Friends of Liberty by Bernice Gormley

It is 1773 and tensions are heating up in Boston between the Tories, those loyal to the king and the Whigs, those who want American independence.   The East India Company was given exclusive rights by the British Parliament to sell tea to the colonists.  Though tea would be cheaper, the colonists were expected to pay the import tax on it.  But the colonist had no representation in Parliament and objected to being forced to pay the duty on tea.  The Sons of Liberty, a secret group consisting of shopkeepers artisans and tradesman who met at Boston's Liberty Tree, were vehemently against the tea tax.

Into all this, an unlikely friendship forms between 12 year old Sally Gifford, daughter of a shoemaker whose sympathies are with the Whigs, and Kitty Lawton, daughter of a wealthy merchant and a Tory.  To seal their friendship and become "sisters at heart" the girls exchange important token that remind them of their deceased mothers.  For Sally, this is a silver heart-shaped brooch studded with pearls; for Kitty, it is a gold mourning ring that holds a piece of the mother's hair.

Although Sally has a lot of chores to do at home, she still finds time to spend with Kitty, and begins to like the fancy privileged lifestyle she discovers in the Lawton home.  But one day, when Kitty's brother James comes home with tar on his clothing and a blistering burn on his neck, Sally is afraid that her cousin and her father's apprentice Ethan may have been involved in the incident.  After all, Ethan is involved with the Sons of Liberty and makes no secret of his contempt for the Lawtons and Sally's pretentious friendship with Kitty.

Now, as the ships from England bearing the taxable tea get closer and closer, tensions begin to climb all over Boston.  Sally, still dazzled by the Lawton's wealth and Kitty's subtle pressure to ensure her loyalty to their friendship, seems to be turning her back on her own family.  But when Ethan is captured by British soldiers one night during a raid on the Lawton's warehouse, Sally realizes that it was her fault he was caught.  But can she do anything about it, even with the help of Kitty's clever, scientifically-minded brother James' help?

Friends of Liberty takes the reader right to the Boston Tea Party, but does not include it.  The focus is really on the friendship between the two girls and how easily one can lose sight of what and who is important when blinded by the materialist luxurious life of others.  It is told from Sally's point of view in the third person and includes lots of descriptions about what the life of a young daughter of a well-respected, shoemaker might have been like.  

As a historical novel, there is lots of information about the political unrest in Boston, though I think it presupposes some knowledge of the time period.  I believe that Friends of Liberty would, however, be a good companion book to read while studying the events leading up the the American Revolution.  

I did have a problem with the friendship between Sally and Kitty.  Surely in all of Boston there were young girls in the same class as Kitty Lawton, that she wouldn't have to resort of a friendship with a shoemaker's daughter.  Class and political persuasion were important separators for the colonists and the King's merchant's.  Still, it does serve as a good example of a girl caught up in conflicting loyalties  and learning to be true to yourself, issues most kids must deal with at some point in their adolescence, even today.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from a friend

Author Beatrice Gormley has an interesting, informative essay about life in Boston in 1773 over at EerdWord

This is book 4 of my 2013 American Revolution Reading Challenge hosted by War Through The Generations

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I bought Chains ages ago, but never got around to reading it.  It was actually the book that motivated me to participate in the 2013 American Revolution Reading Challenge over at War Through the Generations.  And yet, it still sat on the shelf.  So naturally, when Anna and Serena, the hosts of War Through the Generations, announced that there was going to be a Chains read-along, I jumped at the chance to sign up.  AND I AM SO GLAD I DID!  But now that I have read the book, I can't understand what took me so long.

Chains is the story of a young slave girl who yearns for freedom.  Isabel, 13, and her younger sister Ruth are quickly sold by a greedy nephew for the money they will bring after their somewhat benevolent owner, Miss Fitch, passes away.  But Miss Fitch had promised them freedom after her death and Isabel can't get that promise out of her head.

Now, as the American Revolution begins, the sisters find themselves in a Loyalist household in New York City at the mercy of a cruel mistress, Mrs. Lockton.  The Locktons, who know their bread is buttered on the side of the Loyalist and King George III, despise the Patriots who want independence from and everything they stand for.

It isn't long before Isabel meets Curzon, a slave working for the Patriots, and known for the red tricorn hat he is always seen wearing.  Curzon convinces Isabel to spy on Mr. Lockton, and report anything she hears that might be useful to the Patriots.  Isabel isn't very enthusiastic about doing this, but when she is given the devastating news that Mrs. Lockton has sold Ruth, she changes her mind.  It had just been discovered that Ruth suffers from seizures and the very ignorant, superstitious Mrs. Lockton believes that they are a sign that the devil is in Ruth.

Curson proves to be a good friend to Isabel, although she has very mixed feelings about him, the war between the Patriots and the Loyalists and which side would be most beneficial to her in terms of getting her freedom.

As the war heats up, so does Isabel's determination to find her sister and, as she is told by an elderly slave known as Grandfather, to find the way to cross her own River Jordan* to freedom.

Chains is written in the first person, so we always know exactly what is going on in Isabel's mind, how she perceives everything around her and, most poignantly, how she feels about the things that happen to her.  But by spying on Mr. Lockton and his friends, we are also given a certain amount of insight into the Loyalist side of things.

Isabel is a very strong willed girl and Mrs. Lockton knows it and is determined to break that will and so she is constantly trying to tighten the chains of slavery that bind Isabel.  Yet, it takes a while for the realization that Mrs. Lockton cannot chain her soul to really sink in to Isabel's consciousness, even though all her actions had always already proven it to be true.  Her strength in the face of Mrs. Lockton, her wavering between the Patriots and the Loyalists, her determination and her innate sense of kindness despite everything all make Isabel such an exemplary protagonist.

In fact, Anderson has created a whole cast of characters in Chains who play their parts to perfection.  Set against the backdrop of New York City,  Anderson has written a brilliantly crafted novel in which the fictional walk through the historical and it is spot on.  Anderson has even turned New York into a character in its own right, by staying true to the history of the time (NB: I used to teach New York history to my 4th graders and it was my favorite thing to teach).

One of the things I really liked about Chains were the quotes used at the beginning of each chapter.  These quotes are from actual sources of the time that help situate the reader and gives the novel a real feeling of authenticity.

I don't think I could possibly recommend this book highly enough.

This book is recommended for readers aged 14+
This book was purchased for my personal library

Laurie Halse Anderson has excellent teaching resources for Chains, including a section on how to put on a colonial tea (with some really good recipes).  You can find it HERE

This is book 3 of my 2013 American Revolution Reading Challenge hosted by War Through the Generations

This is book 10 of my 2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Historical Tapestry

*I was talking to a friend about Chains and she said she didn't get the River Jordan reference, which is a reference to the God's command that after the death of Moses, Joshua would lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land by crossing the River Jordan.

Movie Matinee #3: Felicity, an American Girl 1775

This review contains spoilers

It is spring 1775 in the British colony of Williamsburg, Virginia and it is also Felicity Merriman's 10th birthday.  Not your average girl of the time, Felicity loves horses and would rather ride her horse through the fields and pastures of Williamsburg than help out at home.

But her mother is determined that Felicity learn how to be a proper gentlewoman and signs her up for classes that will give her the skills she will need.  There, she meet Elizabeth Cole and her snooty older sister Annabelle.  Felicity and Elizabeth become immediate friends, though Annabell looks down on the Merrimans because Felicity's father is a merchant, not a gentleman.

Of course, gentlewoman lessons involve learning how to make and serve tea properly, but tea has already become a point of conflict between the loyalists, those who are loyal to the crown, and the patriots, who want independence from Britain because of the high tax on tea without any representation in Parliament.  The Merrimans, including their 15 year old apprentice Ben, are patriots while the Coles and Felicity's grandfather are loyalists.

Felicity has also fallen in love with a spirited mare she names Penny.  Penny is being abused by her owner, Jiggy Nye, who is trying to tame her.  Felicity is convinced she can tame Penny and begins to sneak out at night to try.  And she eventually succeeds.  But when she hears Jiggy Nye yell in a fit of anger that anyone who came ride his horse, is welcome to her, Felicity takes him at his word.  Accused of horse theft, Felicity must later return Penny to Jiggy Nye.  That night, Felicity again sneaks out and frees Penny.

Meanwhile, apprentice Bee has gone missing.  But summer has come and the Merrimans are off to visit grandfather, who surprises Felicity when he gives her Penny.  One day, Felicity overhears bounty hunters looking for Ben, who they say ran away to join General Washington's troops.  She takes Penny and find the injured Ben, convincing him to come to her grandfather's and to ask for her father's forgiveness.

Returning to Williamsburg, Felicity learns that the father of her friend Elizabeth has been imprisoned for being a loyalist.  Felicity's father sees no reason for his arrest and promises to try to get him out of prison.  While visiting him, Felicity also sees Jiggy Nye in the same cell.  Feeling pity for him, she brings him a blanket and some food.

Over the course of not quit a year, Felicity grows from a self-centered, impulsive girl who wants nothing more than to be independent to a thoughtful girl who cares about others, but there is still much in store for her.  Both her mother and Penny have pregnancies that result in life-threatening births.  Felicity manages to take care of the house and family maturely, efficiently and responsibly while her mother's life hangs in the balance.  And when Penny's foal is a breech birth, Felicity has the wisdom to turn to the one person who can help her - Jiggy Nye.

