The Blue Door

If the first two entries in this trilogy are any indication, one expects a brilliant third entry. If you expected brilliancy, then you will be pleasantly surprised. The series continues when Abigail's, a daughter who has been long estranged from her wealthy mill owning father, son is having monetary problems. He lives in the south, a land of slavery, and his plantation is going bankrupt as no one wants to buy his west isle cotton. So, in an effort to generate income, he sends his "most sensible child" Amanda north to try to beg his grandfather to buy the cotton for his mill. With her she brings a bible, with an ancient family letter and a quilt pice that will identify her as Abagail's grand daughter.Along her journey north by steamboat she befriends two lovable sisters, one of whom is fleeing her abusive husband Nicolas. Nicolas is a dangerous man, and ion an effort to catch the girls he poses as a mechanic and in doing so causes an explosion, killing many. Prior to the accicent Amanda donned one of the sister's clothing to keep the girl hidden, and the bodies are recognized by clothing so Amanda is presumed dead. In the explosion Nicolas finds the quilt piece, and will use it to pretend to be the grandchild. Amanda, meanwhile, for protection and to try to convince her grandfather of her true identity, begins to work in a mill. Here she finds horrible conditions, worse than the slavery in the south. she had to choose whether to fight againsyt her family for mill-girl rights or try to sell them the cotton, that will allow them to continue to exploit the girls. Intriguin story with enough complexities to be intresting, but it's still easily understandable.

After I finished Broken Days, I didn't think anything could be as good. Boy, was I wrong! The Blue Door was terrific! It was a terrific end to a terrific trilogy. But now I'm a little disappointed that I won't be reading anymore about the Chelmsford family!

When Amanda Videau is sent North to Lowell by her grandmother Abigal who is Nathenial Chelsmford's long, lost daughter she has many great adventures. I think this book really shows how talented Ann Rinaldi is and how she puts history in her books. The other books in the trilogy were good, but this was the best. It is a very good ending to the trilogy, but I think it would be neat if Ann Rinaldi wrote some more books to go to the trilogy.

Amanda Videau, the granddaughter of Abigail Chelmsford, who, in A Stitch in Time ran off to marry a Southerner, is sent up north to try to convince her great grandfather to buy Yamasse cotton.The Steamboat she is on explodes, killing most of the passengers. She assumes a fake identity to escape the killer, and trys to convincwe her great grandfather of her true identity.

THE BLUE DOOR was my favorite book in The Quilt Trilogy by Ann Rinaldi. In it, 14 year old Amanda, who is from a Southern plantation, is sent North to Lowell, Massachusetts, by her grandmother Abigail, to make peace with the father Abigail left to marry a Southerner. Only the steamboat Amanda is on explodes. Everyone thinks Amanda is dead. She must pretend she is a worker in her own great grandfather's mill until she can prove who she is. But will she be able to?