Thomas in Danger: 1779 (American Adventures) - Hardcover

Pryor, Bonnie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688165184 ISBN 13: 9780688165185

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999

Synopsis

Thomas Bowden hates the Tories, the colonists who have sided with the English during the Revolutionary War. He especially hates their Native American allies who tortured and killed many of his neighbors in a terrible massacre.still, he and his mother, sister, and baby brother have reached the safety of Philadelphia-but not for long. When Thomas recognizes a Tory spy, he is kidnapped, made to join a wagon train bringing arms and supplies to the enemy, and then turned over to a group of Mohawk fighters.Thomas fears the worst. Instead, over a winter spent in the Mohawk village, he discovers that truth in his wartime world is far more complicated than he ever imagined.Thomas is back, in an exciting and thought-provoking American Adventure!

About this title

About the Author

Bonnie Pryor thoroughly researched important periods of American history for each of her American Adventures. For Luke on the High Seas, she delved into seafaring in the nineteenth century so that the details of Luke Reed's journey would be accurate. She lives in Gambier, Ohio. In Her Own Words...

"I grew up in Spokane, Washington, the middle child in a family of three girls. Books were a part of my life from as far back as I can remember. I was often in trouble for reading at the wrong time. I would be caught reading under the dining room table when I was supposed to be dusting, or reading under the covers by flashlight late at night-even hiding a novel inside my textbooks at school.

"Not everyone thought I read too much. I remember a school librarian who saved all the new books for me to read first, and on several occasions she gave me presents of books. Perhaps she felt she should because I had read every single thing in her library!

"I was very shy, and, like Robert in The Plum Tree War, I spent a lot of my time hanging from my knees from a favorite plum tree, telling myself stories. Of course since I was raised in the West these stories were usually about wild horses and cowboys, and I was always the heroine who came to the rescue. The stories were long and involved, sometimes going on for days. I was always impatient to get to my tree each day so I could find out what was going to happen next, but I was too lazy to write the stories down.

"I think everyone expected me to become a writer, but it took me twenty years and a gentle nudge from my husband, Robert, to build up the courage to try. In the meantime I moved to Ohio, worked at a variety of jobs, and raised a family. I have four grown children, eight grandchildren, and two daughters still at home-Jenny and Chrissy. Many of my books are loosely based upon incidents in my children's lives, and they often appear as characters, in personality if not by name.

"My family recently moved to the country. When I'm not writing and visiting schools, we're busy building barns and fences and laying out flower beds. In addition, we all take part in caring for the four newcomers to our home: three horses and a bunny!"

From Library Journal

Grade 4-6-This book picks up where Thomas (Morrow, 1998) left off. After their home is burned to the ground, Thomas Bowden, his mother, his sister, and his baby brother travel to Philadelphia, intending to stay with his mother's sister. Although his father has joined the Continental army, Thomas soon learns that many of his countrymen have taken the side of the British and have stood aside while Iroquois Indians (who also sympathize with the British) torture patriots. Upon arrival at her sister's home in Philadelphia, Thomas's mother discovers that her sister and her husband have been driven away because they are British sympathizers, but she has left behind an inn that Mrs. Bowden then runs. When Thomas overhears several men discussing Tory spy activities, he is kidnapped. Thus begins his adventure as he survives a severe illness, fear of being killed by his kidnappers, an attack by soldiers, and life as a captive in an Indian village. As in Elizabeth Speare's popular The Sign of the Beaver (Houghton, 1983), the main character discovers that the Indians are real people with sorrows, pride, and happiness just like his own family. He comes to respect and be accepted into their village. Eventually, he is given the choice to stay with his Indian family or return home. Ironically, the village is attacked and burned to the ground by soldiers who are friends of the boy's father. Pryor gives an honest glimpse into a young boy's maturing sense of worldview. She reveals his insecurities and the fear and apprehension felt during the Revolutionary War. The plot moves quickly and will hold young readers' interest.
Julie Shatterly, York County Public Library, Rock Hill, SC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0688165184
• ISBN 13: 9780688165185
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176
• Illustrator: Dodson Bert