The Ransom of Mercy Carter

It surprises me sometimes how very violent and graphic young adult stories can be. Books such as The Ransom of Mercy Carter is one of those novels that would have to be sanitized in order to escape an R rating if it were made into a movie. And to sanitize such a book would be to take away the point......more

This was definitely an interesting read. Years ago I read the Dear America book that covered this topic (Standing in the Light), and so I already knew the general topic and direction the book was going in- namely, that the captive children would be assimilated into the tribe's culture and society and......more

Where have I been that I haven’t found Cooney before this? This book is so sensitively written, so character-driven, that I wish to go on a Cooney binge. Excellent Young Adult literature (yes it uses the word ‘Indian’, but I don’t believe we can learn from history if we always erase it) that allows......more

Somehow I always get something in my eye when I read this book. Love this book and I enjoy her point of view......more

Mercy is a child, just old enough to care for her four brothers and a sister. Then the Indians come, different tribes recruited by the French to wage war on the Puritan community of Deerfield, MA. The Indians' mission: to capture the children and march them clear to Canada. In the dead of winter. Mer......more