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elmeeks's review against another edition
3.0
***
This historical fiction novel makes the reader think about assimilation and family. Set in 1704 and based on true events this novel begins with the kidnapping of many of the residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts by a group of Native Americans who were aided by the French. Among those taken and not killed is Mercy Carter, an eleven year old girl. The story follows Mercy as she hike with her captors to Canada. Along the way Mercy is left to deal with her thoughts. Will she be ransomed? Will she ever get to see her family again? Or will she assimilate into the Native American culture and begin a new life.
Themes: family, survival, identity, culture, religion
Characters:
Mercy is an eleven year old girl who is taken by Native Americans. She is courageous and brave as she treks across the country in the cold.
John, Sam, Benny- These are Mercy’s brothers. The children are all kidnapped but are separated from each other on the trek to Canada.
Ruth is among the kidnapped children. She is very strong-willed and refuses to give in and conform to Native American ways.
Tannhahorens is Mercy's Indian Master. He and his wife consider Mercy their daughter.
Interesting information: There is an author’s note in the back of the book which tells you what happened to the real people this story is based on.
This historical fiction novel makes the reader think about assimilation and family. Set in 1704 and based on true events this novel begins with the kidnapping of many of the residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts by a group of Native Americans who were aided by the French. Among those taken and not killed is Mercy Carter, an eleven year old girl. The story follows Mercy as she hike with her captors to Canada. Along the way Mercy is left to deal with her thoughts. Will she be ransomed? Will she ever get to see her family again? Or will she assimilate into the Native American culture and begin a new life.
Themes: family, survival, identity, culture, religion
Characters:
Mercy is an eleven year old girl who is taken by Native Americans. She is courageous and brave as she treks across the country in the cold.
John, Sam, Benny- These are Mercy’s brothers. The children are all kidnapped but are separated from each other on the trek to Canada.
Ruth is among the kidnapped children. She is very strong-willed and refuses to give in and conform to Native American ways.
Tannhahorens is Mercy's Indian Master. He and his wife consider Mercy their daughter.
Interesting information: There is an author’s note in the back of the book which tells you what happened to the real people this story is based on.
nataliehong08's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tjlcody's review against another edition
3.0
This was definitely an interesting read.
Years ago I read the Dear America book that covered this topic (Standing in the Light), and so I already knew the general topic and direction the book was going in- namely, that the captive children would be assimilated into the tribe's culture and society and would not come home.
I will say, though, that if you have read that book and are coming to this one- this book is a much more mature take on the subject of captive children being assimilated into Native culture during the 18th century. With the Dear America counterpart, it was much more obvious as to why Catherine (the main character) is enjoying life with the Native Americans, and why their lifestyle and culture would have appealed towards Quaker/Puritan children (Catherine was Quaker, Mercy is Puritan).
This book goes a lot more deeply into the moral ambiguity and gray area surrounding the children's assimilation: and I don't know if that was the author's intention, or if it was just a byproduct of the fact that she based this off of actual historical events.
People are killed in this book. Parents, children, babies. At one point. In many ways, this book does a really good job of making you question why the children would make the decision to stay with people who literally murdered members of their families and communities, whilst still understanding why Mercy is finding herself at home with the Native family she comes to live with. While it's easy to understand why Mercy is adapting the way she is, the situation still has a sort of Stockholm Syndrome-y feel about it.
The thing I think I have to give the author kudos for is that she wrote a book that paints a much more nuanced, realistic, and (frankly) darker picture of a subject that, in my experience between reading on the subject and having learned about it in school, tends to get boiled down to "children taken by Native Americans during these raids often didn't want to come home because they liked it better there than back at their stuffy old Puritan homes".
Years ago I read the Dear America book that covered this topic (Standing in the Light), and so I already knew the general topic and direction the book was going in- namely, that the captive children would be assimilated into the tribe's culture and society and would not come home.
I will say, though, that if you have read that book and are coming to this one- this book is a much more mature take on the subject of captive children being assimilated into Native culture during the 18th century. With the Dear America counterpart, it was much more obvious as to why Catherine (the main character) is enjoying life with the Native Americans, and why their lifestyle and culture would have appealed towards Quaker/Puritan children (Catherine was Quaker, Mercy is Puritan).
This book goes a lot more deeply into the moral ambiguity and gray area surrounding the children's assimilation: and I don't know if that was the author's intention, or if it was just a byproduct of the fact that she based this off of actual historical events.
