Mercy Clifton

This book is based upon the real-life story 13-year old Mary Chilton, who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. Aimee Lilly narrates with believable emotion. Listeners will feel as if they're actually listening to an older Mercy Clifton describing how rough the voyage was across the Atlantic. Will things ever get better? Soon enough, listeners are transported back to the early settlements in the New World. This production is an excellent way to introduce children to that world and inspire history to come alive in their minds. T.D. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2011

Gr 3-6-In 1620, Mercy Clifton and her family journey from Holland to America aboard the Mayflower. Some travelers are looking for religious freedom in the New World, while others seek fortune, fame, or power. Mercy keeps a journal during their travels, and records the tales told by Jack Billington, a boy she fancies. When the group reaches the mainland, the Billingtons cause a great deal of trouble for the Pilgrims, as do the last settlers. War with the Native Americans seems inevitable. Bible passages and biblical messages are sprinkled throughout the tale. The crimson cross, a relic that has been passed along to a worthy person in each volume, is only mentioned briefly at the beginning of the story and not again until the end. Mercy is based on Mary Chilton, allegedly the first European woman to step ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts. This title combines historical facts with fiction for an engaging listen that might inspire students to do additional research on Plymouth's founding.-Lori A. Guenthner, Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Baltimore

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.