The Keeping Room

December 1, 1997
Gr 4-6-Although the basic material will be familiar to many readers of historical fiction-a young boy comes of age during war time-this is nevertheless a well-written and thought-provoking addition to the genre. Joseph Kershaw is almost 13 when his father goes off to lead the American rebels against the British. Soon the town (Camden, South Carolina) is not only occupied by the hated Redcoats, but Joey's house is also chosen to be the headquarters of General Cornwallis and his men. They are a rough and uncouth lot and, to everyone's disbelief and horror, they begin hanging colonial soldiers in the family garden. Joey must struggle with many conflicting feelings. Must he join in the surrender of the town? How can he suppress his desire for revenge against the British while his mother urges compliance? How can any cause be worth the slaughter of men? To his amazement, he comes to respect one of the enemy, a young captain who looks out for the Kershaws. Despite some obvious bows to political correctness-a subplot concerning Joey's growing distaste for slavery and his realization that his sister deserves the same educational opportunities as he has-and some stock secondary characters (the sadistic soldiers, the weepy but noble mother, the loyal slaves who are the only characters to speak in dialect, the pacifist Quaker teacher)-the story is bolstered by a likable and believable protagonist and sound historical details and atmosphere.-Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA

November 1, 1997
Gr. 4^-7. When his father rides off to war, 12-year-old Joseph is left "to guard the family and our home," a difficult task given that his father is captured in battle, the redcoats march on Camden, South Carolina, and Cornwallis chooses Joseph's home for his headquarters. Torn between his promise to his father, the wisdom of his Quaker tutor, and his own mixed emotions about war in general and his captors in particular, Joseph takes action when he must and takes the consequences as well. He learns that revenge carries an unexpected price, and he emerges changed by his experiences. Told from Joseph's point of view through narrative and letters, the story has plenty of action to keep it going and enough reflection to give it meaning. At times, twentieth-century thinking seems superimposed on eighteenth-century characters, but readers will find Joseph sympathetic as he goes from the young master of the house to little more than a servant of the British, finally becoming his own master at last. ((Reviewed November 1, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)