Ann's Story: 1747 (Colonial Williamsburg(R)) [Hardcover]

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Colonial Williamsburg(R)

Nine-year-old Ann McKenzie is learning how to knit, cook, manage a household, and behave like a proper young woman. She would rather assist her father, Dr. Kenneth McKenzie, with his patients and work in his apothecary. Ann knows it's unheard of for a woman to be a doctor. But there must be some way for her to care for people as her father does

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Nine-year-old Ann McKenzie longs to be a doctor like her father, the Williamsburg apothecary. Redheaded, impulsive, bright, eager, and caring, Ann is much more interested in visiting patients than in learning the proper duties of a young woman of her times. Though the tone is a bit didactic, the protagonist is a likable heroine and the plot is fast paced-from the burning of the capitol to the rise of a smallpox epidemic. The construct of a story within a story-as if being told to modern-day schoolchildren visiting Colonial Williamsburg-is awkward and unnecessary, though once Ann's tale begins, it flows. Historical notes on Williamsburg, childhood, and medicine in the Colonial period; a detailed map; and several recipes are included. A concerted effort has been made to separate fact from fiction-unlike the treatment in the "Dear America" series (Scholastic). The foreword explains that the main character was a real person. For fans of the "Felicity" books (Pleasant Company), also set in Williamsburg, this is a must read; for other historical-fiction buffs, it's an acceptable choice.
Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Selected by Parent Council as outstanding and reviewed in the Fall/Winter 2000 issue of Reviews from Parent Council.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (April 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385326734
• ISBN-13: 978-0385326735
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,387,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book About Colonial Life:, April 2, 2000

By 

Joan Maydet - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ann's Story: 1747 (Colonial Williamsburg(R)) (Hardcover)

This is a great book, and I'd reccommend it to anyone who loves reading about history and learning more about Colonial Williamsburg. I think it's a great book about a girl named Ann who's living in Colonial Williamsburg, and dreams of helping her father in the apothacary instead of becoming a gentlewomen. Read this book now! You'll enjoy it! I did!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ann's Adventures, June 29, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Ann's Story: 1747: YOUNG AMERICANS Colonial Williamsburg (Colonial Williamsburg(R)) (Paperback)

This is a book about a girl whose name is Ann and she's 9 years old. She lives in Colonial Williamsburg and she wishes she could be a doctor but she can't because she's a girl. Matthew Davenport is Ann's best friend's brother. He likes to tease the younger children about anything that would scare them. When the Capital burns, Matthew frightens Ann by telling her she will have to move to a swamp to a house with a dirt floor and poisonous snakes. Soon people start coming down with smallpox, so Ann can't go to crowded places anymore.

One time, after church, Matthew tells her there's going to be a really crowded festival where Native Americans are dancing to drums, which is illegal. Matthew thinks it would be so cool to see it because he wants some adventure. He says she'll be too scared to go. Ann decides she'll prove him wrong.

I really like this book because it has a lot of adventure and Ann is always getting into mischief. If you read this book I think you'll really like it.

Sarah Tiedemann

5.0 out of 5 stars Ann's Story, September 27, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Ann's Story, 1747 (Nixon, Joan Lowery. Young Americans.) (Hardcover)

Ann McKenzie is a nine years old girl who lives in Colonial Williamsburg. Her mother thinks is time for her to behave like a proper young woman. She has to learn to knit, to cook, and to manage a household, but what Ann really wants to be is a doctor like her father, Dr. McKenzie. Ann wants to learn mathematics, most important she wants to learn Latin. So one day she went to her friend, Peachy's house and Peachy's brother, Matthew is stuck on mathematics and when Matthew realize that she is good at math and Ann tells him she wants to learn Latin, so they made a deal, if Ann write his homework , he will teach her Latin. So they keep it a secret. One day the people in Williamsburg got smallpox. Even Ann's family, so Ann is the only one in her family who has not got smallpox right now. So she has to take care of them. When her family is better Ann's father now know she is a very good doctor, and after Ann help Matthew's family get better Matthew realize Ann is a very nice girl. Matthew use to tease kids that are younger than him like Ann. Ann finally had prove that she can be a good doctor too.
It is a very good book. I think you would like it once you read it. I think women can be doctor too, I think is also not fair that only men can to some stuff that women can't do that time.