A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia

Philadelphia, 1778. The British occupy the city, and twelve-year-old Ruth Pernell faces a crisis more terrifying than any soldier's battle: her beloved dog, Hero, has vanished into the chaos of occupation. What begins as a child's desperate search becomes something unexpected when Ruth's determination leads her straight to General Howe himself, a twelve-year-old girl demanding answers from a British commander. Alongside her friend Winifred Merrill, Ruth navigates the blurred boundary between childhood games and genuine courage, listening carefully and using what they know to help the American cause in their own small way. Originally published in 1919, this century-old novel captures something rare: the Revolutionary War seen through a child's eyes, where loyalty to a dog becomes tangled with loyalty to a fledgling nation. Curtis writes with the warm simplicity of an earlier era, but Ruth's stubborn bravery feels strikingly modern. The historical details breathe, the friendship charms, and there's something quietly moving about watching a young girl refuse to be small in extraordinary times. For readers who love historical fiction with heart, or anyone who believes courage comes in unexpected sizes.