Roger the Ranger

Roger the Ranger: A Story of Border Life Among the Indians
, Eliza Pollard
(Inheritance Publications, 2008; originally published in London, S. W. Partridge & Co., 1893)
pb., 210 pp.
Ages 6+

This is an exciting story following the fortunes of two families in colonial America who have been very close for years but end up divided by the French and Indian War. My boys enjoyed the action and suspense. I also appreciated a good portrayal of life and issues of the time. Pollard gives a positive assessment of British and French leaders (Wolfe and Montcalm, as well as Howe). There is a fairly balanced view of both sides in the war which is valuable.

This book is a good representative of 19th century children’s historical fiction. Key virtues such as bravery, nobility, loyalty, faith, and family are stressed. War, at times, does seem to be presented as a good in itself, though.

In the end, this was a fun, informative read which encouraged key virtues. We enjoyed it and would commend it to others.

(The Amazon link says this book is out of print, but it is not. It is still available from the publisher).

The Sign of the Beaver

The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare
(Random House, 1983), pb., 135 pp.
Ages 6-13

This is pretty good book set in the frontier of Maine in colonial America. The main character, 12 year old Matt, along with his father has gone out to their newly purchased land in Maine to build a house and plant their crops. Then the father leaves his son with the home and crops to retrieve the rest of the family. On his own the boy must work hard, deal with visitors and Indian encounters. When his father’s return is delayed he faces difficult choices regarding survival, friendship, loyalty and perseverance.

The key value of the book, in my opinion, is the portrayal of responsibility and perseverance. The story is adventurous in places but slow in other places. The value of books emerges in the story when an Indian chief wants Matt to teach his grandson to read. The value of good stories is particularly highlighted. The boy even realizes along the way that the best stories he has are Bible stories. However, there are also less positive takes on the faith in the book.

This book has won numerous awards, but I was not so overwhelmed. In the end, it is a worthwhile read though not a ‘favorite.’ It provides a good portrayal of frontier life in this era.

With Wolfe in Canada

With Wolfe in Canada, Or the Winning of a Continent, G. A. Henty
(Blackie and Son, 1886; Preston/Speed Publications, 1999)
Hb., 353 pp.
Ages 11+

I am a Henty fan having enjoyed a number of his books (I have commented on our experience of reading one previously). However, this one was disappointing on several levels. The story meanders seeming as if he wanted to include too many different things. Several chapters do not really discuss the main character but pause to tell the history. Of course part of what I want is the history but detaching the history from the character makes the history more detached. These portions then read more as compilations of data rather than an engaging retelling of the historical story. With so many unusual names of people and places it is hard to follow. It was hard for me to follow so I was pleased with my boys’ perseverance just to hang in there. The fact that there are good adventure moments helped. Such moments are just too few. The book could probably be helpfully abridged.

The title is a bit misleading also since Wolfe only shows up at the end. The main character spends more time in America and Britain than in Canada. He does drop in at key historical events so he is with George Washington during Braddock’s disastrous defeat as well as being involved in various other battles of the French and Indian War.

There are good morals found in the story particularly courage, honesty, and mercy towards those who wrong us. One of the best episodes is early on when the main character James defends a young girl by trouncing a bully who knocked the girl down. My boys still talk about that scene. So the book is helpful in this way, but there are other books that do this as well with stories that are more compelling. I could not help comparing this book with Douglas Bond’s Crown and Covenant Series. Bond is far superior not only in quality of story but even more so in showing the faith as an integral part of the life of the characters.

So, we would not really recommend this book. It is not as good as many other Henty novels. Older readers can appreciate it and learn much history along the way.

