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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This is a really great look at the Pilgrims travels to America and the founding of the Plimouth settlement as seen through the eyes of a twelve year old girl. The author has done a good job of sharing the historical facts, and happenings in a way that makes the pilgrim's new life an aproachable and interesting thing to learn more about.
See where this book goes next, at: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5623316
See where this book goes next, at: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5623316
A good start to the series (at least in chronological order, if not published order). I did enjoy her journal, though it felt like most of the action happened elsewhere since she was sheltered from much of it.
I'm rereading one of my favorite series from childhood. This is the diary of Remember Patience Whipple, a pilgrim girl on the Mayflower. Because they were such a small group, most characters other than the Whipple family were real people. Her diary documents various events through at least the first winter at Plymouth.
While Lasky did a pretty good job, I feel like there were a lot of people mentioned and dropped. The Priscilla Mullins/John Alden relationship was brought up a few times and suddenly dropped without even adding that they were married in the epilogue, for example. The other book in this series I read recently/as an adult, written by a different author (I Walk in Dread--set during the Salem Witch Trials), was better about this from what I recall.
While Lasky did a pretty good job, I feel like there were a lot of people mentioned and dropped. The Priscilla Mullins/John Alden relationship was brought up a few times and suddenly dropped without even adding that they were married in the epilogue, for example. The other book in this series I read recently/as an adult, written by a different author (I Walk in Dread--set during the Salem Witch Trials), was better about this from what I recall.
slow-paced
2.3-2.5 stars for a Journey to the New World, in reality.
Thoughts and Plot
Let me just say that I left my star score at 2 because in reality, this book was completely put-downable. In fact I did, many times.
Then let me pose the question, is there a small list of names authors have to choose from in order to have it qualify as a Dear America? Maybe it's because I'm binge reading these, but I have notice a quite a few of girls in these books (not all main characters, but they're there!) with the names Remember (or Remembrance) and Patience.
Anyhow, this book starts with Remember Patience Whipple (there's a joke in there) starting her diary as they cross the Atlantic ocean on the Mayflower. Mem has a case of the quissies for most of her trip across the ocean. Somehow, she also know how far they have gone. Maybe that was the charting the course by stars thing, but it annoyed me a little bit because how would she know? It's 1620 and she's a girl!!! Anyway, I found the ocean voyage to be a little boring.
Once they hit land the men go off exploring and the women and children are left on the boat. This happens for quite a few entries. Eventually she takes to just writing how bored she is. Okay, fair enough. Once they are off the boat the women take to washing clothing while the kids run around for a bit before settling down enough to lend a hand. There's the hasty building of a common building and then of little huts for families. These things seem to almost appear out of thin air, but maybe it's because there are few entries actually describing the building process. Then people start getting ill and dying. But Mem doesn't seem to be too upset by any of it. At one point she actually just lists people off.
I couldn't believe how many times a new buildings caught fire. Or that her friend's family could just find passage back to Europe. I always assumed they would have to pay and considering how poorly the community was doing, I don't know how they would be able to do so.
It's nice to see that the Indigenous people are portrayed as they really were when settlers first started going to the "New World," kind, generous and understanding. They wanted to help the settlers survive and shared freely as they were taught to do. To them, everyone owned the land and it was to be shared.
By the end of her diary about half the people who came to settle the "New World" were dead, listed off in her journal were the ones she took notice of. There was a lot of sickness and death despite being in a warmer region of the East coast. The author, however, really down plays the deaths and the sickness is usually described as just that, so-and-so is sick. There are mentions of people coughing blood, but no descriptions.
In Conclusion
This book was okay. Not a game changer by any means. It covers the journey over, the long wait on the boat, glosses over the set up of the community and the clearing of land and the seeding of crops briefly, talks a bit of the indigenous people and their kindness, and of early Thanksgiving celebrations held (cut short by the narrator getting sick and missing a few weeks). I personally didn't feel a connection with Remember, but if you view other people's post you will find that they did so it might just be a personal thing.
Age Range: mid-middle school and up
Content: has a bit of a religious spin on it at the start, lots of people dying, lots of sickness but none in great detail.
Thoughts and Plot
Let me just say that I left my star score at 2 because in reality, this book was completely put-downable. In fact I did, many times.
Then let me pose the question, is there a small list of names authors have to choose from in order to have it qualify as a Dear America? Maybe it's because I'm binge reading these, but I have notice a quite a few of girls in these books (not all main characters, but they're there!) with the names Remember (or Remembrance) and Patience.
Anyhow, this book starts with Remember Patience Whipple (there's a joke in there) starting her diary as they cross the Atlantic ocean on the Mayflower. Mem has a case of the quissies for most of her trip across the ocean. Somehow, she also know how far they have gone. Maybe that was the charting the course by stars thing, but it annoyed me a little bit because how would she know? It's 1620 and she's a girl!!! Anyway, I found the ocean voyage to be a little boring.
Once they hit land the men go off exploring and the women and children are left on the boat. This happens for quite a few entries. Eventually she takes to just writing how bored she is. Okay, fair enough. Once they are off the boat the women take to washing clothing while the kids run around for a bit before settling down enough to lend a hand. There's the hasty building of a common building and then of little huts for families. These things seem to almost appear out of thin air, but maybe it's because there are few entries actually describing the building process. Then people start getting ill and dying. But Mem doesn't seem to be too upset by any of it. At one point she actually just lists people off.
I couldn't believe how many times a new buildings caught fire. Or that her friend's family could just find passage back to Europe. I always assumed they would have to pay and considering how poorly the community was doing, I don't know how they would be able to do so.
It's nice to see that the Indigenous people are portrayed as they really were when settlers first started going to the "New World," kind, generous and understanding. They wanted to help the settlers survive and shared freely as they were taught to do. To them, everyone owned the land and it was to be shared.
By the end of her diary about half the people who came to settle the "New World" were dead, listed off in her journal were the ones she took notice of. There was a lot of sickness and death despite being in a warmer region of the East coast. The author, however, really down plays the deaths and the sickness is usually described as just that, so-and-so is sick. There are mentions of people coughing blood, but no descriptions.
In Conclusion
This book was okay. Not a game changer by any means. It covers the journey over, the long wait on the boat, glosses over the set up of the community and the clearing of land and the seeding of crops briefly, talks a bit of the indigenous people and their kindness, and of early Thanksgiving celebrations held (cut short by the narrator getting sick and missing a few weeks). I personally didn't feel a connection with Remember, but if you view other people's post you will find that they did so it might just be a personal thing.
Age Range: mid-middle school and up
Content: has a bit of a religious spin on it at the start, lots of people dying, lots of sickness but none in great detail.
Wow!!! This series of books are really quick and easy to read but yet are very good stories. I did find a few things in the plot line that didn't seem quite right BUT the characters and story was still really good. Lots of info on historical events as well as some things these settlers dealt with such as starvation,death,and conflict. I am really enjoying these books and highly recommend them. Now I am off to read the next one :)
Super nostalgic to go back and read a Dear America book, since these WERE my childhood haha.
I usually like these books but I found this one super boring.
This was a good book and a nice introduction to they journey on the Mayflower and life at Plymouth. However, I feel like the language and specific vocabulary (while true to the time) would make it hard for someone young to really get into the book. Overall, a decent read.