Name: The Ransom of Mercy Carter
ISBN: 9780440227755

Caroline B. Cooney

In 1704, in the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, eleven-year-old Mercy and her family and neighbors are captured by Mohawk Indians and their French allies, and forced to march through bitter cold to French Canada, where some adapt to new li

The Ransom of Mercy Carter

Jeni Enjaian

A review from my old blog...

I found this book intriguing but at the same time came away from the book a bit dissatisfied.

I'll discuss some of the negatives first. I don't think that this book is appropriate for most children at the middle school level. There is nothing inappropriate or gratuitous in the book but Cooney describes with a coolness almost the dispatching of various prisoners on the march. Of course I realize that such actions actually occurred on that march/capture. I don't want students to be unaware of what happened but I think that some aspects of history should be discussed at later ages.

Now for the positives. Cooney deals with a lot of serious issues with admirable ease. In Mercy Carter she creates a believable and likeable character that struggles with very real issues.

The book is an excellent book, a pretty good read.