The Minute Boys of Bunker Hill

The Minute Boys of Bunker Hill, Edward Stratemeyer
(1899; Lost Classics Book Company, 1998), pb., 316 pp.
Ages 7+

This is the sequel to The Minute Boys of Lexington and Concord following the same characters through the tense days following the battles of Lexington and Concord, trough the Battle of Bunker Hill to the end of the siege of Boston. This book is the same in feel and style as the previous volume. My boys (ages 11, 9, and 7) loved it. There is plenty of action and suspense, and courage, perseverance, nobility and other virtues are assumed and often explicitly commended.

Literary critics would slight this book and its predecessor. Parts of the story stretch credulity (Roger the main character seems to be very ‘lucky’), and similar things recur. However, it works well as a fun story which encourages character and also faithfully tells the history of the time. These do not rise to the level of Allen French or Douglas Bond, but they are good books.

This volume includes, like the previous one, a glossary to explain unusual words.

We have heard of a third volume and my boys are eager o find it, so we would commend this one to you.

Drums of War series

Drums of War Series, by Peter Reese Doyle
Independence, Vol. 1, pb, 170 pp
Bunker Hill, Vol. 2, pb, 171
A Captive in Williamsburg , Vol. 3, pb,
(Providence Foundation, 1997, 1998)
Ages 6-12+

These three books of historical fiction are set in Williamsburg, VA as the Revolutionary War begins. So, we began reading volume one a day or two before we left for our visit to Williamsburg. We then read the first book while we were there and the next two after we got back home. It was a great combination!

The story centers on two families in Williamsburg, the Hendricks and Edwards. Fourteen year old Andrew Hendricks and his friend Nathan Edwards are the main characters. Their fathers are key participants in the patriot movement and the two boys are particularly keen on each others sisters. The books are intentionally written from a Christian worldview so the faith of the families is evident. There are good examples of faith, bravery, grit, resourcefulness, nobility and sacrifice. My boys (ages 7-10) really got into them. The books are not up to the level of Allen French, but they were good.

These books are great for learning. From our visit to Williamsburg I was struck about how careful and accurate these books were. Readers are introduced to key leaders who are not often talked about in other places as well key battles. I realized that the typical overviews of this era deal almost exclusively with the north once the War begins.

We particularly were excited by reading about Captain Innes in the books. While at Williamsburg we met and heard from one of the actors playing the part of Innes! We did not know if this character was a historical person or a fictional ‘typical’ character. Enough detail was given to him in some of the dramas that I suspected he was a historical figure, but we were delighted to encounter him in the book as the leader of the local militia. Here is a picture we took with Captain Innes- before we read about him in the books!

Many of the locations in Williamsburg are mentioned in these books so they are great to read in relation to a trip to Williamsburg. So we would highly commend both the books and the trip! Our boys loved Williamsburg and these books allowed us to keep thinking through all we saw there.

Susan Creek

Susan Creek, by Douglas Wilson
(Veritas Press, 2004), pb. 124 pp.
ages 8-12

For some reason- completely odd to me- Amazon does not even have a listing for this book. I hope they will remedy this soon, but my link above will lead you to Wilson’s own Canon Press where the book is available.

This is the sequel to Blackthorn Winter which I reviewed previously. Susan Creek is significantly better than Blackthorn Winter. The overuse of ambiguous proverbial sayings is gone and the action is increased. My boys early on in the reading said they liked the sequel better.

The story does not take up right where the last book left off. Instead, this story focuses on John Monroe, the son of Thomas from the previous story. Thomas has become a prosperous merchant in the colonies but expects his son Thomas to work hard as a regular sailor to learn his way before leading the family business. So, on a visit to Scotland John stumbles into intrigue and adventure which follows him back to America. Along the way he hears the preaching of George Whitefield and is challenged to live out his faith. Issues of justice, bravery, when to fight and when not to, and the basic issues of being a man all arise in the story. It also introduces readers to life in colonial America in the days of the First Great Awakening, prior to the Revolutionary War.

This was a fun and helpful read. It does not rise to the level of our favorites, but we commend it to you.

