This colorfully illustrated paperback from the American Adventures series presents stories in which children make contributions to American wars. Each selection is based on a picture book by the same name from the publisher’s Tales of Young Americans series. Noble’s “The Scarlet Stockings Spy” concerns Maddy Rose, a Philadelphia girl whose clothesline code informs her brother (a spy in Washington’s nearby army) about British ships in the harbor. In Papp’s “The Town That Fooled the British,” young Henry’s idea saves his Maryland town during the War of 1812. “The Last Brother,” a Civil War tale by Noble, tells of an 11-year-old bugler at the Battle of Gettysburg. Sometimes dramatic and occasionally poignant, the stories are always accessible. The illustrations use light and color dramatically while sometimes depicting faces with near-photographic realism. The title and cover art will help this short story collection find its audience. A second volume in the series, Westward Journeys, was published simultaneously.