For most people, the story of the Revolutionary War in the United States is about the efforts of the American colonies to gain independence from England. It is also the story of the patriots who fought this battle. In this unique book, we hear a new voice and a different story.

Prudence, or Pru, Emerson is the daughter of a shopkeeper in Green Marsh, Massachusetts. It is 1774 and disgruntled colonists have dumped boxes of tea into Boston Harbor, protesting what they consider to be unacceptable taxes. The people in Green Marsh find themselves divided. There are those who support the pro-independence "Patriots" and those who believe they must continue to be loyal to King George, the "Tories." It is their belief that the king is appointed by God to watch over them, to protect them. To defy the king is to question the 'correct' order of things.

The division in Pru's village causes great unhappiness and hardship. Pru's father is losing customers and his children can no longer attend the village school because of their teacher's antagonism to Tories. Acts of violence are committed against Tories, including the Emerson family. Pru's best friend, Abigail, belongs to a Patriot family that shuns all Tories. For the first time since they were very little, Pru and Abigail are separated. The story of Pru's family and the eventual removal from their village to Boston is both interesting and disturbing. We are reminded that there are always two sides to a story.

   --- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber