4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not a Superb book, But not a bad one Either, October 20, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: War Comes to Willy Freeman (Arabus Family Saga) (Paperback)
Book Review on War Comes to Willy Freeman by James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier, Fiction
During the Revolutionary War, Wilhelma Freeman's (Willy, for short) mother is taken by the British so that she can care for their clothes as a washerwoman. That leaves Willy, a black slave, alone because her father had died a free man when fighting the British as a minuteman. Willy, a perseverant 13-year old girl, disguises herself as a boy and tries to find her mother through blizzards, bare feet, and other hazards. All along the way, Willy is stalked by Captain Ivers, who doesn't believe that she, or any of his slaves, should be free.
Willy is a perseverant girl. In trying to find her mother and escape from the clutches of Captain Ivers, she walks through snowstorms with bare feet, and at one point, she jumps into a river in the middle of winter to escape detection. She wasn't a very lively character. Her actions revolved around working in a tavern and looking for her mother. She didn't too much else so the book felt boring and repetitive.
During her quest for her mother, she befriends Sam, a middle-aged tavern owner. He is the most humorous character in the book. He has a few funny lines, but mostly he is business-like and serious. As Willy's boss, he helps Willy by paying her for her work at the tavern and providing her a place to say.
Captain Ivers is a cruel slavemaster, who hates even the thought of a slave being free. When Willy's father died as a free man, Willy earned her freedom; however, Captain Ivers does anything in his power to stop Willy, even arresting her uncle, who became a free man after fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Throughout the story, Willy perseveres on in her search for her mother. The book wasn't my favorite, because it doesn't dip too deeply into the character's lives and thoughts, and sometimes the characters get a bit repetitive (however, it wasn't a book I hated). There isn't very much humor, but when there is, it's pretty funny. The book can get a bit serious at times, and one warning: there is a use of language and derogatory terms throughout the book.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
War Comes to Willy Freeman, December 4, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: War Comes to Willy Freeman (Arabus Family Saga) (Paperback)
War Comes to Willy Freeman, an historical fiction novel by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It takes place in Groton and New York in the early 1770's. Some of the main characters are Willy Freeman, Pa Freeman, and Ma Freeman; however a terrible war between the British and the Americans will tear their family apart.
When Willy witnesses the death of her father at the hands of the British and her mother being captured, she finds herself running away from home. Disguised as a boy, Willy travels all the way to new Yourk to find her mother dead as well. The reader will enjoy this interesting story filled weth action, description, and suspense. Readers of all ages will enjoy this fantastic novel.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
War Comes to Willy Freeman, June 13, 2001
A Kid's Review
This review is from: War Comes to Willy Freeman (Arabus Family Saga) (Paperback)
In this book you will meet Willy, Lucy, Jordan, Captain and Mrs Iveres, Horance, and Sir Fraunses. The main character is Willy Freeman. Willy goes on an amazing adventure to find her mother after her mother is taken aboard a prision ship. She stops at alot of places during her long search for her mother like, Mrs and Captain Iveres place, then she stops at Sir Frauses tavern where she stays for 2 whole years. After her fellow helper Horance finds out that she's a girl and not a boy he starts treating her like a slave. Then when the war ends she finds out that her mother is very ill, and Captain Iveres doesen't want to call up the doctor to see what's wrong with her. That's all the information that I'll give you. You'll have to read to find out what happens to Willy's mom.
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