Blood on the River

Title: Blood on the River/James Town 1607

Author: Elisa Carbone

Rating: *** (3 stars out of 3 possible, "A")

Highly Recommended

Audience: 5th Grade and up

Ahh, I love to give out a well-earned "A"! This book is an excellent example of fiction (historical fiction) that is real literature: well-written with meaningful themes.

Necessities such as plot and character development are not overlooked. This book will appeal to boys and girls who love adventure, and they'll learn valuable history painlessly along the way.

I am so impressed with this book that I wrote a 9&1/2 page review in my journal! Let me do my best to condense it here:

Samuel Collier was a real orphan boy (age 11) chosen to sail to Jamestown as servant to Captain Johns Smith. Other boys accompanied other gentlemen on the trip and this novel explores their relationships and experiences. Elisa Carbone did her research well and the book offers an excellent portrayal of real-life struggles and realistic situations faced by the Jamestown colony between 1607-1610.

Themes include (for lack of explanatory space) anger management, teamwork, purposes of colonization, leadership styles, and class warfare. Religious details are appropriate in their historical context. Providence and the Almighty are called upon and credited, and prayer and worship are not only expected, but effective. Colonists are famously reminded "he who will not work will not eat!" You can imagine how pleased I am that my daughter's public school 5th grade is reading this book!

I am not aware of a better treatment of Jamestown for elementary and middle school grades. Elisa Carbone has written an outstanding piece of historical fiction that is engaging, accurate and applicable. She included actual quotes from Jamestown journals, and plenty of footnote references. Additionally, her protagonist's final act of maturity provides a satisfying plot twist to conclude the book.

This book lays an ideal foundation for discussions about colonization, Plymouth Plantation, the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and, ultimately, the concept of freedom that God himself has built into every human heart.

Read it! And talk with your kids about humility, leadership, freedom, responsibility, Providence and HISTORY!