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meaganmart's review against another edition
4.0
Love Thy Neighbor is the first children's book that I've ever read from the perspective of a Tory child. I have read tons of literature about the Revolutionary War, Patriot children, and about the Founding Fathers, but I was so interested to see the other side of the coin. I think we often lose sight of the fact that the Revolutionary War was, in fact, a civil war that pitted neighbor against neighbor, divided families, and made life incredibly difficult for over 1/3 of the inhabitants of the colonies.
This has definitely piqued my curiosity and I will be seeking out more books that discuss this time period from the Tory perspective!
This has definitely piqued my curiosity and I will be seeking out more books that discuss this time period from the Tory perspective!
juliemittan's review against another edition
2.0
Used for a 5th grade Historical Fiction Unit (Book Clubs)
Main character's family are Loyalists living in New England. Book written in the form of a diary detailing her family's experience in the colonies being one of the few families still loyal to the King of England.
Main character's family are Loyalists living in New England. Book written in the form of a diary detailing her family's experience in the colonies being one of the few families still loyal to the King of England.
huncamuncamouse's review against another edition
4.0
More like 3.5 stars, but rounded up. After quite a few bland entries in the series, this one was a lot better. It's interesting when the series gives you a so-called perspective into the "wrong side of history" like with the notorious "When Will This Cruel War Be Over?." Here, we have the diary of a young girl whose family supported the King during the Revolutionary War. Prudence is a pretty decent narrator; I was really interested in her mother--who is a respected midwife and uses all kinds of natural herbs to cure ailments and help with labor. It was a little disappointing to see that Prudence didn't wind up following in her footsteps.
One of my issues with this book is that it's never that clear why the family supports the Tories. And because Prudence is such a young narrator, it just seems like she's doing what most kids do: parroting her parents' views without understanding them. While I appreciate a more sympathetic look at the Tories, it strains credibility that they (by which I mean adult Tories in Green Marsh) were just innocently enduring all this negative attention without retaliating or even instigating.
Other than that, though, this one was pretty good and would be interesting to read right after The Winter of Red Snow.
One of my issues with this book is that it's never that clear why the family supports the Tories. And because Prudence is such a young narrator, it just seems like she's doing what most kids do: parroting her parents' views without understanding them. While I appreciate a more sympathetic look at the Tories, it strains credibility that they (by which I mean adult Tories in Green Marsh) were just innocently enduring all this negative attention without retaliating or even instigating.
Other than that, though, this one was pretty good and would be interesting to read right after The Winter of Red Snow.
alexblackreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is probably one of my least favorites of this series (that I've read recently). I did enjoy it okay, but compared to some of the others I don't think it captures the time period very well. You get Prudence's world view, but it's so limited that you really don't see much of the outside world or the adult thought processes. I think there's a good way to capture a child's perspective while still showing the rest of the world and what's going on. And honestly, I think a lot of the other books in this series do it better.
Not bad and definitely great for kids, but not one that I think is particularly outstanding.
Not bad and definitely great for kids, but not one that I think is particularly outstanding.
musiquedevie's review against another edition
5.0
A very timely read, 'Love Thy Neighbor' takes a look at the "enemy" side of its times, Tories.
Ann Turner gives you something to think about as she shows what life was like in Massachusetts for a girl and her family in a town where their beliefs and thoughts are seen as evil and contrary to the popular Patriot movement.
Prudence and her family were wonderful characters who really came to life and gave one a chance to know not only life in that time period shortly before the American Revolutionary War but also the feelings and emotions one goes through as life as they knew it ceased. When neighbors turned against them, when friends dropped them aside and when their own safety in their own house was threatened, all because their beliefs differed from the town and its townspeople.
Considering this volatile political environment we're all now living in, 'Love Thy Neighbor' makes you think and teaches some valuable lessons we all should be remembering. I look forward to reading more of Ann Turner's work in the future.
Ann Turner gives you something to think about as she shows what life was like in Massachusetts for a girl and her family in a town where their beliefs and thoughts are seen as evil and contrary to the popular Patriot movement.
Prudence and her family were wonderful characters who really came to life and gave one a chance to know not only life in that time period shortly before the American Revolutionary War but also the feelings and emotions one goes through as life as they knew it ceased. When neighbors turned against them, when friends dropped them aside and when their own safety in their own house was threatened, all because their beliefs differed from the town and its townspeople.
Considering this volatile political environment we're all now living in, 'Love Thy Neighbor' makes you think and teaches some valuable lessons we all should be remembering. I look forward to reading more of Ann Turner's work in the future.
ashes_book_cave's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
peytonktracy's review
3.0
Narratively, this Dear America was fine. A little whirlwind, but interesting characters, interesting setting, and certainly a unique perspective on the primary historic conflict. But the conflict itself was thought provoking. My biased American education has positioned me to see the loyalists in colonial history as the oppressors, and and the colonists as the radical freedom fighters. So I was constantly hearing the narrator’s struggles as a oppressor claiming they are being punished or wronged as they are no longer allowed to oppress (with obvious connections to the present day). But I also couldn’t help but feel sympathy too, how upsetting it would have been to have your world changed because of conflicts over her head or possibility of fully understanding. I’m sure it’s just a normal case of “The world isn’t black and white but shades of grey” but I’m not used to these middle reader books making me think so hard!
evamadera1's review
4.0
A review from my old blog...
I keep gaining a new sense of satisfaction when I open a new Dear America book.
This book is written from the perspective a young girl growing up in a Tory family during the height of the anti-British fervor. I've never thought about what that perspective would be. I've always grown up thinking that the Patriots were right and the Tories were just sticks in the mud.
The more I read out of Pru's journal, the more I realized that my family, had we been in America at that time, would probably have been a Tory family. As Christians we probably would have supported the government that we had and tried to work within it had there been an issue rather than rebel against it (which is what the American Revolution was).
Once again I was not disappointed with this series and can't wait to start adding the series to my own personal collection.
I keep gaining a new sense of satisfaction when I open a new Dear America book.
This book is written from the perspective a young girl growing up in a Tory family during the height of the anti-British fervor. I've never thought about what that perspective would be. I've always grown up thinking that the Patriots were right and the Tories were just sticks in the mud.
The more I read out of Pru's journal, the more I realized that my family, had we been in America at that time, would probably have been a Tory family. As Christians we probably would have supported the government that we had and tried to work within it had there been an issue rather than rebel against it (which is what the American Revolution was).
Once again I was not disappointed with this series and can't wait to start adding the series to my own personal collection.
tsilverman's review
4.0
This was a perspective I never knew I needed until I read it. Looks like Patriots/Americans have truly been trash since the beginning.
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