Assassin

by Anna Myers

Would you betray your president to win the heart of America's most celebrated actor?

Bella isn't evil. But even people with good intentions can end up doing bad things. Especially when they meet people with the power to persuade them to do almost anything, like John Wilkes Booth—the most charismatic and famous actor of his time.

So when Booth sets his sights on Bella, an assistant seamstress to Mary Todd Lincoln, to help with his plot to kidnap President Lincoln, he is able to persuade her to betray her president and even turn her back on the boy she has loved her entire life. Bella believes Booth is only trying to force the North to release Southern war prisoners, and will not harm her dear friend Mr. Lincoln. But the kidnapping plot fails, and now Booth will stop at nothing--even if it means harming Bella in the process.

Anna Myers has crafted a provocative new look at the Lincoln assassination through the eyes of both a young White House insider and the assassin himself. An author's note provides the historical background to this tragic event.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, School, Childrens

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2005

Reviews

[Harper Land · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars ⭐️

okay i had to sit on this book for a while to let all the details ✨marinate✨ in my brain. this was not good but wasn’t bad. i have not read a book like this in a while and i forgot about my mixed feelings on this style of a book. i read this book for school and i picked it completely blind. which, considering it was a part of an assignment, it wasn’t terrible.

i would not recommend this book so lets just dive in with the important details so you do not have to read it!

short summary *some spoilers, but their not explicit in my opinion :)*
first half of the book:

Bella is a young girl living in Richmond during the civil war. her dad drops her off at her grandmothers because he is in some kind of trouble (wish there was more detail about this part). she becomes good friends with Steven who is the former president’s son. well when Lincoln is elected they move out and Bella helps make dresses and clothes for the White House. she misses Steven so much and they write love letters to each other about their lives.

Wilkes is a creepy, famous actor who HATES the north and president Lincoln. he has a girlfriend that he just uses for…things. that is all the credit he deserves so lets move on.

so the whole first book is about the two main characters and the stuff they get into. this was SO SLOW.

second half of the book:
Wilkes decides he is going to assassinate the president because he will “save the south”. mhm that makes sense. his morals are completely weird and he is a TERRIBLE person.

Bella meets Wilkes because she is interested in his acting. Bella goes over for dinner (red flag number 1), Wilkes is weirdly nice and flirty with her (red flag number 2, he should NOT flirt with a 10 year old). he asks for help with his mission (red flag number 3 because why would you ask a young girl to help kill a president?!).

anyways they meet again and Wilkes CONTINUES TO FLIRT WITH HER. he needs to stop because (1) he has a girlfriend and (2) she is 10 YEARS OLD. this is one of my main issues with him. he uses everyone around him, no matter the cost, to “save the south”.

within 2 paragraphs Bella is tied up and the president is shot. within the next 1 page Steven is back to help Bella and (i guessed it) they are in love 🩷

in conclusion, this book was very weird. i think the author had a vision, but i don’t know what i think about it. i definitely have more thoughts but i think i need some time to process

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow... this was a really good book. I usually don't like historical fiction, but this was really good. It's about the civil war, an innocent girl, and a fanatic. I love the back:
Wilkes
Ah, fair Bella, I regret what happened to you. Truly I do, but I want the world to know that I could not have spared you. No, no, I couldn't. You were part of a plan, a plan much larger, a plan much more important than one girl, no matter how sweet.
Bella
He noticed me then. I could feel his eyes on my burning face, but I looked only at the hem of the coat I held in my lap. My heart pounded as I heard his steps on the floor... He moved closer to me. "You aren't afraid of me, are you--" He paused.
...I had to look slightly away from those eyes before I could speak.
"No sir," I said. "I am not afraid of you." It was a lie. I did fear him, feared the weak feeling I had when his eyes looked deep into mine.

[Aldo Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

** SPOILER ALERT**


Would you risk your life to save someone else. The genre of the story is mystery fiction. I think the book is great personally. It is filled with action and romance in the story. The story is filled with kind characters and evil characters. There is many romance scenes that seem wonderful. There many action scenes that are great too. There is also some parts that will make you want to keep reading and not stop. You will find many great moments in this book you just got to keep reading.

The story takes place in the 1800's. There was still slavery in the south. The main characters are Arabella and John Wilkes Booth. Arabella is young girl who is from the south and and her dream is to act on stage. Arabella is not bad she actually likes the president. She doesn't think he is evil at all. John Wilkes Booth on the other hand hates Mr. Lincoln. He is a very persausive character he knows how to make girls fall in love with him. He also gets whatever he wants if means do anything. Some major events that happen in the story are that Arabella's dad is put in prison during the war between the north and the south. John Wilkes Booth had a plan to assassinate the president. The character's motivation is to free the south. The type of conflict in the story is person vs person because it is Arabella vs John Wilkes Booth who wants her to be part of his plan to assassinate the president and Arabella is not sure of helping him with his evil plan.

