The Secret Mission of William Tuck

Starred review from June 1, 2015
A 12-year-old boy is given the power to change the tide of the Revolutionary War. In June 1781, America's push for independence looks bleak. British forces are rampaging across the Colonies, devastating towns, executing Patriot dissidents, and destroying homes. The dollar is worthless, the Continental Army is in shambles, and the people are beginning to doubt a victory is even possible. But when William Tuck is entrusted with a secret message that could change the tide of the war, he does not falter. He is joined in his quest by 16-year-old Rebecca Townsend, who helps him understand the language of spies. Together they must travel more than 300 miles to New York, where Gen. George Washington is encamped, ready to engage the British forces. The familiar events and historical figures surrounding the birth of the United States are made personal in this riveting story of one boy's unparalleled courage. While the focus is on the bravery of the men and women who fought for independence, Pierpoint makes it clear that even an honorable war is brutal. Slavery, lynchings, and tarring and feathering are just a few of the atrocities explored. An afterword contextualizes the factual information contained in the story. Richly detailed and exhilarating. (Adventure. 8-12)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 5-7-In 1781, 12-year-old William Tuck, son of a modest Virginia farmer, sees his older brother executed by a British firing squad. Rage and grief propel him to run away to join the militia as a drummer. Accompanied by Rebecca, the resourceful daughter of a captured patriot, he encounters notable figures from the Revolutionary period, including James Armistead and Peter Francisco. Together they smuggle a secret message to Gen. George Washington in Dobbs Ferry, thus securing victory at the Battle of Yorktown. A series of risky encounters gives them a crash course in spy rings and cryptography, and Rebecca's need to go undercover as a boy highlights gender roles of the time. The action is unrelenting, if sometimes repetitive, and the fast pace combined with nonstop violence and unflinching descriptions of unsavory aspects of 18th-century medicine and combat will engage readers who may not normally choose historical fiction. Instructive end notes provide an extension to the novel. Unfortunately, character development is limited, and some topics cry out for more nuance. For example, an encounter with the Seneca reveals that the protagonists view the Native Americans as "dangerous savages." Though the white protagonists' opinion is historically authentic, Pierpoint misses the opportunity to provide broader context for why some of the Seneca would side with the loyalists, and readers are left unaware of Washington's horrific reprisals. Similarly, the irony of repeated calls for freedom by slave-owning patriots is barely explored. VERDICT A purchase with kid appeal that should be balanced with offerings that provide broader perspectives.-Laura Simeon, Open Window School Library, WA

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