breaking point…
Philadelphia, Perdy Rogers chafes under the strict rule of her Quaker
grandmother and the endless duties of her apprenticeship in Betsy Ross’s
upholstery shop. So when her best friend shares a secret and invites Perdy to
help plan an elopement, she’s thrilled to be with her friends again. But Perdy
has no idea that one favor will unravel the stable fabric
of her life and involve her in a tangled web of deceit, lies and treachery.
Disguised as boys, three girls head to the river to
put Perdy’s plan into action, but only two return. When the third, a young
milliner’s assistant, is found drowned with gold coins sewn into her hems,
coded spy letters in her bodice, and a journal implicating another sewing apprentice
as her co-conspirator, all eyes turn to Perdy Rogers. But she’s no spy!
Accused of treason, she struggles to prove her
innocence with the help of a handsome stranger and learns the hard way that
freedom, whether an individual’s or a country’s, comes at a cost.
As a Master
Educationalist Gayle C. Krause taught Children’s Literature, creative writing,
storytelling techniques, and acting in upstate New York, where she trained
young men and women to become successful Early Childhood and Elementary
teachers. She also directed the Pre-K Laboratory School affiliated with her
teacher-training program and taught at a local SUNY college as an adjunct
professor.
Her years as a creative role model for teens and pre-school children
have led to her career as a children’s author. She is a member of SCBWI,
KIDLIT, INK, The JAGRS Writing Group, and a past member of the Historical Novel
Society and The Poets’ Garage.
publishing credits include:
Young Adult /Trowbridge Books (2013)
Books 2014
Can You See the Moon? – Clear Fork Publishing.
a small town not far from where she was born. She listens to her muse sing
through the trees of the Pocono Mountains and is inspired to write for children
everyday.
rudence Rogers is apprentice in Betsy Ross’ upholstery shop. This young teen longs to have the freedom to spend time with her friends. When the opportunity arises to lend them a helping hand, she takes it, little realizing the consequences that will come her way.
I found the historical details of life in Colonial Pennsylvania to be the most interesting part of the book. Prudence, or Perdy as she is commonly known, was not especially memorable in any way. I felt like shouting at her, though, to stop telling lies and to tell her grandmother what happened. My favorite character had to be her much younger sister, who was adorable in every scene.
There were two points I did not like: the first person present tense telling of the book, which I’ve just never liked. And then the romance. I may be mistaken but I thought Perdy was thirteen, which made the romantic interest from the kind sailor who helps her through the book a little distasteful.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book through Loving the Book.