I was surprised when Arabella was tempted to go along with his plan. I understand why she was tempted because she was falling deeply in love with him. In the text she said "I am making a mistake but I couldn't stop myself". Sometimes I am reading and I'm telling myself "don't fall for that he doesn't mean it!". In the story John Wilkes Booth says he would be happy if Arabella was part of his evil plan. I also dislike John Wilkes Booth because he is sneaky and I don't like that. Sometimes I think that Arabella is very guliable sometimes and you could make her fall for anything. Like when she agrees to be part of his plan because she likes him. What is good about Arabella is that she chases her dreams even with people telling her not to.

I was surprised when John Wilkes Booth tied her up and put her in a trunk. The character changed the way she saw him. Instead of this nice young man he was this evil man who only cared for himself. He is just really clever and mean. Arabella is girl who cares for people besides herself. In the story she it shows that she really cares for the president and wouldn't want anything to happen to him. She really cares about Steven her bestfriend and wouldn't do anything to betray his trust. Sometimes I think she is in her own little world. In the story it says she felt like a princess as she put on the red dress waiting to meet her prince. She also loves to act too and always dreamed of working a theater. In the story it says that she rehearsed the poem over and over again until she memorized the entire poem.

In conclusion I personally give this book five stars because it is a great mixture of history and mystery. It also has a great story to it how this actor plans to assassinate the president Abraham Lincoln. The book switches off between the life of Arabella and John Wilkes Booth. It shows how someone could be tempted to do something or even be forced to do something. I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries because this book is filled with mystery and itense parts. Like when John gets chased by guards after he assassnates the president. How he traps Arabella and puts her in a trunk just to get her out of the way. This book is filled with action , mystery and a little romance in between. All combines to become a great book. I think people will really enjoy this great book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Assassin", by Anna Myers, goes over the relationship between a young lady from Richmond, Virginia and John Wilkes Booth, The man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Soon after Bella’s, the young lady, mother dies her father becomes so overwhelmed with grief and selfishness that he sends Bella to live with her grandmother in Washington D.C. Bella’s grandma teaches her the basics of sewing and Bella begins school in the foreign city. In her class there is a boy who has ties to the president, James Buchanan as well as the white house staff. Bella and the boy become friends then Bella starts to work for the president’s seamstress. Eventually Abraham Lincoln becomes president , but Bella and her friend are not sure if they will enjoy the change in leadership. Meanwhile Bella takes interest in the theatre and meets the well known actor, John Wilkes Booth. Suddenly southern states secede, thus, the American Civil War commences and the story continues.
I thought "Assassin" was very interesting. I especially enjoyed reading about a story I already knew but in a more detailed, personal way. My favorite character by far was Steven, he became Bella’s friend when she started school in D.C. I liked Steven because he was very mature for his age, kind, and intelligent. Anna Myers made it really easy for me to become attached to her characters, the development of them was excellent. Finally I admire the Myer’s deliverance in "Assassin". Instead of being socially or politically biased Anna Myers simply conveyed the story how it unfolded.
Even though "Assassin" had many positive attributes, it did have a couple implications. One thing I did not find pleasing was that the book was written in first-person. It bothered me because it made "Assassin" seem like an autobiography when, obviously, it was not. I also wish Anna Myers organized the story in a different way. For instance, "Assassin" alternates between two characters every chapter, but, going back to the subject of the first-person issue, the book could have been better executed with a third-person omniscient point of view. Therefore, there would be no need to alternate characters each chapter and the book as a whole would flow better.
Overall, "Assassin" was a great book to read. I gave this book a four out of five since it was an amazing story but it was not perfectly written. I do strongly recommend "Assassin" to anyone with an interest in history, controversial topics, or personal narratives. "Assassin" will pull the reader in and leave them wanting more.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Assassin" by Anna Myers is a great book with amazing stories. I really liked how the book went back and fourth between the two main characters, John Wilkes Booth and a little girl named Bella. "Assassin" is about the path crossings of little Bella and Wilkes after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. I think the coolest part in this book was when Bella and her friend Steven meet Abraham Lincoln. If you like history and or is interested in presidents I recommend this book for you.

[Tomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good young adult historical fiction. I must say, as a history teacher, that the author did an excellent job describing the many conflicting attitudes during the Civil War. I will be putting this book on the reading shelf in my classroom.