Colonial Vacation

My family & I left for vacation today so I may not post much the next week or so (though I have a few books waiting to be commented on). In keeping with the books we’ve been reading on the colonial era of American history we are going to visit Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. We also plan to see the Navy yard at Norfolk. We have just started reading a historical novel set in Williamsburg- Independence, by Peter Reese Doyle, part of the Drums of War series. So far it is really good. We hope to finish it while on this trip, and I’ll plan to review it shortly thereafter.

M'Kethe Saga Continues in America

Guns of Thunder, Douglas Bond
Faith & Freedom Series
(P&R Publishing, 2007), pb., 260 pp.
Age 10 & up

This is the first volume in Bond’s new series which continues to follow the M’Kethe family, who were introduced in the Crown & Covenant Series. The previous series closed with Duncan and Angus leading their family to America. This story opens with the family settled in Connecticut just before the French & Indian War. Malcom, Duncan’s son, is now a grandfather, helping to raise his grandson, Ian, who is the main character. Ian’s father has died, so Father Malcolm, as he is called, lives with his family. Ian’s cousin and best friend, Roland, is also a key character.

The story follows the family through the rising tensions with the French into the War itself. Also, they must deal with the rise of rationalism and its skepticism about the Bible. Along the way they even have an opportunity to hear Jonathan Edwards preach. Ian wrestles with his doubts and fears, and must face his prejudice and fear towards Indians, particularly Watookoog, a mysterious acting Indian who knew his father.

This story is not quite as compelling as the previous three. It starts a bit slower and the early discussion of Rationalism and Calvinism was slower going for my boys (ages 10, 9, 7 & 5). However, it did provide a good opportunity for me to discuss with them how people began to doubt the supernatural. The chapter relating the family’s listening to Edwards preach “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was particularly good. I really appreciated the opportunity to read that to my boys. That chapter alone makes this book worth reading (though there is much else good about the book). Eventually Ian is drawn into battle and the adventure level increases.

Bond once again presents a strong father figure (grandfather this time), leading his family and applying the Bible naturally to all of life. This one key reason for reading these books.

We eagerly await the next volume, and commend this one.

Potomac Captive

Potomac Captive: The Adventures of Henry Fleete, by Jan Fleet Umhau
(Dietz Press, 1998), pb., 160 pp.

This book tells the story of the historical character Henry Fleete in early 17th century Virginia. Mrs. Umhau, a direct descendant of Fleete, has taken what historical facts are known and from them woven a believable account of his life.

Fleete by accident ends up on a ship headed to Virginia from England as a teenager, begins getting established, is taken captive by Indians, narrowly escapes death, eventually becomes accepted in the Indian community, and returns to colonial life as a leading trader in the area respected by Indians and Europeans alike. The story was adventurous which kept my boys interested. It was not a great book like others we have read, but it was a fun read and a good introduction to life in 17th century Virginia.

Blackthorn Winter

Blackthorn Winter, Douglas Wilson
(Veritas Press, 2003), pb., 141 pp.
Older children, 12+

I was quite interested to see what Wilson would do in his children’s books. This is his first children’s novel. The story line is great, compelling plot, good adventure, nice twists and turns. The overall story line reminded me a lot of R. M Ballantyne- a boys’ writer I really like.

However, the manner of writing was difficult particularly because it was hard to understand and many points. One reason was the overuse of proverbial lines which if they are not common to the reader make reading difficult. I feel like I am aware of many common proverbial statements, but these by nature tend to be regional. This makes the book less accessible. Then the frequent use of nautical jargon (without any glossary) was a bit of a hindrance. We are in the midst of reading a number of books the deal with sailing and still I was stumped at places. Wilson makes many good moral points along the way in the story but they were often so subtle that they would be missed unless I stopped to explain. In general this book required more work on my end to help my boys follow the transitions at places, often to understand the wording and fairly often to catch the implied lesson.

With the explanatory work I did my boys liked the book. The book cover says it is for ages 9-12. I would suggest 12+.