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BETSY ZANE

Name: BETSY ZANE
Author: Lynda Durrant
ISBN: 0-395-97899-8

THE ROSE OF FORT HENRY

by Lynda Durrant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2000

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A 13-year-old girl named Betsy Zane won the last battle of the American Revolution—the battle of Fort Henry in September of 1782. Upon the death of her grandmother, Betsy left Philadelphia and all her family’s inheritance to return to the Virginia wilderness. Three of her brothers—Eb, Silas, and Jonathan—were already there, fighting off “savages” and British marauders. With the help of the Crofter family—runaway slaves of Scottish origin—she reaches her brothers only to receive an icy reception. Only Isaac, who has married a Wyandot Princess and is caught between life as a white man and a Shawnee, understands Betsy’s need to live an independent life. When war finally arrives at their doorstep, every man, woman, and child finds shelter at Fort Henry. In sum, there are only 45 defenders to fight against 260 warriors and 40 Queen’s Rangers. The odds are poor, but the Zanes refuse to surrender the fort and it’s Betsy who insists upon running 40 yards to a blockhouse in order to obtain needed gunpowder. This courageous tale weaves in historical data from 17 sources, heightening the senses with details that bring each action to life. The rose, which is brought from Philadelphia to Virginia and survives, mirrors Betsy Zane’s fiercely independent personality and desire to make her own way in the world. A real winner in every sense of the word. (extensive afterword, sources) (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2000

ISBN: 0-395-97899-8

Page Count: 175

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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IMPERFECTIONS
by Lynda Durrant

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MY LAST SKIRT
by Lynda Durrant

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THE SUN, THE RAIN, AND THE APPLE SEED
by Lynda Durrant

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THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING

by Shelley Pearsall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2015

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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Traumatized by his father’s recent death, a boy throws a brick at an old man who collects junk in his neighborhood and winds up on probation working for him.

Pearsall bases the book on a famed real work of folk art, the Throne of the Third Heaven, by James Hampton, a janitor who built his work in a garage in Washington, D.C., from bits of light bulbs, foil, mirrors, wood, bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard—the titular seven most important things. In late 1963, 13-year-old Arthur finds himself looking for junk for Mr. Hampton, who needs help with his artistic masterpiece, begun during World War II. The book focuses on redemption rather than art, as Hampton forgives the fictional Arthur for his crime, getting the boy to participate in his work at first reluctantly, later with love. Arthur struggles with his anger over his father’s death and his mother’s new boyfriend. Readers watch as Arthur transfers much of his love for his father to Mr. Hampton and accepts responsibility for saving the art when it becomes endangered. Written in a homespun style that reflects the simple components of the artwork, the story guides readers along with Arthur to an understanding of the most important things in life.

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)