dearamericaroyaldiaries

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

It’s a double feature and Choices were made at Scholastic.

The Winter of Red Snow, 1777-1778, Abigail Jane Stewart

and

Cannons at Dawn, 1779-1781, Abigail Jane Stewart

By: Kristiana Gregory

Protagonist Age: 11-15/16

Started- 10/17/2022 and 10/19/2022

Finished- 10/19/2022 and 10/24/2022

Summary:

The first installment in this duology starts with Abigail Jane Steward just living her life with her parents, older sister, younger sister, and brand new baby brother with the Continental Army rolls in to winter at Valley Forge.

She witnesses the tough conditions and harsh reality face while having access to major historical figures and events. Her and her older sister (15ish I think) sew coats for soldiers in the hopes of Catching a Man and the family takes in a pregnant teen widow who they (appear?) to essentially adopt (but she all but disappears in the sequel).

Hope is high and everyone is happy when Spring and Summer come, the army leaving as the temperatures rise. END BOOK ONE!

The only direct sequel in the series picks up almost six months after the last one with Papa having left to join the Continental Army. That night their house burns down so they go to Philly to live with cousins who aren’t there anymore so they stay with a random widow.

They decide to find Papa and follow the army but big sister decides to stay to be close to her soldier boy which results in a letter a couple of months later that she is pregnant and married now. Following the army is miserable and taxing. There are lots of time jumps but by the time our 13 year old protagonist is 15, she’s married and has a baby around her 16th birthday but the war is over. HUZZAH!

#ReadingThoughts

Timeout. I’m guessing that sunrise would have been about 7:30-8:00 ish and they have been up since 4:30? And it took Papa that long to get back with the midwife but Abigail can see the midwife’s house? So it must only be a few miles at most. I suppose weather and road conditions were a factors but this timeline seems suspect. This would not be a solid alibi in a court of law.

Was there a grade system based on age in the 1770s colonial school system or is this a contrivance to make connections with the intended readers?

IT IS A 28 MINUTE WALK FROM THE STEWART HOUSE TO MRS. HEWES? Why did it take a wagon HOURS to make the round trip?

I don't like what they’re doing with how Billy Lee (enslaved by the Washingtons) talks. He is directly reports to General Washington and we don’t need to make him sound like he’s in Gone With the Wind.I am suddenly worried for future books...

What “private underthings” do they have besides shirts and trousers? Breeches that look like trousers and cover about the same amount of skin? It’s not like they have 18th century briefs.

The concept of bounty shirts and coats amuses me. “Ah yes. I will sew something and embroider my name in it so then whoever gets it (who will of course be a handsome soldier boy) MUST fall madly in love with me.”

I don’t think knickers weren’t a thing yet. They were breeches.

I don’t think that Martha Washington spent this much time in the kitchen.

We're bonnets a thing in the 1770s? I know caps and hats were but I'm not sure about bonnets. And at this point I don't think caps tied under the chin like they might have in the past. The style doesn't really allow for it.

Sister Sally wants to pet the stray cat. I am Sally.

Oh sister Elizabeth. You may be barking up the wrong tree. I don't think any young man serving directly under von Steuben is going to want to settle down with you.

Were beards in style? Were they fashionable?

I love the image of Alexander Hamilton yelling swear words as he's translating because von Steuben is pissed off.

I feel bad for Elizabeth that the dog is wearing the coat that she made for Pierre but that's kinda funny. Wrong. Tree.

And for the sequel. Buckle up.

Why are they sharing a bed with Mama? Nevermind. It helps if I keep reading.

Where are teen mom 1 Helen and baby Olivia... Nevermind. Found 'em.

Campbell!? I believe that is Abigail's future married name if I remember my epilogue correctly. Is there a romance afoot!?

We have a love interest, folks! I repeat, we have a love interest. I feel he's too old but he hasn't shown any intent yet so he's on thin fucking ice.

Ah. We're explain away things from the first book in a hand wavey way. Got ha.

