Revolutionary Prudence Wright

February 1, 2022
Grades 2-5 In 1775, Prudence and David Wright and their five children lived in Pepperell, Massachusetts, and, like their neighbors, they strongly favored the patriot cause in the looming rebellion against British rule. One morning, a rider brought news of British troops advancing. David and his fellow Minute Men left for Concord immediately. Realizing that no one was left guarding a nearby bridge on a pivotal route, Prudence organized the women in town to dress as men and bring makeshift weapons to the bridge that night. Two horsemen approached. One was Prudence's elder brother, who escaped. The women captured the other, who was found to be a Tory spy. In the appended notes, Anderson discusses the challenges of writing a factual story based on somewhat conflicting accounts of historical events. Combining digital drawings with traditional watercolor washes, the illustrations are nicely composed, well researched, and suitably dramatic. The night scenes are particularly effective. Presently a little-known story from the American Revolution, this attractive, informative picture book will be an asset to history units related to the period.

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February 1, 2022

Gr 1-4-An episode of the American Revolution not widely taught. When British rule became unbearable in the 1770s for the people of Pepperell, MA, the men formed a resistance group against King George III of England. Prudence Wright had an idea that the women of her town could stage their own rebellious acts by doing small things against unjust British laws, so they refused to purchase and consume English goods. After being warned of advancing British troops and that war was imminent, the men took up arms and left their wives and children in order to fight for their rights. The Pepperell women worked as farmers and merchants, performing the essential jobs their husbands had previously done. How Prudence rallied the townswomen to arm themselves, kept watch at a bridge she realized would be used by Tory spies, and captured two messengers who planned to pass along information for the British informs makes for a thrilling tale. Striking digital drawings and watercolors are filled with details in mostly subdued colors, such as gray, brown, tan, and burgundy. Back matter includes an afterword, author's note, illustrator's note, and an impressive bibliography for further research. VERDICT This piece of American history is presented in an attractive package that will be readily enjoyed by readers of all ages.-Maryann H. Owen

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2021
From the time she was a young girl, Prudence Wright "had a spark of independence." The story begins with a brief recounting of various ways young Prudence defied traditional gender roles while growing up in Pepperell, Massachusetts Colony, including outperforming boys at school, hunting, fishing, and debating her brothers on political issues. As she grows older, Prudence fumes at King George III's increasingly punitive laws, which include onerous taxes on British goods. In 1773, when the men of Pepperell vote to join the Colony's resistance to British rule and begin training in militias, Prudence and the women in her quilting circle stage their own rebellion by dumping British tea into a bonfire on the town common and boycotting other British goods. As King George clamps down on protests, the colonists declare war. While most of Pepperell's men are away fighting in skirmishes, Prudence discovers that Tory spies are planning to infiltrate the town and organizes the townswomen to defend it. She leads the lasses--armed and dressed in men's clothing--in a dramatic ambush on Pepperell's bridge, making revolutionary history as head of "the first-ever unit of minute women." Reagan's accomplished illustrations, executed in watercolor with digital drawing, add historical veracity to Anderson's superbly documented, at times hair-raising narrative. The author explicitly situates Wright and her female comrades as pioneers who "proved themselves as full citizens" in an era before female enfranchisement. Most characters are White, but a few of the colonists present as people of color. Vivid, absorbing, and inspiring. (afterword, author's note, illustrator's note, bibliography) (Historical fiction/picture book. 6-9)

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