TLC Book Tours Book Review: Last In A Long Line Of Rebels

About Last in a Long Line of Rebels

Age Range: 10 and up

Grade Level: 5 and up

Hardcover: 288 pages

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.

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.

 “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

BEA Middle Grade Buzz Pick

Amazon Editors Pick (October, 9-12 yr olds.)

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: Its been a long time since I jumped into a middle grade book, but this one is so much more than that. 

Its a wonderful story that will appeal to young and old because the characters are so real. Lou is just so relate-able. (At least to me, she was). She's a fighter and she's fighting to save her house. She also cares about justice for Issaac who got screwed out of a scholarship by a racist coach. Actually, a town that still had a lot of problems with race.

There's a Civil War mystery to be solved too. Lou's family goes back 175 years and they have lived in the same home. In her quest to find the Civil War treasure, she learns more about her family, even though some of it isn't stuff that she is very proud of.

For a young girl, Lou was surprisingly mature, especially in the sleuthing she does to find the gold. You also see it in how she feels when she learns about her families past. I'm a huge fan of cozy mysteries, and I found Lou to be much more level headed than any heroine in the many series that I enjoy reading. She's really smart and loyal. I think the only bit of youthful stupidity involved a tree stump.

This is a fantastic read no matter what your age.

Rating: 5 flowers