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Summary
Summary
At the brink of the American Revolution, Prudence Emerson finds her friends and neighbors turning against her and her family, who remain loyal to the British King.
The drama of the American Revolution is brought to life through the eyes of a Prudence Emerson, who tells the story from the rarely heard perspective of a Tory. In the winter of 1775, as Pru's neighbors prepare to fight the British for independence, Pru is torn between her family's sworn allegiance to the King, and her loneliness for the friends who abandon her for the Patriot cause. When the first battle at Bunker Hill explodes, Pru must find the courage to weather the turbulent times. Ann Turner captures the the other side of America's fight for freedom with realism and sensitivity.
Author Notes
Ann Warren Turner was born in December 1945. She is an American poet and children's author. Her poetry works include Tickle a Pickle, Street Talk, Mississippi Mud, and Learning to Swim: a Memoir. Her picture books include Dakota Dugout, When Mr. Jefferson Came to Philadelphia: What I Learned of Freedom, Pumpkin Cat, and Sitting Bull Remembers. her novels include: A Hunter Comes Home, Rosemary's Witch, and Hard Hit. She has also won first prize in 1967 from The Atlantic Monthly college creative writing contest and first prize in 1991 from the National Council for the Social Studies for Through the Stars ansd Night Skies.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Prudence Emerson and her family live in Massachusetts in 1774 and are loyal to the English king. Many villagers are Patriots and as they grow weary of the oppressive laws, they begin to turn on their Tory neighbors. Prudence's former friends won't speak to her, someone throws a rock through a window in her house, and Patriots refuse to do business with her father. As the town's dark mood escalates, the Emersons flee to Boston to stay with relatives under the protection of British troops. The author does an outstanding job of showing how Tories became embroiled with their neighbors in a sort of civil war. Prudence is a typical teenager, but she is also loyal to her family's views and frightened by the hostile attitude of her former friends. Details of Colonial life are intricately interwoven, from Prudence's difficulty in obtaining ink to write in her diary to her mother's use of herbs in her midwifery practice. The action and suspense build steadily and will keep readers hooked. A compelling portrait of a "dissenting" voice.-Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Set in western Massachusetts in 1774, this story in diary form chronicles the persecution of British Loyalists. Level-headed and compassionate thirteen-year-old Prudence recounts the hardships Tories face. Subplots, such as Prudence apprenticing her midwife mother, donÆt have a chance to flourish, but readers will still enjoy the story and its details of daily life. A historical note and illustrations are appended. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. In their small eighteenth-century Massachusetts town, Prudence and her family become increasingly isolated as more and more neighbors support the Patriot cause. Prudence is a spirited narrator, and this new Dear America book brings readers up close to the everyday lives of children and families on the eve of and during the Revolutionary War. Political differences cause a rift in Pru's close friendship with Abigail Owens, and her father's business suffers when Patriots no longer trade with his store. Should her mother, a midwife, refuse to service Patriot families? Moving to Boston to live with relatives and associate with more Tories doesn't help much, as war fever is in the air there, too. Prudence is described as a redhead in the diary, though the front cover seems to show her as a brunette. That aside, Turner tells a solid tale about interesting characters, providing an engaging explanation of historical events as the story evolves. --Anne O'Malley Copyright 2003 Booklist