Friends of Liberty by Beatrice Gormley was written for a younger audience but i throughly enjoyed the non-stop adventure, friendship and suspense that is from start to finish. I loved that the relationshiip is between two young girls from totally different backgrounds who fight to continue their friendship even when danger seperates them. The loyalty of the youngsters to each other despite their different stations in life shows the possibility of what could be in a world full of animosity. This is an excellant book for any young reader. It not only has a good story line but it is also rich with history. Are there no limits to what could happen when four youngsters find themselves in a life or death situation and the results of asking for help are also too devistating? ( )

The concept of this book would lead to excellent subject-specific reading if the writing weren't so poor. Kids deserve the same level of craft from their authors as adults and shouldn't have to slog through trite drudgery. ( )

Our fifth grade does a research project in which students explore the perspective of 3 different stakeholders in the American Revolution. This is hard to do. The kids already know the outcome and struggle to see why someone would side with the British. Other than a Dear America book, I’ve found nothing that explores how American Independence impacted kids. Sally, a shoemaker’s daughter is befriended by Kitty, a wealthy Tory merchant’s daughter. This book explores not only their friendship in Boston and the differences in lifestyle of the two, but how the quest for independence impacted other family members. Kitty’s nerdy private school brother is tarred and feathered. Sally’s cousin is imprisoned because they were going to attack a warehouse in the name of American liberty. This book will help kids understand that these were real problems and impacted friends. ( )

Great read for young readers interested in early American history. Many of the issues faced by colonists are similar to today's issues. The importation of cheaply made English products threaten the colonists livelihood. This would make a great class reading. ( )

I'm happy to be able to add this book to my classroom library. I will probably be able to convince some girls to read it with the bribe of extra credit. (We just finished learning about the Boston Tea Party and are starting the American Revolution). Unfortunately it's just not that great. The writing is predictable and rather poor. However, it will add to the knowledge middle school students have of Revolutionary War-time America.