[Jacob Nordyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin by Anna Myers
This book is a historical fiction about a real event that happened. In this book there are two main characters, Bella and Wilkes. It tells both of their perspectives. This book takes place in 1859 in Twilight, Virginia and tells the story of Abraham Lincoln being assassinated. The book is about two character wilkes, a real person, and Bella, who was made up, and a different way that they planned to assassinate the president. At the start of the book Bella is on Wilkes side but as time goes on she regrets what she is doing and she is stuck helping Wilkes assassinate the president. So she is having a hard time deciding if she wants to stop helping wilkes.

Anna Myers has won four Oklahoma Book Awards and was put in the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Other books that Anna Myers has written are, Wart, Flying Blind, and Tulsa Burning. If you liked Chasing Lincoln's Killer You will like this book, it is about the same thing. If you like books that have two perspectives and are based on a true event you will like this book. I would recommend this book to middle school and up.

[Larry Sandoval · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the beginning of this book but later on a few chapters I started to lose interest on the plot

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It's set during the civil war, while Lincoln is president. Bella is born in the south, but later becomes a northerner. This book really puts you into the moment. I love all the feeling and excitement! I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction, but I really loved this book!

[Hunter Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quite good. It had all of the facts about Lincoln's death but with an entertainment point of view. That point of view came from Arabella, the main character, with a side story about her life. But what I found fascinating was how Anna Meyers combined the story lines. I would certainly recommend this book to a person who finds regular history rather boring.

[Zhavar Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/8/2020 Zhavar Johnson

Assassin Book Review


There’s a saying that even the best people can be convinced to do the worst things, even when they know what they’re doing is wrong. Assassin, by Anna Myers, is about a girl from Virginia, named Bella, from Virginia who becomes obsessed with Abraham Lincoln’s eventual killer, John Wilkes Booth. Booth uses Bella’s obsession with him to persuade her to help him kill president Lincoln. Booth knew that Bella was close to the president, which is why he chose to use her. Bella struggles with knowing what she’s doing is wrong, and dangerous for herself and others, but her obsessive love for Booth keeps her going. The book follows her through her struggles with the good inside her, and the evil persuasion of John Wilkes Booth. Bella’s relationship with Book is very similar to Harley Quinn and The Joker’s relationship in the DC universe.

Assassin, unlike other books, is interesting from the start. Bella describes her life of wanting to be on the stage, just like her father was, but instead, she is the assistant seamstress to the first lady. Bella’s dad, and John Wilkes Booth, knew each other in the theatre business, so Bella had been obsessed with Booth from a young age. Bella is a headstrong girl, who doesn’t like breaking rules. She knows what she wants to do in life, and she knows where she wants to go. John Wilkes Booth is a manipulative seducer, that is good at controlling women. John wants to kill Abraham Lincoln because he doesn’t like him or agree with his beliefs. John sees Bella as an easy target because she is close to the Lincolns, and she would listen to him. Wilkes Booth convinces her that he is kidnapping Lincoln because he wants him to free southern soldiers, even though that isn’t his real plan, Bella believes him and agrees to help him. When it comes to John Wilkes Booth, Bella is very easily manipulated and controlled, and she follows his orders to spy on the Abraham Lincoln. Wilkes and Bella end up kidnapping Lincoln to kill him, and Bella starts to feel bad about what she helped Booth do, but she feels that she is too deep into the situation, and she has a weak spot for Booth. She is also scared of Booth because he is so bent on harming Lincoln that he will even hurt her to get what he wants. It is interesting reading about her internal conflict, because she knows what she is doing is wrong, but she loves and fears Booth so much that she still does everything he tells her to.

This book I great for people who love historical fiction. Assassin is interesting because even though she knows that she is wrong for helping a mad man kidnap the president, her love keeps her from disobeying him. It’s very cool that Bella exhibits signs of Stockholm syndrome, because she falls in love with the criminal who is controlling her and falls for whatever Booth tells her to do. Teens or adults are a good audience for this book because they understand what its like to do something with clouded judgement, and they can understand or enjoy the book better than children would. Bella’s struggle with love and emotional is really captivating, and interesting, and almost relatable in some ways.