ELIZABETH! NO WEDDING? ONLY A QUICK PRONOUNCEMENT? BECAUSE YOU'RE PREGNANT!? Teen mom 2 alert!

Sir. I know where this is headed but I need you to stop flirting with a 13 year old immediately.

A hat's a hat. I don't think tricorn hats had political affiliations before slogans were being printed on then.

You're so worried about Willie not having a hat, Abigail, when you passed up a perfectly serviceable hat one entry ago.

I'm confused. On 114 Benedict Arnold is court-martialed but here he's been given command of West Point? Will verify.

I know why he (Benedict Arnold) won't give the okay for repairs.

#PapistPineBoughs

No one, including her mother, thought to check on why the pregnant teen felt like shit on the march? I mean, all that moving and walking must have been good for inducing labor but come on. Also, teen mom 3.

Okay. She just feels shitty. That doesn't automatically mean pregnant. Yeah, you ruled out other symptoms but that's a leap. At this point can they 100% confirm pregnancy before the baby moves? Teen mom 4

You'd best work to keep those feet dry or else you'll have trench foot.

Thoughts on the Afterward

Nothing groundbreaking. It was sweet that they noted that after Abigail dies her soldier boy got sick and dies (of a broken heart).

Overall Thoughts After Reading

It's fine. Nothing compelling. I was also singing Hamilton whenever a figure from the show appeared. It also really made me sad that von Steuben isn't in the play given that he was close with Hamilton.

I think Kristiana Gregory does a fine job but there's not much else to say.

This is one of the books I read as a wee thing so there's some fondness but I didn't remember a ton except the 40 egg cake and bleaching laundry with piss.

The epilogue is juicy enough but I'll be interested to see how the next book ends.

As for the sequel, I wouldn't say that the Revolution is painted in a glowing light but it was certainly Right and Just.

The think I'm stuck on is the 4 teen pregnancies. You can't really get into sex and pregnancy in a book for middle readers so why? It's unnecessary for 15, 16, 17 year olds (ages taken with a grain of salt) to be married and pregnant. 1 I'll allow but I don't thing that was the norm, even in the colonies. I would have ages everyone up 5 years, then you don't have an 18 year old flirting (albeit inadvertently and without sexual intent but still flirting) with a 13 year old or a barely 15 year old getting married and having a baby at 16. But aging Abigail up doesn't fit with the audience. This just makes me want an edgier show/series where it's the same premise, but it's aimed at adults so we can take on more serious issues

Rating Scale

Book 1: 7/10 Bounty Coats

Book 2: 4/10 pregnant teens (Which is the same number mentioned between the two books?

Other Possible Contenders: caps not bonnets, chamber pots to bleach laundry, unpleasant sounding marches

Photo Credit:

Cover: Still me!

#Read with Me #History Fun Times #Dear America #American Revolution #Historical Fiction

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

I might be a few books ahead. I make no commitment to continue this.

Love Thy Neighbor,  1774-1775, Prudence Emerson

By: Ann Turner

Protagonist Age: 13

Started- 7/21/2022

Finished- 7/26/2022

Summary:

Prue’s whole family is loyal to the Crown in the days lading up to the American Revolution (except for maybe an older brother?) Her father’s shop struggles to do business and the Tory children are ostracized in school. After one too many incidents all of the family, except for her oldest brother and aunt, move to Boston to live with her uncle’s family in the hopes of finding more safety. After a few months in Boston both families make the decision to move once more, this time to Nantucket.

#ReadingThoughts

By this point she should be been in stays of varying stiffnesses (not corsets) for most of her life. Stop trying to make corsets an issue for most historical people. It’s like wearing a bra. Get over it. (Spoiler: they did not get over it.)

I don’t feel like the average 18th century teacher would be super focused on spelling. There wasn’t really standardized spelling so spelling anxiety phonetically probably wouldn't have been a huge deal I wouldn’t think.

I probably should have expected the house divided politics thing but big oof. I suppose this will be the case for a good chunk of the Revolution and Civil War books.

