Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi

When you remember and still keep a book in your top favorites for 25 years, you know it must be a great book. Set during the American Revolution, the events are seen through a teenage girl whose family gets too up close to the action. Jemina is head strong and even if she doesn't believe it, is lucky to have a tutor. Most girls are either uneducated or have only a basic education. John Reid is difficult, demanding, and worst of all, a Tory that supports the king. Most of Jemina family, including her, are supporting the rebels. Mr. Reid feelings about Jemina are just as same, dislike and barely tolerance of the other. But when Jemina learns Mr. Reid's secret, a secret that if it gets out means death, the balance of power changes. Can Mr. Reid and even her parents trust a teenage girl with lives in the balance? How many people that Jemina loves will be alive at the end of war, especially when the war comes to Trenton, her home. You will either love Ann Rinaldi books or hate them. Find out which side you are on.