A Newbery Honor Book A National Book Award Nominee An ALA Notable Children's Book Jane Addams Children's Honor Book Mark Twain Award Phoenix Award Honor Book "A moving junior novel. How Sam's fate occurs. is the wrenching part in this story of how the Revolutionary War affects the Meekers, a nonpartisian family of the Tory town of Redding, Connecticut. The story is told through the young Tim Meeker, who guardedly watches the war edge closer and closer until it engulfs his family. A sobering tale that will leave readers with a more mature view of history and war." -- Booklist , starred review "Young Tim Meeker looks on as his Loyalist father and older brother Sam, a 'rebel' partisan, confront each other but can never make much sense of the political controversy. Assumes for once that children can think." -- New York Times Book Review "With its sharp revelation of the human aspects of Revolutionary War life and its probing of political views and divided loyalties, this stirring and authoritative novel earns a place beside our best historical fiction.

A memorable piece of writing." -- Horn Book.