Her Majesty Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom
“. . . utterly charming! I was most interested in the history behind Sophia’s Gift.”

Sophia’s Gift is based upon the true story of Sophia Strauss and her mother, Jewish Confederates who ran a general store in Culpeper, Virginia, during the American Civil War. One day, a doll arrives in the store to sell. Sophia yearns for the doll but knows they can never afford her. She satisfies herself by naming the doll Grace Darling. Soon, Culpeper comes under attack; they take in a wounded soldier to nurse back to health. When the soldier is well enough to travel, he gives the doll to Sophia as a token of friendship. But their money troubles continue, and soon they’re faced again with the prospect of having to sell the doll. Sophia’s Gift is generosity and resilience in the face of hardship.

Historical Note at the back of the book contains additional facts about Grace Darling’s German manufacturing in the 1850s, the amazing life of the Victorian British icon Grace Horsley Darling, the tribulations of Sophia’s family, and how Grace Darling came to reside at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia.

Sophia’s Gift is for children ages 8 and up, Junior Collectors ages 8 to 17, parents, grandparents, teachers, humanities scholars, museums and historic sites, devotees of children’s literature, and adults who are enthusiastic about doll collecting, Civil War, Jewish life, women’s studies, history, military, antiques, and more.