This story centers on 13 year old Samuel and takes place in the British Colony of Pennsylvania. Samuel and his parents live on the frontier. They are probably “well educated” by frontier standards meaning they can read and write. Samuel is off hunting bear when he notices smoke coming for the general area of where his family and other settlers live.  By the time he races home, he finds most of the cabins burned and many of the inhabitants slaughtered.  His family was not among the corpses. He buries the dead and then determined to rescue his parents, he begins tracking the survivors.

This story, however, is not simply historical fiction.  Each chapter is preceded by a non-fiction page telling about the Revolutionary War and its consequences for the people in the colonies. This information places the story events in a historical setting and thusly provides an aura of authenticity to the story.  As in other Paulsen books, the adventures Samuel undergoes, as he rescues his parents and a young girl whose family and home he had witnessed being destroyed by English sympathizer Indians,  are breathtaking and quite suspenseful.

The book will have great appeal for young male readers familiar with this author’s previous works. I highly recommend this also for any social science unit on the Revolutionary War. Fast read only 164 pages.

The sisters, 13 year old Millie and her younger sister Maura, know they have to escape from the village to seek safety. Millie recalls her father’s stories about settlements down the river. With meager supplies and little equipment the sisters set out to find safety.  The journey through the wilderness is harrowing and frightening to say the least. The stamina and courage each girl musters will hold every readers’ rapt attention.

Overcoming nature’s obstacles,  as well as those of man,  are handled with dignity. Their ultimate survival comes through their great devotion and love for each other. Native lore abounds in and during this amazing story.