When did George III get the rep of being mad? I thought his first episode was after the Revolution but I could be wrong. (Internet indicated a potential episode in the mid 1760s but nothing concrete until the late 1780s so after the end of the Revolution.)

The recipe listed on page 12 is better than 90% of what I find online because I don’t have to skim past someone’s life story for a million years first.

I understand that it’s listed out for the reader but the list and the “Meh, I hate all of these chores” comes off as a very modern attitude. Granted, I don’t think that any kid ever had enjoyed all of their chores.

How quick is the 18th century mail service? Also, a white silk pocket? For a child? How bougie are these people?

Boston makes sense for the short mail turn-around. Would Tories have called themselves Tories or would they have referred to themselves more consistently as Loyalists? Would a Tory have called those on the other sides “Patriots?” I think not.

I think the American intended audience means that even Tories refer to this conflict as a revolution, not a rebellion (or insurrection), because hindsight tells us we won. Had it gone the other way, I’m sure the Empire still would have fallen apart, we’d just refer to the 1770s as a failed rebellion or insurrection.

Would Thanksgiving have been celebrated at this point? The internet indicates maybe but probably not like we’re thinking.

More anti-corset propaganda. You can breathe in stays. The point wasn’t to reduce or constrict for most people. It was to support and give a conical shape. I am not here for this nonsense and Emma Watson can bite me.

Was the lavender soap yummy? (The best Gif I could find with minimal effort.)

I wonder at what age most midwives learned their trade.

How frustrating it must be for someone to come to you for a vital service at which you are skilled and have them be embarrassed to come to you. Kudos to Mama Emerson for how she handled that situation and shame on Mr. Jeptha’s Dad. (We do not stan this dad.)

I’m kinda amused that big bro is hiding pro-Revolution newspapers under his mattress like a porn stash.

Corset nonsense x 2!

Would Papa, a shop owner, know cobbling? That is a skilled trade and not easy as far as I know.

And on your left you’ll see a variety of trauma responses.

How old is Cousin Betsey? I don’t think most 13 year olds would be seriously contemplating matrimony as anything but far off, something for a few years down the line.

Corset nonsense

Waltzing? In 1775? In the colonies? That doesn’t sound right to me.

Corset nonsense.

Thoughts on the Afterward

The epilogue was fine. I liked that it noted that Mama delivered all 5 of Prue’s babies

Overall Thoughts After Reading

I feel like this was an unusual choice for publication in 2003 but it would be an even more unusual book to publish today. I thought it was interesting that the Emersons were seen as too Papist (Catholic) for decorating for Christmas.

Overall this book was fine. I rolled by eyes at every instance of Corset Nonsense (All 6 times. Stay tuned for this exciting new segment. *cue another eye roll*) and there were a few items that I need to check into a bit more. I remember reading this one when I was younger but have no strong feelings or memories about it.

Rating Scale

7/10 Papist Pine Boughs

Other Possible Contenders: Golden Stars (too basic) and Corset Nonsenses (this is an actual number and thus should not be confused but also being a rating scale)

Photo Credit:

Cover: Still me!

#Dear America #Read With Me #History #Historical Fiction #American Revolution

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

Did I finish this book months ago? Yes. Did I just not type everything up in a timely manner? Also yes.

Look to the Hills, 1763, Lozette Moreau

By: Patricia C. McKissack

Protagonist Age: 12/13

Started- 3/2/2022

Finished- 6/24/2022

Summary:

Lozette (Zettie) is an enslaved 12 year old living in France toward the end of the Ancient Regime (please read that as French and nasally as possible because that is how I learned it) and under the imminent threat of being sold away from the only home she’s ever known. Her enslaver/mistress Marie Louise (Ree) contrives to get her brother to sell Zettie to a suitor as a wedding gift but they make a break for it and head to the French Canadian colonies via Cadiz. In the colonies they hope to find Ree’s nice, not a jerk, soldier brother. They go to a couple of forts. Ree has multiple suitors. People aren’t all nice to Zettie or the Amer-Indians. Zettie duels a grown man for Ree’s family’s honor. The mean brother comes and almost takes Zettie away but is thwarted. The nice brother is found, tried for treason, and found not guilty. Zettie is freed by Ree.