[Johannes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin, a historical fiction book, was written by Anna Myers. She has won the Oklahoma Book Award for Children’s Books three times. One of those awards she received for Assassin. Other books Myers wrote books including Tulsa Burning, Wart, Confessions from the Principal’s Chair, and many more.
In Assassin, Bella’s mother dies, forcing her to move from Richmond to Washington D.C. to live with her grandmother. Her grandmother works as a seamstress for the president’s wife. Adjusting to her new life was hard for Bella until she meets Steven, a boy who goes to her school. They play and talk together every day. Steven even had access to The White House where he was friends with Mr. Lincoln’s sons. Everything was going alright until Steven moved away. They still wrote letters to each other, but things definitely got harder for both of them. Bella then met John Wilkes Booth. A famous actor who uses his charming looks and smooth voice, to persuade Bella to help him kidnap the president to hopefully turn the tide of the war to The South’s side.
One lesson that could be taken from this book is that people should be careful about who they trust. Although someone may seem like a trustworthy person just by the way they look, it’s the person’s heart and motives that really matter. Another lesson is to be true to your friends. During an important part of the book, Bella is faced with a decision to either go spend time with her friend Steven or stay with Mr. Booth. She ends up making the wrong decision and stays with Mr. Booth and damages her relationship with Steven. She now has to find a way to make this right.
I personally loved this book. I’m not much of a reader myself, but this book is definitely an exception and I would most likely read it again. My favorite part of the book was towards the end when the story really starts to pick up the pace. For instance when Booth suggests the plan to capture the President to Bella. There was so much excitement, that I did not want to put the book down. One thing that I am on the fence about is the fact that the chapters alternate perspectives between Bella and Mr. Booth. I loved it because it often showed two different sides to one story but at the same time, the two different perspectives could be quite confusing if I was not paying attention. When there are two perspectives, like in this book, readers can often take a liking to one side more than the other, making some chapters tedious and not as enjoyable to read as the others. I would honestly not change anything about this book because it is so well written. Since it is historical fiction, it is hard to change facts about what really happened without taking away the true meaning or aesthetic. Anna Myers did a great job with the story by adding her own little details and filling in the big gaps of the original story.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or anyone who needs a challenging but short read. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes thrilling and interesting stories.

[Benjamin Spradling · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book, "Assassin", Anna Myers does a good job of describing the main character's addiction to John Wilkes Booth. Anna Myers does a good job describing the life of the main character, Bella, and how she is obsessed with the history of John Wilkes Booth. I really enjoy the history of this book and how it goes into the small bits of history about John Wilkes Booth and how it led up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. I also enjoy how Anna Myers describes the life of Bella and how throughout her life she relates to John Wilkes Booth in ways and how she is fascinated with how John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. I did not enjoy the parts of the book that were describing what the people were doing or what they were that was off topic to the book or what was happening in that part. Those parts really did not either grab my attention or those parts were not interesting to me. I wish that Anna Myers would have been more specific in some parts of the book and I wish there was a bit more history behind the assassination. Overall, the book was an amazing read and was absolutely a great book to read with some history and some thrilling parts about the book. The people I would recommend to read this book are people who enjoy history, a thriller, and some mystery to it. This book was a really good find and I enjoyed the history and thrill of this book. There were some parts that I did not understand or did not find interesting, but overall this book was an absolute banger and I personally enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the book and Anna Myers did a great job writing this novel and she made it pretty enjoyable.

[Alyxandrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin is a historical retelling of a seamstress actress, a southerner-supporting actor, and president Abraham Lincoln's death. The story is told from the perspective of the man who murdered the president, actor Wilkes Booth, and a young girl whom he charmed into siding with him. When the story was told from Booth’s perspective it is told in a way that you can see how he starts to lose his sanity. The traits of a psychopath peeking through with his vanity, and how his loyalty to the south turns bitter. His heart shrinking three sizes too small and his willigniess to do anything to put his name in the books; “but if she were not sound until thirst killed her, it would not matter . . . not in history. And it was history I had to be concerned with” (179). I liked the theme of remorse for Arabella, and although Booth charms her into helping him at the beginning, by the end she wanted nothing to do with harming the president. She felt guilt for the little she contributed and went to confess to the authorities. I did not like, however, how in the book it said that his wanted price was $50,000 instead of the historically accurate $100,000. I recommend this book for those interested in fast-paced, history with themes of manipulation, insanity, and repentance. I give this book a 4 out of 5 rating, but the only reason I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 instead of a 5 out of 5 is that I don’t personally like the historical fiction genre.

[Summer DeSoto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2

Book review with your 3 paragraphs,
Assassin,is about a girl named Bella, Arabella, and Wilkes. They all live in Virginia. At that time there president was Abraham Lincoln,and Wilkes was a actor at that time to but not that famous. Then at some point Bella is thinking to assassin the president, so is Wilkes. Will they kill the president or don’t?
Bella is the character that I picked for for kinda the main character. She is a 14 year old girl and a decent height for her age. She loves her president and a famous actor named Wilkes. Then later in the book she has to make up here mind about, assassin the president with here favorite actor or keep her favorite president alive. She changes around the book when she makes a good decision and when she makes a bad decision, you will tell the difference.
Things that I did not like about the book is that when they tell their own stories they are all scattered out. They would tell their story then go to different one. And you would forget the last story because it changed and changed. I like the book because it is history kinda,and I really like history books. And was very specific about the one character.

