Spy on History

About the Book

Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring introduces an exciting interactive series for middle grade readers—Spy on History, where the reader gets to experience history in a whole new way.

Meet Mary Bowser, an African American spy who was able to infiltrate the Confederate leadership at the highest level. Enigma Alberti dramatizes Mary Bowser’s suspenseful story—how she pretended to be illiterate, how she masterfully evaded detection, how she used her photographic memory to “copy” critical documents.

Using spycraft materials included in a sealed envelope inside the book, a canny reader will be able to discover and unravel clues embedded in the text and illustrations, and solve the book’s ultimate mystery: Where did Mary hide her secret diary?

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As part of the book launch, Workman Publishing has asked the Mafia to answer a fun question: “If you could go back to anytime or place in history, where would you put your spy skills to use?”

Kevin Springer: I would want to use my spy skills to save historical figures such as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. They were leaders during a pivotal time in US history where human and civil rights were coming to forefront. These issues remain a hot topic and I have wondered how they would have continued to shape our world if they were able to live out their natural lives.

Kim Zachman: I would like to be in Paris during WWII or be part of the French Resistance. Also, I think it would interesting to learn more about the time of the American Revolution.

Debbie D’Aurelio: I would spy on Japan in 1941 to prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor.

L.S. Bridgers: I would go back to Sarajevo June 28, 1914 just before Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated setting in motion a chain of events that changed the world as we know it.