#ReadingThoughts

My copy has no ribbon even though it’s hardcover. This displeases me.

Does Ree see Zettie as a human or a pet? I know that “Pet” can be a term of endearment but with things being as they are in the given situation it doesn’t sit well with me.

I don’t think that most women were married at 18 in 1763. Yes, those in a higher social status tended to marry when they were a bit younger than your average person but I don’t think Ree is that important. It’s not like they’re hanging out at Versailles. (A quick google search indicated that the mid 20s was more common and I will allow that the gentry/nobility would skew lower, but I don’t think your average 18 year old toward the bottom of the 2nd Estate would be thinking she’s an old maid at this age.)

Poor Zettie. She has absolutely no agency due to her age and enslavement. Everything is happening around her.

The break down of differences between being a French or English colony from the Amer-Indian perspective is interesting.

Lying to Ree when she laughs at the idea of selling Zettie is heartbreaking because even at 12 Zettie is more mature than Ree in some ways.

I never knew that Buffalo, NY was called Buffalo due to bastardized French.

“Freedom is the source of our happiness,” he says to someone who is enslaved.

Ree simply can’t understand that regardless of how the enslaved person is treated, it is an inherently violent practice.

Time out. I know they’re not saying that the French invented pockets. Wikipedia backs me up. The English had pockets in 1763. Even in the colonies. See the example from the V&A Museum below estimated to be from 1700-1749.

Smallpox blankets. Lovely. What’s a little casual biological warfare between friends.

Calling it- Ree and Armand are going to be a thing.

So a 12 year old just gets to duel a grown-ass man? And not in a learning context? We won’t even get into the power imbalances... WTF.

Is Ree really sick or is she knocked up? (Spoiler alert: she does not seem to be pregnant at the end of the book. That would, of course, be too scandalous but we’re circling back around to the in depth series I want where we can cater to a more grown-up audience. It would be SO JUICY! Is this a new segment? TV show wish list might be a new segment...)

I think the societal status also determines at what age spinsterhood sets in. I think the average age of first marriage was 19 or older.

Of course Ree sets her free. Of course she does.

Thoughts on the Afterward

The afterward VINDICATES ME because Ree and Armand do indeed end up together! I have no strong feelings beyond the

Overall Thoughts After Reading

It could be the lack of nostalgia but I felt meh about this one too. I’m noticing that that’s a trend out of the 4 I’ve read so far The two I read when I was younger have been more enjoyable for me. I probably would have liked it better if I’d read it 20 years ago but it was just meh.

I feel like closing the age gap between Ree and Zettie would he helped. Zettie seemed a lot more mature than Ree despite the 6 or 7 year age difference. That could have been the point, illustrating how much enslavement took away from a persons’ childhood but it didn’t work for me. It could also be because Zettie needed to be the same-ish age as the target demo but Ree needed to be older so they could get out of France. I just didn’t see this age gap being conducive to a true friendship as they want us to believe exists between the two.

Rating Scale

6/10 Dueling Pre-Teens

Other Possible Contenders: Soldiers’ Letters, (Not invented by the French) Pockets

Photo Credit:

Cover: Still me!

Pocket

#Dear America #read with me #There are a couple of bad language words #History #Historical Fiction #18th Century France #18th Century French Canadian Colonies

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

Is There a Posting Schedule? No. Come to Terms With That Fact.

Standing in the Light- 1763-1764, Catharine Carey Logan

(This edition is the best edition. There’s a reprint with yellow on the cover instead of green and the newest edition after the re-brand isn’t as good. None of them are.)

