Product Description

In 1754, with her own parents taken captive, twelve-year-old Rebecca must confront her fear and hatred of the Abenaki when a boy raised by members of that tribe is brought to the fort at Charleston, New Hampshire, just before a series of thefts occurs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #740824 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 163 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Rebecca Percy's parents and baby brother have been kidnapped by the Abenaki Indians on the dangerous 1754 New Hampshire frontier, leaving Rebecca and her sister to seek shelter at Fort Number 4 with kindly Widow Tyler. The work is hard, but Rebecca never gives up hope that her family might have been sold to the French, who often ransomed captives back to the English. She reacts with fear and disgust, however, when the woman takes in Isaac, a white boy who has been raised by the Abenakis and remains loyal to them. Shortly after his arrival, a series of thefts occur among the settlers. Of course, Isaac is the logical suspect. The plot is carefully built with interesting and well-researched historical details. The mystery is also well crafted, and children will enjoy gathering clues and trying to guess the outcome. Characterizations are strong, with believable growth. For example, Rebecca develops empathy for the Abenakis, moving from a hateful attitude toward a greater understanding of their desperate situation. The relationships between the Native people and the settlers are complex, and are responsibly and respectfully presented.
Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. This entry in the History Mysteries series, set just before the outbreak of the French and Indian War, provides both a glimpse at social history and a powerful message about prejudice. In 1752, 10-year-old Rebecca Percy and her little sister watch from a hiding place as the Abenaki Indians take their parents captive. The horror leaves the sisters with a bone-deep hatred for the Indians--and two engraved spoons from England, which figure in the mystery. The girls are taken to live with the Widow Tyler in Fort Number Four in New Hampshire. Their lives (and the lives of others in the small community) are disrupted again by the arrival of a 14-year-old "white Indian" boy, captured by the Indians when he was small and now totally assimilated into Abenaki culture. When the girls' precious spoons are stolen and Indians raid the fort, the boy is suspected of both thievery and treachery. Rebecca's efforts to search out the truth put her in satisfyingly heart-stopping danger. An overview of the French and Indian War follows the story. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A wonderful new History Mysteries book.
All ten-year-old Rebecca Percy and her younger sister Selinda could do was watch in horror from their hiding place as Abenaki Indians captured their parents and baby brother and burned their New Hampshire frontier home to the ground one dark night in 1752. Two years later, the sisters live with the kind Widow Tyler at a nearby fort. Rebecca helps with chores, and Selinda has hired herself out as a maid to the cruel Cutter family. At the same time that the sisters learn that the Cutters plan to return to civilization before Selinda's contract is up, and plan to take Selinda with them, the soldiers bring a boy rescued from captivity among the Abenaki to the fort. Widow Tyler takes the boy, Isaac, in. But after spending most of his childhood in captivity, Isaac is more Indian than English, and seems to want to return to the Abenaki family that adopted him after he was captured. Rebecca doesn't understand how Isaac, torn from his home to live among the people who killed his family, would chose to remain with his captors rather than return to the society he was born into. After a series of thefts in the fort, Rebecca is quick to suspect Isaac, especially after the one thing that she may be able to sell to buy back Selinda's contract is stolen. To find out what happens next, and to discover who the real thief is, and to find out if Rebecca can save Selinda, read this book! It's a wonderful new book from the History Mysteries series that I recommend to readers who enjoy historical fiction. In fact, it is one of my favorites from the series.

Mixed Reactions
ENEMY IN THE FORT provides a vivid glimpse of life on the New England frontier during the French and Indian War. The action begins in 1752, when Rebecca and Selinda are left homeless after an Indian raid on their family's farm. Their parents and baby brother are taken captive and their home is burned down. The girls are taken in by a sickly widow who lives inside the nearby fort. By 1754, Selinda has become indentured to another family living in the fort. At this time, the widow takes in Isaac, a settler boy who has been recaptured after being raised by the Indians. As the story develops, the family Selinda is indentured to decides to move to Connecticut. They insist on taking Selinda with them. Further, things have been disappearing from settler homes inside the fort, and some of the settlers are openly hostile towards Isaac. Rebecca's effort to prevent her sister from being taken away becomes entangled in the series of thefts. Is Isaac responsible for the thefts? Can Rebecca keep Selinda from being separated from her?

As with other tales in the "History Mystery" series, the reader is drawn into a genuine historical setting. The problems faced by the young protagonists are real and their resolution requires courage and resolve. This particular story also has a rather involved plot and requires the main character to re-examine some deeply held feelings and beliefs. In short, there's plenty here to hold your attention.

I read this book with my daughter. She pushed to keep reading, so I know it caught and held her interest. When we finished it, however, her comment was that she didn't like it as much as some other books in the series, mostly because she didn't like the ending. I can understand her feelings. Some aspects of the story aren't tied up as neatly as a young reader might wish. For example, no immediate price is paid for the theft of Rebecca's spoons, nor does she recover them. The outcome is realistic, given the circumstances, but not entirely satisfying. I, on the other hand, thought the involved plot, complex characterization, and realistic ending made this one of the best books in the "History Mystery" series. You be the judge. At the least, I think you'll find this story isn't easy to put down.