5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Written, Action-Packed, and Interesting, June 10, 2002
This review is from: Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony (Mass Market Paperback)
Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony is a terrific book. I loved it! Not only is it full of actual facts, such as the state of the colony after it is discovered to be abandoned, but it has actual historic figures: Sir Walter Raleigh, John White, and the first baby born in the new world, Virginia. It was interesting to read Sonia Levitin's view on what might have happened, too.
William is an ordinary English boy, apprenticed to a carpenter. But his master is not kind, and William runs away, branded as not only a runaway, but a thief as well (he is innocent as to the latter charge). He knows he must escape England before the police catch up with him, and when he arrives at an old friend's home, he discovers that a man named John White is going to establish a colony in the new world. This is William's chance, and he takes it.
Soon William finds himself on board a ship, headed for the new world. He must work to pay his passage, but he still enjoys it. He hears tales of the wild savages who hate the white men, and he meets many different people, with many different views of the voyage. He also discovers a stowaway, whom he befriends - Elizabeth.
When they reach the New World, the ship captain tricks them into landing at Roanoke, where indians are rumored to live, instead of peaceful Cheseapeake. William finds himself befriending the "savages" while establishing the new colony. While other colonist fear and hate the indians, William makes friends with them and even falls in love with one. But times are harsh, and not only are the colonists trying to prepare for winter, but they must protect themselves from other indians that hate the white men. William is caught up between the indians fear and hatred of the colonists and the colonists fear and hatred of the indians. Will he ever get the indians and white men to trust each other and get along?
The story is told with much description and it carefully depicts all the characters actions and feelings. It is a wonderful book with almost everything a reader could want. I reccomend it to anyone, especially people interested in history or the mystery of the disappearing Roanoke colony. Ages 9 and up, even grown ups would enjoy it immensely.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where Have They Gone?!, January 26, 2001
This review is from: Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony (Mass Market Paperback)
"Roanoke- A Novel of the Lost Colony" is about a 16 year old orphan Named William Wythers who lost both his parents and has no one left but his younger sister, Elizabeth. William is considered a beggar, idler, and vagabond. When he finds out there is to be a voyage to the New World, William is eager to go. When they finally arrive, the settlers meet a friendly Indian tribe called Crotoan. William then meets a Crotoan woman named Telana and falls in love. Telana and William have to put up criticism from the other settlers and some of the Indians. The Governor of settlement, John White, returns to England to get more supplies.
When John White finally returns from England with the supplies, he finds that no one from their settlement remains. Nobody knew what happened and we still don't know. This American mystery has come alive in Sonia Levitin's novel of the lost colony of Roanoke.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Novel, June 6, 2006
I have taught middle school social studies for seven years, and after stumbling across this book (on amazon) four years ago I quickly implemented its use in my eighth grade classes. As far as historical fiction goes, no other novel compares. I also use novels such as Chinese Cinderella, Farewell to Manzanar, Dragonwings, A Girl Named Disaster, A Bone From a Dry Sea, and My Brother Sam is Dead, among others, and they are all excellent; Roanoke, however, is in a class of its own.
The characters are well crafted, as is the plot, which seamlessly integrates historical facts about the expedition with the details that Sonia Levitin has woven in order to make the story a complete one. Both "sides" in the story (the English colonists and Native Americans) have positive and negative aspects, and William, the main character, is torn between the two worlds. The complexity of his situation makes for both a gripping read and a rich post-novel discussion.
There are only two true drawbacks about this novel: it is not currently being printed (which should be a crime), and it has not yet been made into a movie.
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