Loyalty

December 1, 2021
A 13-year-old Tory spies on the Sons of Liberty. When they overhear Noah's minister father read the line, "bless, and defend, and save the king" from a prayer book, neighbors in their small Massachusetts village storm the house and coat him in "boiling tar"; three days later he dies in agony. Noah, his mother, and his sisters flee to Boston, where they move in with Noah's great-uncle. Noah, determined to both support his family and defend his father's honor, takes a job in the Green Dragon, a tavern that is a known haunt of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, a group of rebel Whigs. There he works under Jolla, a young free Black man, who, as the rebellion churns on, challenges Noah's ideals of liberty and loyalty by pointing out how both sides enslave and coerce Black people. Noah's reaction to his father's horrific death, along with other characters' emotions throughout the novel, comes across as muted and distant; the journallike narration tells far more than it shows. Noah's relationship with Jolla feels like a plot device in which the latter functions as the wise, enlightened protector who educates the White boy about racism. Jolla devotes considerable energy to guiding Noah while confiding in him to an unrealistic degree. A climactic final scene follows a White savior script without questioning the underlying assumptions. A flawed attempt to examine Colonial America through a nuanced lens. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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Starred review from December 1, 2021

Gr 4-7-In 1774, Massachusetts was central to rising tensions between the Colonies and Britain. Thirteen-year-old Noah's family supports the King, but a friend's betrayal causes the family to be driven from their home after members of the Sons of Liberty beat Noah and tar and feather his father. It's no wonder then that once Noah, his mother, and sisters flee to Boston, the teen becomes a spy for the British. Noah's commitment to the Loyalist cause wavers as he sees hypocrisy and tyranny on both sides. His Black friend Jolla raises white Noah's awareness of British and American commitment to slavery. As Noah struggles to determine where his loyalty lies, his mother's words "think for yourself" guide him and will resonate with readers. While Noah witnesses the famous "shot heard round the world" at Lexington, the book is less about combat than the issues that stoke the fires of conflict, many of which are relevant today. His involvement in another historical event demonstrates that rapid-fire spread of inaccurate news is not a recent development. Avi paints a vivid portrait of the pubs, streets, and coastline of colonial Boston, fraught with danger due to rising tensions among the citizens. Noah's fate is left unresolved, suggesting there are no easy answers when choosing between right and wrong, but he is prepared to make his own decisions with confidence. VERDICT A fascinating, complex and rarely seen view of the American Revolutionary War; a first purchase.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2021
Grades 5-8 In his newest novel, Avi revisits the beginnings of the American Revolution, exploring the era from a young Loyalist's point of view. As the story opens, Noah's father--a Church of England pastor--proclaims support for the crown from his pulpit, setting off a series of events that result in his death and change the lives of his family forever. They move to Boston, where Noah earns his wages undercover in a Patriot-friendly tavern, spying for the British cause. There he meets Jolla, a young free Black man. Through their time together, as well as all he experiences in the months leading into the beginning of the war, Noah comes to the realization that, no matter what they profess, there is hypocrisy on both sides of the conflict. Confused and disillusioned, Noah must decide where he will stand. With his trademark eye for detail, Avi brings readers into the story's time and place, sparing no realities of war and dealing authentically with Noah's emotions. Inclusive and objective, the work delivers historical food for thought and a great read.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 20, 2021
Avi’s (Gold Rush Girl) story centers 13-year-old Noah Cope during the two years leading up to the American Revolution, tracing the steady unraveling of the boy’s devotion to his white family’s Loyalist stance as he witnesses—and experiences—events that begin to challenge his beliefs about England and the Sons of Liberty. When Noah’s pastor father is brutally tarred for proclaiming his loyalty to the British crown, the frightened Cope family leaves their small Massachusetts town for Boston. There, Noah, determined to avenge his father’s death, begins spying for the British army, posing as a worker in a tavern frequented by the Sons of Liberty. His boss, Jolla, is a free Black man who encourages Noah to question everything and think for himself, and the two slowly build a friendship in increasingly precarious conditions. Avi makes history immediate and accessible through Noah’s heartfelt voice, though conversations between Jolla and Noah, which address issues of slavery and freedom during that era, unfortunately perpetuate the idea that marginalized people are responsible for educating more privileged people about injustice. An author’s note discusses continuing controversy surrounding terms such as loyalty, patriots, and traitors. Ages 10–12. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman.

January 1, 2022
"On this day, my father was murdered because he said a prayer." So begins the saga of thirteen-year-old Noah Cope, who becomes caught up in the American Revolution. Noah's father had been a pastor and a Loyalist in the (fictional) town of Tullbury, Massachusetts. Upon his death, Noah's family moves to Boston, where the teen gets a job at the (nonfictional) Green Dragon tavern, spying for the British. There a coworker, Jolla, who is Black, becomes Noah's friend. He challenges Noah to think more about freedom, and Noah comes to realize how "tangled" everything is: "The rebels claimed they fought for liberty but tyrannized those who disagreed with them, such as my father. The British said they upheld English rights but denied them to others. Both sides supported slavery." At story's end, Noah and Jolla are loyal to each other, and for them, that is enough. Avi's narrative, told through dated entries beginning on April 1, 1774, and concluding on March 17, 1776, ebbs and flows with the tides of war, gaining intensity as the Battles of Lexington and Concord loom and slowing down during the doldrums of the long siege of Boston. The story is spiked with lively dialogue, especially effective as Jolla and Noah sort out how they feel about "being in a place where there are all kinds of slavery." An extensive author's note points out how the ideals of the American Revolution and definitions of the words patriot, traitor, and loyalty are still being debated today. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
"On this day, my father was murdered because he said a prayer." So begins the saga of thirteen-year-old Noah Cope, who becomes caught up in the American Revolution. Noah's father had been a pastor and a Loyalist in the (fictional) town of Tullbury, Massachusetts. Upon his death, Noah's family moves to Boston, where the teen gets a job at the (nonfictional) Green Dragon tavern, spying for the British. There a coworker, Jolla, who is Black, becomes Noah's friend. He challenges Noah to think more about freedom, and Noah comes to realize how "tangled" everything is: "The rebels claimed they fought for liberty but tyrannized those who disagreed with them, such as my father. The British said they upheld English rights but denied them to others. Both sides supported slavery." At story's end, Noah and Jolla are loyal to each other, and for them, that is enough. Avi's narrative, told through dated entries beginning on April 1, 1774, and concluding on March 17, 1776, ebbs and flows with the tides of war, gaining intensity as the Battles of Lexington and Concord loom and slowing down during the doldrums of the long siege of Boston. The story is spiked with lively dialogue, especially effective as Jolla and Noah sort out how they feel about "being in a place where there are all kinds of slavery." An extensive author's note points out how the ideals of the American Revolution and definitions of the words patriot, traitor, and loyalty are still being debated today.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)