Twelve-year-old Juliet is the sister to Seth Bradshaw, one of William Clarke Quantrill’s bushwhackers, who raided and revenged during the height of the Civil War. The day her father was killed and her home burned by the Yankees, Juliet follows her brother’s instructions and stays with his intended Martha and her sisters. But when the infamous double agent, Sue Mundy, steps into her life Juliet is smitten with Sue’s bravery and adventures and tries to emulate her. Driven by her desire to protect the ones she loves and do what she thinks is right, Juliet defies her brother and is imprisoned, kidnapped, trusted with confederate secrets, and forced to kill.

Ann Rinaldi has once again unearthed a forgotten population in history and artfully blended them with her own rich characters and imagination. Initially, the main character’s narrative appears to serve only as a window for her brother, but within a few chapters Juliet develops her own voice and multidimensional traits and quickly endears readers to her plight of emergence into womanhood during a pivotal time in American history. Strong research combined with a page turning plot makes Juliet’s Moon a must read for lovers of historical fiction.