Nathaniel Dunn, an 11-year-old boy, arrives in America to find a New World filled with hardship and loss. His mother dies of ship fever, and his father abandons him, selling himself and Nathaniel into indentured service to pay their passage.
On a Virginia plantation where he serves, Nathaniel gains a friend - Moses, an African slave. Moses looks after Nathaniel, and Nathaniel teaches Moses the alphabet. The plantation master declares bankruptcy and sells everything, separating Nathaniel and Moses.
A blacksmith buys Nathaniel’s contract at auction, then loses his temper and beats Nathaniel. Basil Wilkinson, a school teacher, takes pity on Nathaniel, and sells valuable books to scrape together enough money to outbid the blacksmith for Nathaniel’s contract. In return, Nathaniel offers Basil his grandfather’s German flute, but Basil teaches him to play it.
Nathaniel goes to Williamsburg to live with Basil. He begins an apprenticeship to a Williamsburg carriage house where he meets Ben, a young idealist. Conflict develops quickly and the reader roots for Nathaniel and his friends as the carriage shop becomes caught up in opposing Loyalist and Patriot sympathies.
An historical novel written for grades four through middle school, Give Me Liberty is an excellent supplement to social studies curriculum, adding rich detail of daily life in Colonial America. Elliott captures the struggle of the era through her portrayal of common people living out their lives in a period of social upheaval.
Elliott's characters display a strong sense of loyalty mixed with desire for self-determination. Nathaniel questions whether the revolution fueled by Patrick Henry’s words, “Give me liberty or give me death,” will apply to slaves like Moses: “If Moses is fighting for the British to secure his liberty, something wasn’t right with the patriot cause.”
Her style is fun to read and filled with delightful descriptions such as this of Basil: “He was an angular, older man, all elbows and knees it seemed, like a grasshopper…., and his eyebrows were hairy and a bit wild, sticking almost straight up.” Readers who’ve had the pleasure to know Latin teachers can easily imagine Basil’s mixture of humility and wit. As an added bonus, Elliott includes period English lyrics “borrowed” by the Colonist’s and reworded as Patriot songs.
Article comments
1 - Karen
Vicki, I enjoyed your review. This sounds like a book I'd recommend to the kids I know, as well as to homeschooling parents everywhere.
2 - Vicki McCollum
Thanks, Karen. I enjoyed the way she describes the time and place. She really brings it to life.
3 - Teen book reader
Great book on some Revolutionary War history that many may not know. New book by this author is coming out in late August, 2009: "A Troubled Peace." It's the sequel to "Under a War-torn Sky."