VOYA: Silvey, author of Children's Books and Their Creators (Houghton Mifflin, 1995), offers a fascinating account of women who fought in the Civil War as she describes the primary reasons why women chose to disguise themselves and fight alongside their husbands and brothers. She provides more than a dozen examples of women who fought in the Union and Confederate Armies, several of whom died in battle and were buried with full military honors. Although the content and writing are compelling, the chapters on Bull Run and Antietam contain extraneous information and graphics. The opening chapter on Bull Run also plunges the reader immediately into the story with no context. Incorporating the examples in these chapters into a single chapter in the middle of the book on female soldiers' experiences in battle would have made the book flow more smoothly. Although eye-catching, some of the maps and illustrations strewn liberally throughout the text are not directly relevant and distract from the main theme. More on point are the compelling photographs of the women themselves, of which the author found enough in her thorough research that no other graphics are needed. Although this short title is most appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students, the detailed bibliography, source notes, illustration credits, and index will guide Civil War buffs of all ages to further reading on female Civil War soldiers. Reviewer: Leah J. Sparks