Protagonist Age: 12/13

Started- 1/4/2022

Finished- 2/21/2022

Summary: (I figure this might be a good idea to provide context for the #ReadingThoughts)

Quaker girl is terrified of Native American raids (which are retaliatory and fair [as much as any violence is] in context but terrifying for our protagonist). She gets ‘napped along with her little brother, resists integrating, and writes as a way of coping emotionally. After a few weeks/months she comes to see the Lenape as people and is further traumatized when her potential intended (another white person taken by the Lenape as a child and fully integrated into the society) and the rest of her adopted family are potentially murdered as she is “rescued.” Once reunited with her Quaker family she struggles to reintegrate because she is thoroughly traumatized.

#ReadingThoughts

I should figure out when to use thee vs thou vs thy vs thine. Today is not that day.

Catharine has a cute little crush on Jess Owens. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t last.)

How stressful to live in fear of constant attack. (Pointedly ignoring the general ongoing state of the world.)

Did I miss that they got knocked out when they were taken? I’m not understanding why she’s lost track of time already.

Not loving the pervasive racism so far but I know (spoiler alert 2) that she grows out of these views. I also understand why she feels that way but I don’t have to like it.

“Why do feel better? Surely not because of the medical aid provided. That was clearly torture.” Kid, you’ve got some trauma blinders on.

THAT’S RIGHT, CATHATINE! He speaks English! (That’s what I thought but it’s been 20 years since I read this book. Cut me some slack.)

How does she know the baby is a boy?

What's a trout lily? Why is it called that? (They're pretty. I did not find why.)

I’m surprised Caty hasn’t had more to say about the baby’s father.

Welp. That escalated quickly. “Oh, I don’t know. Do I feel anything for him?” Ten minutes later: “I love him!”

Why do I see Caty as Amy March from Little Women? Kirsten Dunst Amy, not Florence Pugh Amy. It might be the portrait on the cover.

Well. These poor kids have been through too much.

Papa is trying. He’s trying to let them say what they need to say and process their experiences. This series stans dads so far.

Thoughts on the Afterward

The epilogue gave some closure but I want my full sweeping romances. I’m holding out hope that my favorites hold up and there are minimal Yikes moments when re-reading two decades later. Of the four I’m thinking of off the top of my head, I’m pretty sure two have questionable age differences, one has a marriage of a side character at a potentially questionable age without a questionable age gap, and the last one starts out with a questionable age difference BUT it ends with a much less questionable age gap. We’ll see if I remember correctly.

BUT I DIGRESS

Overall Thoughts After Reading

I love me some Mary Pope Osborne. She's a good writer. I don’t know if I’d feel okay reading this book aloud due to the ... problematic way Amer-Indians are discussed. Caty goes on a journey and learns her worldview was skewed, but some of the language used is NOT okay to use today.

This is one of the oldies and a goody. I want a mini-series about her experience where everyone lives, she marries Snow Hunter, they get her dad’s approval after the fact, and everyone has closure and is happy. Is that so much to ask? Gosh!

(Really, I wouldn’t mind an impeccably researched and produced series exploring each of these books.) 

(Also, there might be a fun extra that goes with this book. Standby to see if I do anything with it.)

Rating Scale

7/10 traumatic experiences

Other possible contenders: Strawberries (I don’t remember why I wrote this down,) Winter/Bird Themed Names, Faith Crises.

Photo Credit:

Cover: Me again!

Trout Lily:  tinyurl.com/2p84j2b9

#Dear America #Read with me #Quakers #HIstory #Historical Fiction #No bad language words this time! Be proud of me!

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

Get In Losers. We’re Going Witch Hunting

I Walk in Dread- 1691(-1692), Deliverance Trembly

By Lisa Rowe Fraustino

Don’t judge the picture. Google had no images that I felt comfortable using license wise so I took a (bad) picture of my copy.

Age of Protagonist: 12

#ReadingThoughts

-Before I even start I am digging the Puritan names. First Remember Patience and now Deliverance (and I would come to find ANOTHER MEM!!).

-My edition looses points or not having a ribbon even though it’s hardcover. This negatively impacts my reading experience for Reasons.

-Hold it. Is her uncles’ name really Razor Strap? I know Puritans were big on using random phrases from the Bible for their naming, but is that really a phrase in the Bible? Also, Sister Mem had me confused it was Mem from the last book for a hot second.

