved persons who fled plantations to help the Union in the Civil War.