[Jerni Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. It was a real page turner for me. As soon as my friend introduced it to me, I knew I had to read it. It is a really good book and I enjoyed every bit of it. I did not enjoy what a lot of the people did, but I enjoyed the book. It reminds me not to trust someone that I just met, and don’t do anything that ask me to do that I don’t want to do. It gives us readers a lesson and I enjoy that. Most books give you important lessons, but not everybody notices them. I enjoy this one so much. You have given me a really good page turner that a lot of people should read. This reminds a lot of people what is good and what’s wrong. We have to be careful with our decisions and this book reminds me that. Thank you for creating this book, and giving us a much needed and important lesson. I’m excited to read more of your books, and thank you for your time. I hope that you have a great day. 😊

[Andrea Elizarraraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Assassin by Anna Myers is about this one girl that lives with a family that sometimes call her a boy. the reason why i chose this book to review was because this girl has some things in common that boys have. And her family call her a boy sometimes.and she doesn't care cause she knows that she is a girl instead of a boy. i like this book because the girl in he story is comfortable in her skin and there are many other people that don't like there body or skin and her family sometimes say that she looks like a boy and she doesn't care cause she knows its not true. it is a dark story bjht it can be inspiring at the same time.

[Malak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kickstart to the book with no prior knowledge regarding its content left me curious to where it was headed as the pages turned. I like reading books from the point of view of children because the part in me wherein I lost any memory of how child me thought and operated can be refreshed.

‘Assassin’ is a great read for someone who is not acquainted with the part of history where US’ 16th president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The language is easy and the flow of events is clear. The details are majorly non-fictional— good for enlightenment.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin is a historical fiction book about what if John Wilkes Booth got help from inside the White House from a little girl named Arabella. I have not read many historical fiction books, but this was one that I enjoyed. One thing that was noteworthy was the interactions between John Wilkes Booth and Arabella. I would recommend this book to people because I thought it was interesting and a good historical fiction book.

[Ellis Imperi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this for history and it was as bad as I expected. I just didn’t like her writing style, and I know she was trying to capture and old English style but it was hard to get attached to. Also I didn’t find myself rooting for ANY of the characters. So that’s a bad sign. I would recommend this book to anyone but another history teacher that likes to only read nonfiction and has a weird obsession with this particular story.

[Jaden Desso]

Jaden Desso
11/30/17
701
The book I have read was titled, Assassin by Anna Myers, it is not part of a series.
assassins takes place in 1859 in Virginia. The book is about how a woman, named Bella, who had to struggle in life with people knowing she was related to John Wilkes Booth.
This book is one of the best books I have ever read because it is historical fiction about Abraham Lincoln and his killer John Wilkes Booth, I would rate this a 10 out of 10. If you like the Assassin, then you might like to try reading, Time of the Witches, also by Anna Myers.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this children's book about the assassination of Pres. Lincoln. I learned a lot about John Wilkes Booth, the Civil War, and the state of the country in the 1860's. The book is told from alternate points of view. One chapter by Wilkes, and the next by Arabella, a teenager who he flatters into helping him.

[Luna Hourani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Assasin by Anna Myers is a spectacular book! This book replicates what would have happened in the Civil War almost perfectly. It replicates what would have happened in John Booth's mind. This book is very descriptive and paints a very clear image in my mind. I also love how this book is told from two perspectives. This book is defiantly one of my favorite books.

[Judine Brey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that Bella is a flawed and conflicted heroine - it fits the Civil War era. While the book shows how Booth's charm and abilities could take people in, I felt the "facts" were occasionally blurry.

[Kacey McMillan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book. I got about half way through, then I decided I didn't really like it.

[ameya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! A quick, easy read that gave me a lot of insights about a topic I didn’t know all that much about. Definitely recommend.

[Leslie Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick easy read about a fictional engaging story surrounding the assassination of Lincoln

[Shelley H · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite YA books! Such a cool way to introduce reader's to opposing POV plus a way to talk about the assassination of Lincoln

[Alice Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good engaging historical fiction for younger audience, but some parts are kind of mature. Fascinating reading from the perspective of John Wilkes Booth.

[Cheyenne Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was something I read back in middle school and I enjoyed it a lot.