People are killed in this book. Parents, children, babies. At one point
Spoiler
Mercy's little sister is killed by the Native walking with them on the way to Canada because she was crying and fussing too muchThe thing I think I have to give the author kudos for is that she wrote a book that paints a much more nuanced, realistic, and (frankly) darker picture of a subject that, in my experience between reading on the subject and having learned about it in school, tends to get boiled down to "children taken by Native Americans during these raids often didn't want to come home because they liked it better there than back at their stuffy old Puritan homes".
femaletrouble401's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Not a bad read. It's a good historical fiction book for middle grade readers. Plot took a while to progress. The author spends a solid 40-50% of the book with them on the road back from Deerfield. Nothing particularly good or thought provoking however.
rae_girl's review against another edition
5.0
Excellently well written, captivating story and relatable characters.
lilahs_literacy_corner's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-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? Yes
4.0
evamadera1's review against another edition
3.0
A review from my old blog...
I found this book intriguing but at the same time came away from the book a bit dissatisfied.
I'll discuss some of the negatives first. I don't think that this book is appropriate for most children at the middle school level. There is nothing inappropriate or gratuitous in the book but Cooney describes with a coolness almost the dispatching of various prisoners on the march. Of course I realize that such actions actually occurred on that march/capture. I don't want students to be unaware of what happened but I think that some aspects of history should be discussed at later ages.
Now for the positives. Cooney deals with a lot of serious issues with admirable ease. In Mercy Carter she creates a believable and likeable character that struggles with very real issues.
The book is an excellent book, a pretty good read.
I found this book intriguing but at the same time came away from the book a bit dissatisfied.
I'll discuss some of the negatives first. I don't think that this book is appropriate for most children at the middle school level. There is nothing inappropriate or gratuitous in the book but Cooney describes with a coolness almost the dispatching of various prisoners on the march. Of course I realize that such actions actually occurred on that march/capture. I don't want students to be unaware of what happened but I think that some aspects of history should be discussed at later ages.
Now for the positives. Cooney deals with a lot of serious issues with admirable ease. In Mercy Carter she creates a believable and likeable character that struggles with very real issues.
The book is an excellent book, a pretty good read.
cassiopeia1280's review against another edition
5.0
I remember reading this as a teen and when I saw it at a library book sale I grabbed it out of nostalgia, though I didn't really remember it. Once I started reading, I was surprised at the amount of violence and murder in the first two chapters, especially in a book meant for kids. It was an excellent read, though, very engaging, and I was surprised again at the end to learn how much of it was true and the actual fates of the children involved. All in all, I thought it was an excellent story.
mara_jade510's review
5.0
Caroline B. Cooney is an excellent writer. I can't recall much of this book off the top of my head because I read it at least seven years ago, but it was very good.
midknytowl's review
3.0
2.5 stars
I really enjoyed Caroline B. Cooney books when I was a kid, especially [b:Flight #116 Is Down!|93773|Flight #116 Is Down!|Caroline B. Cooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360058105s/93773.jpg|1441801] and [b:Emergency Room|93769|Emergency Room|Caroline B. Cooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1323677632s/93769.jpg|1441781]. If I had read this book then, it would probably be a 4-5 stars. It's a good story and I'm a sucker for that narrative. (Hence why [b:I Am Regina|59569|I Am Regina|Sally M. Keehn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389134756s/59569.jpg|1914200] is rated so high for me - read it in 6th grade and that nostalgia bonus is a killer.)
This book starts off a bit slow and awkward, which is why it got dinged to 2.5 stars. Towards the end it became more gripping, and I enjoyed reading the internal conflict of the characters. I didn't know it was a fictionalized account with a true historic background, so that was fun to read a bit more about in the end.
I think this would be a great read for the intended age group, and a decent quick read for us older folks.
I really enjoyed Caroline B. Cooney books when I was a kid, especially [b:Flight #116 Is Down!|93773|Flight #116 Is Down!|Caroline B. Cooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360058105s/93773.jpg|1441801] and [b:Emergency Room|93769|Emergency Room|Caroline B. Cooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1323677632s/93769.jpg|1441781]. If I had read this book then, it would probably be a 4-5 stars. It's a good story and I'm a sucker for that narrative. (Hence why [b:I Am Regina|59569|I Am Regina|Sally M. Keehn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389134756s/59569.jpg|1914200] is rated so high for me - read it in 6th grade and that nostalgia bonus is a killer.)
This book starts off a bit slow and awkward, which is why it got dinged to 2.5 stars. Towards the end it became more gripping, and I enjoyed reading the internal conflict of the characters. I didn't know it was a fictionalized account with a true historic background, so that was fun to read a bit more about in the end.
I think this would be a great read for the intended age group, and a decent quick read for us older folks.