-SO do Mem and Deliverance just live with their uncle? Just the three of them? (The answer I quickly found was yes.)

-I appreciate the lesson on town politics. That's important for the Salem area in 1692ish.

-I am confused by what’s happening with the year. Why is it Dec 31, 1691, then Jan. 1, 1691, and then Jan. 2, 1691/2. There is a bullshit explanation in the about the author section. If you’re worried about Accuracy when it comes to the Julian vs Gregorian calendar, put something in the text. You’re average grade schooler isn’t going to jump to that . If I remember correctly, there’s something about the Gregorian calendar differing from the Julian calendar in the Anastasia book that is handled better. Liv explains other things to the reader, why not this?

-Why is a 12 year old more responsible than a 17 year old? Especially in 1692. Mem should at least have a higher opinion of herself in the family hierarchy and be preparing to keep her own house as a wife.

-Again, I feel Mem should be more mature than Liv.

-Liv can use her sister’s boy-craziness to her advantage. Mem is willing to shovel shit if there are attractive members of the opposite sex in the vicinity.

-Allergies=Witchcraft. That explains so much about me and my life. Though I suppose it makes sense from a 17th century Puritan POV.

-Mem wants to be a stepmom to 9 kids all of whom are most likely closer to her age than she would be to the potential husband?  The last part might not be a big concern in the time period but good gracious that’s too many kids for my liking.

-Age update- some of the kids would be older than her or her age.

-I feel the average target reader would need an explanation of what “God’s Elect” means. Most 12 year olds don’t have a strong grasp on post-Reformation Protestant Theology.

-Poor Liv. She wants to fit un but is failing spectacularly.

-Is Liv going to be among the accused? She’s not on the best of terms with the accusers and has been or will be associated with at least three people who were accused and killed.

- They used the strong trick for loose teeth in the 17th century? I have no evidence or data to argue one side or the other but I am suspicious. Somewhat amused, but suspicious.

-I find the tithing man hilarious. I want a stick with a fuzzy rabbit foot on one end and a knob for whacking people on the other. Also, he deserved getting thumped back by the one guy,

-I am calling bullshit on Goody Corey sniffing out only girl scent. Either it’s a bit or she’s a witch, not her husband. (Spoilers: He’s accused and refuses to confess so the town can’t take his land and is pressed to death while trying to get a confession. Post reading note: I totally forgot/didn’t know that Goody Corey was also accused and killed.)

-I don’t know really anything about the real Goody Corey, but she seems like a stand-in for an enlightened modern person, above the provincial notions of witchcraft and the commonplace racism toward Amer Indians. I’m not saying everyone thought they were the devil, but a majority thought that they were superior to the indigenous peoples of the American colonies.

-Mr. Cooper’s letter is too vague! We need deets!

-Because this is told through Livs’ eyes everyone asking about their uncle and checking in on them comes off as invasive and nosy but as an adult, a twelve year old and a seventeen year old have been left on a farm by themselves for almost two months at this point is an issue. Is he ever coming back?

-WHAT!? Goody Corey has a bi-racial son born when she was estranged from her first husband? Prepare for a wikipedia tangent because I had to a a google to corroborate this. Wikepedia backs this up but what it doesn’t back up is the timeline. I read her as in her 40s or 50s in the book. According to wikepedia (don’t judge me, it’s good for basic facts and a starting point) she was 72ish in 1692 and this biracial son was her first child who would have been 50ish at this point and was born before Martha Corey was ever married. *End Tangent* Good for her though if she did indeed five her husband an earful after Liv left.

-Hold on. Mr. Cooper wants to talk to Uncle Razor Strap about Mem marrying Darcy, not him. Mem is gonna be devastated.

-Would electricity have been a concept a) known in 1692 and b) be well enough known that a random 12 year old in the colonies with little formal schooling would be comfortable enough using the phrase “electrical lightning.” No, I will not be googling this. Googling historical facts is one thing, googling sciencey things is another thing entirely,

-Did the girls hear the stories and then claim to have witnessed ZYX or did they independently corroborate the stories? One is much less suspect than the other.

