Reviews

The Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline B. Cooney

gillibluejay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

poppma's review against another edition

3.0

I grew up around Old Deerfield and spent many agonizingly long school field trips there. I say agonizing because I did not understand the history and had too short of an attention span to listen to it. This book and other articles helped me understand what happened at Old Deerfield on that cold winter night. Now as I drive by or look down on it from Mt. Sugarloaf I see it very differently.

maryannmc's review against another edition

5.0

Loved this book, brilliant. The topic really interests me. I listened to the audiobook.

butterflyphantasy's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

beerandskittles's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

kirstenrose22's review against another edition

4.0

This is part of the summer reading list for the middle school here, so I've wanted to read it for a while. And I really enjoyed it (I have a soft spot for settlers on the frontier). I particularly liked how complex the questions of identity were inthis book. Very well done, and fascinating.

claudiamccarron's review against another edition

5.0

Every time I read this, something new pops out at me. This time it was Mercy: What a gutsy, courageous character she is, and her huge capacity for forgiveness and survival. I felt how conflicted she was, and the pain her choices caused her. So good.

shelznh's review against another edition

5.0

Great read. Doesn't take sides. It doesn't paint the Mohawk as justified and the whites as evil as is so often the case. Shows the good, bad and ridiculous of both groups of human beings. And the inner turmoil felt by Mercy and the other captives as they tried to reconcile their new way of life with their deeply rooted customs of before.

diamontique's review against another edition

5.0

The Ransom of Mercy Carter is a pretty good book, and it is just as good as I last read it (I last read this book about two years ago.). The book starts out in Deerfield,Massachusetts, in 1704. Mercy and her family have gotten to bed, and for some reason Mercy just can't sleep. Then, in a matter of minutes, there is an Indian raid on the town. About 109 people were taken captive, and are forced to march on a long trek to Canada. During the march, Mercy learns more about the Indians, and the fact that she may be adopted by the Indians is always a possibility is on her mind. She gets used to living with the Indians, and when ransom comes for her to go back to Massachusetts, she chooses not to go.

A subplot of the story is the relationship between Eben Nims and Sarah Hoyt. Of course, they fall in love and get married and live happily ever after, but of course I wan to know more! Hopefully Mrs. Cooney will write a spin-off about these two. ;)

All in all, this was a pretty awesome book. Maybe this is a subconscious reason why I'm so interested in history. At any rate, I highly recommend this book who likes some good YA historical fiction. And this book is a pretty light read (only took me about 3 hours at most to read), so if you don't like long books this fine.

rossakamcfreakyd's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoy historical fiction about kids who were taken from the frontier and esentially adopted into Native American tribes. This story was impressive because not only did the French and Indians take a large number of captives, they marched them 300 miles through the wilderness into Canada. I think this book would be good for both middle and upper grade readers who are interested in history and/or Native Americans.