Sarah MacTavish

Secrets are at the heart of Paladin, Sarah MacTavish’s inspirational work of historical fiction for young adults, and the second book in the Firebrand series.

It’s the spring of eighteen sixty-one. The country’s torn in half by those in the South who don’t want slavery to end and those in the north who find the concept despicable – so when Lincoln calls men to arms, four friends from Dove Hollow, Pennsylvania rise to the call.

Jack, Westleigh and Allison have their own reasons for joining, but collectively they’ve made a pact to protect the fourth member of their group. […]

★★★★½

Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish is an historical young adult novel centered around the American abolition of slavery in the mid 19th century. Saoirse Callahan emigrated from Ireland with her family and ended up in Texas, where their fortunes may not be any better. When a series of fires crop up all over the state, it’s thought to be the result of a slave rebellion, which may only be rumor, and Saoirse wants to get to the bottom of what’s happening, which may just put her in danger.

In a parallel story, Westleigh Kavanagh, a Pennsylvania abolitionist, is sheltering a […]