-At this point I wonder will we ever meet Uncle Razor Strap? Is he dead? Is he trying to get back to Salem? Is he abandoning them?

-I feel the leap to “Am I a witch?” after having a weird dream about nursing a baby Sarah Goode is sensible as someone who has been about to call the Vatican several times when their period was late. In those cases clearly the only explanation was pregnancy, even when physically impossible just as being a witch is Livs’ conclusion here. 

-Hopefully the girls can just get out of the Salem area soon and the landlord giving them to the end of the month is a neat enough excuse.

-So Mem thinks that Goody Corey is a witch but is okay with Liv going over there?

-How scary it would be to worry that the one family member you have in the area, who should be protecting you because you’re 12, might accuse you of witchcraft.

-I am delighted the the horse can act as a chaperone. Really? Okay.

-How does the horse give permission to whisk a fainted person into the house? It’s a horse.

-So now Mem is forcing Liv to read her diary to her. Rude.

Thoughts on the Afterward

Meh. Mem marries Darcy but dies young so Liv gets her man. They return to Salem. They don’t go West like they talked about. Liv has a gagillion great grands. No one ever fount her journal. Meh. I’m happy she was happy and all but meh.

Overall Thoughts After Reading

It took almost 200 pages to get through four months. I think I just don’t care for the author. I should have liked this book. It ticks multiple boxes that should be my jam but something about it just... is a no for me. Maybe it’s because I have zero nostalgia for this book. It took me about 4.5 months to get through this book and finding it boring is one of them. No one seems like a well rounded character who has any growth. Last book Mem had a whole arc where she came to terms with losing her mother  but this time Liv didn’t really seem to change or grow.

I had high hopes. This book came out right as I was aging out of Dear America but I remember the hype around it on the Scholastic website. (Yes I was a wee nerd who hung out on the Scholastic website.) Sadly I was disappointed.

Also, we nope out of the actual trials. The first trial wasn’t held until JUNE. The book ends on April 30. Yes, we get to see the initial hysteria and flurry of accusations and arrests, but this was just the beginning. This seems like a cop-out.

Rating: 3/10 Sisterly Cat-Fights

Other contenders included False Accusations (this one seemed unfair because while I believe no one who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Hysteria was actually practicing witchcraft, I can’t say with confidence that the accusers were all lying. They may have believed honestly that they were afflicted by witches so calling them false accusations seem disingenuous.) and Bible Verses because Puritans. In the end, I had to honor the brutal way Mem and Live went after each other. Apparently in addition to being sickly, Mem was also small because how else could a 12 year old take her 17 year old sister like that. 

#Dear America #Read with me #Puritans #History #Historical #Deliverance Trembly #Salem Witch Hysteria #Salem Witch Trials #I get minorly sweary again. At this point just accept it.

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

Chronological Book the First

A Journey to the New World- 1620, Remember Patience Whipple 

By Kathryn Lasky

Age of Protagonist: 12

#ReadingThoughts

-15 is fully grown? Big oof although I suppose that at 12, 15 is very grown indeed

-Get yourself a person like Mr. Mem’s Dad. Not all men would take their wifes’ shitty petticoat topside on a 17th century transatlantic voyage and scrub it clean so she didn’t have to sit around in a nasty petticoat.

-I honestly can’t say which I’d rather deal with: Puking for two months straight or the runs for two months straight. Both sound awful.

-Will B. is sick and the doc says it’s due to a profane life. In what way is Will B. profane? He’s under 20, lives as a Puritan, and doesn’t seem that bad to me.

- Interesting how they instantly start planning defenses against the indigenous peoples. It’s not like they’re the ones new on the scene or anything.

- This book has a lot more gastrointestinal distress than I remember as an 11ish year old.

-Did Dorothy Bradford slip or was it grief induced suicide? Mem doesn’t know and neither do we. All we have is speculation on my part.

