Home › Historical › The Letter Writer

The Letter Writer

by Ann Rinaldi

A young girl caught in a historical crisis

Regular price $11.94 USD
Regular price $18.66 USD Sale price $11.94 USD
Save 36%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

A young girl caught in a historical crisis

Set on a Virginia plantation during the era of Nat Turner’s rebellion, the novel centers on Harriet Whitehead, an eleven-year-old who finds a valued role writing letters for her blind stepmother. Her friendship with Turner and her effort to help him with a county map place her inside the events leading to the uprising, though she does not understand the map’s significance at the time. The story brings together family belonging, religious influence, slavery, and a child’s limited understanding of the consequences of her actions. Its historical setting frames Harriet’s personal search for importance against a conflict much larger than she can control.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Young readers interested in historical fiction set in nineteenth-century America
  • Readers exploring stories about slavery and Nat Turner’s rebellion
  • Readers interested in a young protagonist navigating family belonging and unintended consequences

Themes

Family belongingSlavery and rebellionReligious influenceUnintended consequences

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Eleven-year-old Harriet Whitehead is an outsider in her own family. She feels accepted and important only when she is entrusted to write letters for her blind stepmother. Then Nat Turner, a slave preacher, arrives on her family's plantation and Harriet befriends him, entranced by his gentle manner and eloquent sermons about an all-forgiving God. When Nat asks Harriet for a map of the county to help him spread the word, she draws it for him--wanting to be part of something important. But the map turns out to be the missing piece that sets Nat's secret plan in motion and makes Harriet an unwitting accomplice to the bloodiest slave uprising in U.S. history.

Award-winning historical novelist Ann Rinaldi has created a bold portrait of an ordinary young girl thrust in to a situation beyond her control.

Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews