Spy!

by Anna Myers

Overview

Coming of age during the American Revolution, Jonah is torn between honoring his Loyalist father's dying wish and taking up the cause of his Patriot neighbors. Inspired by his young, charismatic teacher, Nathan Hale, Jonah begins to question his family's beliefs. When a decision he makes leads to Nathan's execution, Jonah must live with the damage he has caused and learn to fight for what he knows to be right. Anna Myers's revolutionary war tale brings fresh meaning to the words "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country," blending all the excitement that comes with battle and espionage with a thought-provoking plot about Jonah's ethical dilemma.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802797421
Publisher:	Walker & Company
Publication date:	09/02/2008
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Anna Myers is the author of more than one dozen books, including, most recently, Wart. Tulsa Burning was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and Assassin was an Oklahoma Book Award winner. Anna lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

www.annamyers.info.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5-8

Myers's novel about Nathan Hale shows the human side of history by using fictional characters to tell a story of everyday people caught up in monumental events. The perspective switches between that of Hale, a young schoolteacher, and his student Jonah, a 12-year-old orphan taken in by Nathan's wealthy cousin, Samuel. All of New London, CT, is talking about the dumping of British tea into Boston Harbor, and the townspeople are slowly dividing themselves into loyalists and patriots. Though Mr. Samuel is a Tory, Jonah is unsure of his own feelings. Eventually, Nathan joins General Washington's army as an officer and reluctantly agrees to take the dishonorable assignment of spying on British troops in New York City. Meanwhile, Samuel moves his family there, seeking a haven from the persecution loyalists are receiving. When Jonah runs into Nathan and confronts him, Nathan feels forced to reveal the truth about his work. Thinking his mentor deceitful, a devastated Jonah spills the story to Samuel. Soon after, Nathan is arrested, charged with treason, and sentenced to hang. Though Samuel suddenly has the money to journey to England, Jonah, feeling responsible for his teacher's death, instead heads for Washington's army. Set against clearly delineated historical events, the story employs personal thoughts and feelings to show the conflicts facing the colonists. This well-written novel is a good supplement to American history studies.-Diana Pierce, Leander High School, TX

School Library Journal

It's tough to provide any suspense in a story about Nathan Hale, whose hanging for being a spy is so well known, so Myers invents a young student of Hale's from his Connecticut classroom to carry readers' interest. Jonah Hawkins is eager to learn, but too poor to pay school fees. Hale has arrived to teach at the local school and proceeds to ask his own brother, Samuel, a known Tory with a business connection to the Hawkins family, to provide for Jonah. When their father dies, Samuel's feeling of responsibility extends to practically adopting Jonah and his pretty, older sister, Mercy. The politics of war and rebellion are explored as this small community hears the news of the likely war to come. As the militias convert to an actual army under General Washington, Hale joins to support the cause even as his brother and Jonah head for the British stronghold in New York. Somewhat bland and idealized in the historical detail, the ethical dilemmas involved are nevertheless crisply conveyed, as is Jonah's admiration for his hero. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews