Youth Literature scholars, notably Professor Emeritus Kay E. Vandergrift, Rutgers, Department of Library and Information Science, have contested the claim that the story is factual, referring to it as "historical fiction for children".
Experts in Youth Literature, like Professor Emeritus Kay E. Vandergrift from Rutgers, Department of Library and Information Science, contest that the story is based on real events, instead labeling it as "historical fiction designed for children's enjoyment."