Friends of Liberty

by Beatrice Gormley

Overview

It's 1773, and Boston is in political turmoil. As tension rises between England and the colonies, lines are being drawn between the Loyalists and the Patriots. And Sally Gifford, a shoemaker's daughter, finds herself on the opposite side from her best friend Kitty Lawton, the daughter of a wealthy merchant.

Sally is torn between her cherished friendship and her loyalties to her own family and community in their fight for freedom. As the conflict continues to grow more charged in the weeks leading up to the Boston Tea Party, Sally finds within herself a bravery she didn't know she had, and ultimately takes a stand for what she comes to find is most important.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802854186
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Beatrice Gormley was born in Glendale, California and attended Pomona College from which she graduated magna cum laude. She is the author of many popular books for young readers. As a writer, she admires the drama of Bible stories and is intrigued by their people. She lives in Westport, Massachusetts.

Visit Beatrice Gormley's website: http://www.beatricegormley.com

Editorial Reviews

2014 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Grades 4—6
2014 Carol Otis Hurst Children's Book Prize

Redeemed Reader
“Friends of Liberty is sturdy historical fiction of the kind that’s not published too much these days. . . . The story delivers some exciting moments and challenging quandaries, and is especially strong with character building.”
 

From the Publisher

09/01/2013
Gr 4–6—In 1773 Boston, Sally Gifford, daughter of a shoemaker, and Kitty Lawton, daughter of a wealthy merchant, are best friends thrust into the political battle raging around them. The girls exchange tokens of their secret sisterhood, but their fathers are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and Sally must decide where her loyalties lie. She has been invited to leave Massachusetts with Kitty and her family and live a life of English luxury, but should she stay with her family as a true daughter of America? Set against the forging of the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution, this engaging novel tells a tale of friendship and of fighting for one's beliefs. It will appeal to kids who like historical fiction, and it is a good choice for classroom discussions of the war.—Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix, AZ

School Library Journal

Sally is powerfully drawn to her wealthy, Tory best friend, Kitty, but the rapidly evolving situation in colonial Boston has put their families on opposite sides of the emerging struggle. Sally's father is a shoemaker; his standard of living contrasts sharply with that of their merchant neighbors, the Lawtons. When Sally visits there, she can let her imagination run, inventing a new life for herself that doesn't include a harsh stepmother and endless chores. But sometimes Sally doesn't understand that she unwittingly carries secrets that are too easily revealed. After her cousin is caught during a Sons of Liberty assault on Lawton's warehouse and imprisoned in the British fort in the harbor, she and Kitty's brother launch an improbable, but nonetheless suspenseful, late-night rescue attempt. Portraying the months leading up to the Boston Tea Party, this effort provides an enlightening glimpse of the conflicts that surrounded average people in an extraordinary time. The tale is related from Sally's third-person point of view, and while her character is adequately developed--although never plumbed to its fullest depth--others receive insufficient attention to be well-rounded. At times, the historical exposition feels heavy-handed, designed more to instruct than to advance the plot. In sum, the story conveys a flavor of an interesting period, but it never quite achieves the taste of grit on the tongue that the best Revolutionary War–era fiction offers. (Historical fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews