A search for her older sister in Nashville brings eleven-year-old Violet Mayhew into the battle for women's right to vote. The diverse group of friends Violet meets ignites her interest in justice and equality. Intriguing details draw readers into this enlightening narrative set in the early 1900s, and appended historical notes give more information about voting rights for women and African Americans. Timeline.

Eleven-year-old Violet discovers to her outrage that her parents have been hiding letters sent to her by her much older sister, Chloe, who was cast out from the family for insisting that she wanted an education and a career, and for spending an inheritance earmarked for her hope chest on a Model T (christened The Hope Chest). Violet runs away to New York City in search of Chloe, but the information in the letters is out-of-date, and Chloe, now fighting for women's suffrage, has moved on. Violet teams up with Myrtle, an African-American orphan on the lam from a maid's school, and Mr. Martin, Chloe's friend, who's wanted by police for speaking out against the Great War; together they search for Chloe in the context of the Cause. Everything comes to a head in Nashville, where the suffragists' best hope for the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment depends on the votes of a very few potentially bribable men. Schwabach tackles issues of race, class and courage head-on while never letting the plot hesitate. A fascinating account of a rarely studied part of history. (historical notes, timeline) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Gr 4-6-In America in 1920, "proper young ladies" are expected to behave in a certain way. But when 11-year-old Violet Mayhew discovers that her parents have been keeping her disowned older sister Chloe's letters from her, she abandons propriety and runs away to find her in New York City. There she meets Myrtle, a "colored" girl who is happy to leave her own training as a maid and join Violet in finding her sibling, who has left the city. Their travels take them first to Washington, DC, and then to Tennessee, where Chloe works on the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. Here Violet and Myrtle join the fight for women's suffrage. The girls confront heavy issues such as racism and sexism, but the narrative is leavened with humor. The story is packed with period details-Jim Crow laws, Bolsheviks, Palmer agents, Prohibition, shell shock, autocamping, just to name a few-but Schwabach's attention to character and plotting ensures that it never bogs down. Readers will cheer along with the "Suffs" as the victory in Tennessee grants women the vote. The book concludes with historical notes and a voting time line that includes black-and-white photos. Illuminating a time period rarely featured in children's literature, this is a fresh choice for historical fiction fans.-Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.