Courageous Kate

by Sheila Ingle

Kate Moore Barry served as a scout and a spy and is credited with helping Gen. Daniel Morgan defeat the British at the Battle of Cowpens, a turning point in the war for independence. The author weaves together history, folklore and fiction to create a memorable story about three generations of Scots-Irish settlers who built a life in the wilderness of the South Carolina Upcountry during the 1700s. llustrated by John Ingle, Courageous Kate tells riveting stories of Kate’s encounters with cruel Tories and of the day she tied her youngest child to a bedpost so she could ride out to alert Patriot militiamen about gunfire at her parent’s nearby home.

130 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2006

About the author

Sheila Ingle is a native South Carolinian. She is a graduate of Converse College and chose teaching as her profession. At USC Upstate, she taught English and education courses. Her two grandmothers instilled in her a love of history and storytelling, which led her into membership in lineage societies. Professing to be a late bloomer, she now is an author and writes about her state's history. "Courageous Kate," "Fearless Martha," "Brave Elizabeth," and "Walking With Eliza" are her four books for young readers about SC heroines during the Revolutionary War. The SCDAR awarded "Kate" a Historical Preservation Award. She enjoys leading writing workshops and speaking. On October 14, 2017, "Tales of a Cosmic Possum" will be released; these short stories tell about eight Appalachian women who left the mountains and farms to work in the cotton mills of SC.They brought their traditions and love of family with them. Louise Penny, John Hart, and Jan Karon are three of her many favorite authors. A community volunteer, she also enjoys baking and making strawberry and blackberry preserves.

Reviews

[Coco Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A historical fiction tale that focuses on multigenerational upbringing of an immigrant family in the early United States. The book focused mainly on daily lives and roles of families during the 1700s and would be useful for teaching kids about what the culture of the American family was during the American Revolution. I thought the writing itself was poor and when read aloud it felt very choppy. Sentence structures were extremely simplistic and it didn’t feel as if Kate were the main character until the end of the book. My son actually had more interest in her brother Thomas since the first part of the book highlighted his character so much. Overall the facts around the revolutionary war, such as battles and generals, felt minuscule within the storyline and didn’t really stick with my kiddo. An okay story, but I don’t think we will be picking up any more of these books to supplement our homeschool study.

[Travelmaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donating to a classroom. Well researched history. Not sure the story will enthrall the kids.

[Merianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for teaching SC history in the classroom. Introduces a different perspective of the Rev. War!