There are lots of historical elements in Felicity besides being an engaging coming of age story.  The two sides, patriot and loyalist, are explained clearly in the context of the story so that young viewers will have no trouble understanding the events that led to the American Revolution.  And in keeping with the themes of freedom, independence, and responsibility, the practice of apprenticeship is also clearly presented.  Apprenticeship was a legal contract to learn how to do something, and when Ben ran away, regardless of his ideological reasons, he broke the law by reneging on this contract.  The grandfather's reaction when Ben returns, that he should be imprisoned, give a good idea of how serious an apprenticeship was.

Felicity is an excellent movie, that may appeal to boys as well as girls.  It certainly was a hit over and over in my house whenever my niece L'naya visited.  We spent a lot of time drinking tea and talking about loyalists and patriots.  And in case Felicity looks familiar to you, it is because she is played by a 13 year old Shailene Woodley, whose acting career has really taken off in the last few years.

Shailene Woodley

This movie is recommended for viewers age 7+

This movie was purchased for L'naya by me.

Although the American Girl Felicity doll was retired a few years ago, you can still access lots of fun stuff and information about Felicity's world and the movie at the following web addresses:

Felicity's World

Felicity Learning Guide

This is part of my 2013 American Revolution Reading Challenge hosted by War Through the Generations

Happy Independence Day!

Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution by Avi

Avi has always been a favorite in our house and his latest book, Sophia's War, is another addition to his oeuvre of historical fiction that doesn't fail to satisfy.  This time Avi takes the reader back to the American Revolution.

For 12 year old Sophia Calderwood, the revolutionary war is personal.  Forced to flee with her mother and father when the British attack and seize lower Manhattan, on her return, Sophia and her mother witness, first, the hanging of Nathan Hale by the British for being a spy and second, the burnt remains of part of their lower New York settlement.  Fortunately, the Calderwood house, though ransacked, is still standing.

Sophia's father had thought it wise to remain at a friend's house in northern Manhattan, but he soon shows up at home with a gunshot in him arm.  It is decided that he will remain sequestered at home for now, since he is a known patriot and needs to recover.  As for Sophia's brother William, a soldier fighting under General Washington, there has been no news of him for a while.

On top of all this, with the British now in charge, the Calderwoods are forced to billet a soldier.  Lieutenant John André, handsome, cultured and kind, arrives at their door and Sophia is immediately taken in by his attention and many charms.

"In short, having never met so well bred and civilized a man as John André, I was greatly flattered by the attention.  Indeed, I was nothing less than enthralled." (pg 56)

When Sophia lets slip to John André the her brother is a patriot, he lets her know that he will keep the information to himself, and that he will do whatever he can to help her family.  So naturally, when Sophia discovers her brother seriously ill and starving in one of the British prisons known for their deplorable conditions,  she is sure John André will help him.

The news that John André has been ordered to go to Staten Island immediately, prompts the Calderwoods to ask if he will help William.  When Sophia confronts him about this, he tells her he cannot do anything, that his honor as a British officer is the most important thing in the world to him.  But when Sophia reminds him that he had promised that, if needed, he would anything he could for her, he responds that a promise to a 12 year old is not like a pledge to a lady, and that she is not yet a lady.

Shaken to her core by this, Sophia vows to save William.

Fast forward to 1780, the war is still being fought.  Sophia is now 15, working in a print shop to help her family out.  There, because she can read, she is recruited as a spy for the Americans.  Placed in the home of British General Clinton as a housemaid, she is asked to report any information she finds.  But just as she discovers a plot of treasonous proportions involving an American general and her old friends John André, the person she reports to has disappeared for safety reasons.

What to do with all this information?  Here is Sophia's opportunity to get revenge on John André for failing to help William by exposing the plot she has uncovered.  Can a young 15 year old succeed against all odds and possibly change the tide of the war?

Sophia's War was an exciting book to read.  Avi has taken a real event of the American Revolution that has many aspects to it that have never been explained and offers a cogent explanation.  And why not?  This is what historical fiction is all about.  All the places and events, as well as most of the characters in Sophia's War are real and you will probably recognize them from history lessons.  It is told in the voice of  self-conscious narrator Sophia, who directly addresses her readers in several places, making it sound plausible, while at the same time reminding us she is a fiction.

I thought this was one of Avi's best novels and I have loved all of them.  My one reservation about Sophia's War was the revenge aspect of her motivation.  But, of course, in the end, there is much to learn from Sophia's motivations.  Do read this novel is you enjoy good historical fiction.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from Webster Branch of the NYPL

Simon & Schuster offer a reading guide for Sophia's War including Common Core Standards here.

This is book 1 of my 2013 American Revolution Reading Challenge hosted by War Through the Generations.
This is book 3 of my 2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Historical Tapestry