A well researched revolutionary war story that centers on the battle of Minisink Ford. Does a good job of bringing the time period and day to day lives of colonial citizens to life, in quite a short book. Not all that fast paced, but a solid read. ( )

The year is 1779 and critically wounded 16-year-old Noah Daniels, through a series of flashbacks, describes the events prior to a violent battle between the local militia and a Mohawk raiding party. Bibliography.

There aren't enough children's books on the American Revolution, so it's good to see a new one on the shelves. I liked this one, just not as much as [b: Woods Runner|6795756|Woods Runner|Gary Paulsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320552751s/6795756.jpg|7000800] or [b: My Brother Sam is Dead|122756|My Brother Sam Is Dead|James Lincoln Collier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328867125s/122756.jpg|1207057]. The interesting thing about this book is that it starts in the present, then goes back a few days, and works forward to the present.

When the story opens (and it's a short one), 16-year-old Noah is wounded in the woods and stumbles upon a wounded indian. At first he's angry, but then he feels compelled to help the indian since he has a medical bag with him. The indian has a scar on his face, so that's the name Noah gives him.

As the two lie there, sick and wounded, not knowing whether they will live or die, Noah thinks about how all of this started two days earlier. His settlement is raided by a group of Tories and indians. They burn houses, steal livestock, and kill a few people. A group of militia men get together and decide to go after them. Noah feels it's his duty to go along. Unfortunately, the attack does not go as planned, and Noah barely escapes alive. That's how he ends up lying on the ground with an indian in the woods.

As with so many historical fiction books that I read, the afterword is more fascinating than the story itself. That's how I know the story could have been better. It's definitely worth adding to your Revolutionary War bookshelf though. ( )