- At age 12 she is so set in knowing that she will marry and have children. I know for some people they don’t realize they want something different that the life that’s expected for them until they are older, but it must have been so difficult for Puritans who didn’t want these things or weren’t allowed to have what they wanted or didn’t fit the mold. I suppose they could leave but that would mean starting over completely from scratch with likely no support system.

- Standish shot an eagle? Was it a bald eagle? If so shame on the author for depicting what is now a federal offense without acknowledging it. (JK, I have totally almost hit a bald eagle on multiple occasions because it had a death wish and it is currently very much a federal offense to INTENTIONALLY harm a bald eagle. Which I have never done. It was all accidental and no bald eagles were harmed in the reading of this book.)

-So how long before Mam dies of TB?

-Poor Mem does indeed know too much of death for one so young even if it is the 17th century.

-Yeah, you get more responsibilities because Mam wants you to be able to run the house when she kicks the bucket. (Unfortunately I called it.)

-Mem isn’t in the wrong for being frustrated and Mistress Potts should have communicated better but Mem isn’t completely blameless because she doesn’t like the idea of her as a stepmom and Mistress Potts is grieving two major losses.

-Sarcastic summation of the view of Indigenous Peoples: Wow they’re so strong and healthy! Maybe we aren’t 100% right about everything all of the time!

-The scandal of taking off her coif in public seems odd to modern eyes for sure. I kinda think we should being back coifs/caps/hats in everyday usage... even if I feel that hats aren’t the most flattering on me.

Look at that embroidery! Isn’t it beautiful!? Probably too fancy for Puritans but it’s still gorgeous.

-I’m glad that Mem has worked through at least some of her grief and has come around more towards Hannah (Mistress Potts)

-Also there was an arc about Mem being the first kiddo in the settlement to have a stool and how it caused drama with one of the other girls but I apparently didn’t write down any thoughts on that which is a glaring omission on my part. Please judge me accordingly.

Overall Thoughts After Reading

I was expecting the representation of indigenous peoples to be a lot worse. I also prefer books with a romance to them and while there was mention of a couple of teens being sweet on each other it was so insignificant I can’t remember their names. I get it. Mem is 12. A major romance arc would be really weird and not good. I can be patient until we get to the books where the main character is older. In the mean time, give me Mr. Mem’s Dad’s story. Dude is a class act. Washes out his wife’s shitty petticoat less than 5 pages in. (Yes I am still hung up on that act of devotion.) Carves his girl a stool so she’s the first one with a stool in all the settlement. Finds love (?) or at least companionship with someone who understands to some extent what he’s gone through. I said it before and I’ll say it again: Find you a man like Mr. Mem’s Dad.

I thought it was good to show the toll loosing her mother had on Mem and that she had to work though a lot. She wasn’t sure about her dad remarrying but slowly started to come around. It had nothing do with who he was marrying and was completely about Mem not wanting to feel like her mother was being replaced. I’m glad that the afterward shows how close they became.

Also for a book about the founding of Plymouth Colony I thought there would be more on indigenous peoples and I was expecting it to be rough. What was here wasn’t great, but it could have been worse.

Thoughts on the Afterward

I always thought the afterwards were fun because you get to learn what happened to the person you just read a book about.

Much like the rest of the book, I thought it was fine. It was good that Kathryn Lasky acknowledged that not all of the Pilgrims were successful in Plymouth. This book was fine, but it wasn’t one of my favorites when I was first reading the series and I was in the target demographic. I don’t think it’ll be one of my favorites when I finish this read through.

Rating: 6/10 Shitty Petticoats

Possible rating contenders were water lily roots, Pilgrim hats, and questionable representations of indigenous peoples but it had to be shitty petticoats. Come on. What other option did I have realistically?

Photo Credit:

Book Cover: https://tinyurl.com/4cr7p8xk

Coif: https://tinyurl.com/22t53byz

#Dear America #Read with me #Pilgrims #History #Historical Fiction #Remember Patience is quite the name. #It may be a review of a kids book but I use a bad language word a couple of times.