Stranger in Williamsburg

Sarah's Journey #2

by Wanda Luttrell

Continues the adventures of now twelve-year-old Sarah, who has come from Kentucky to Williamsburg for schooling, only to become embroiiled with Revolutionary War spies.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Christian Fiction, Fiction, American Revolutionary War

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Angie Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated all the historical detail woven into this story, the way the characters weren't straight caricatures, and the way that Sarah misses her family in Kentucky and even some aspects of their simple life. I also liked the way the spiritual themes were woven in, and I liked Sarah's relationships with her uncle, little Megan, and Marcus.

However, Sarah herself pretty much exasperated me, especially one certain decision. She's already noticed several odd things about her tutor, even to the point of wondering if she's passing dangerous messages. She also knows that her uncle's mysterious job isn't something they're allowed to talk about to anyone. Then she overhears a conversation where her uncle tells her aunt that her beloved tutor is a spy. She's upset (understandable) and runs off to her tutor's house to find out the truth (not wise), and finally agrees to bring her uncle's papers for the tutor and her friend to see. Um, excuse me, what?!? I don't care what kind of sob story you've been fed, there should be more than warning bells sounding in your mind at this point. It just felt like she had way too much information to be deceived in such an obvious way at this point. And even that serious incident doesn't seem to have cured her stubbornness and impulsiveness. *sigh*

Also just a minor note, but while much of the story and setting was obviously meticulously researched, there were some details and word choices that felt a bit out of place for the era.

3 stars

Content--stealing and disobedience (mostly corrected); mentions of slavery and slaves being sold; mentions of bad jail conditions; mentions of spies being hung

[J-dawg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a great history fictional!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the summer of 1777, and twelve-year-old Sarah Moore has left her family on the Kentucky frontier to live with relatives in Williamsburg, Virginia. In Kentucky, Sarah had longed to return to Virginia, but now that she is finally there, it no longer feels like home. She misses her family terribly, and worries about her oldest brother, a Patriot soldier who is fighting in the Revolutionary War. When Sarah and her two older cousins, Tabitha and Abigail, get a new tutor, a beautiful, educated, and well-traveled French woman named Gabrielle, Sarah finally begins to feel happy again. But Sarah's Uncle Ethan suspects Gabrielle of being a Tory spy. Could Sarah's beloved tutor and friend really be their enemy?

Stranger in Williamsburg is another good adventure featuring Sarah Moore. The author's descriptions of Williamsburg and the daily life there during the Revolutionary War were very interesting. However, I preferred the frontier setting and pioneer story of the first book about Sarah. Young readers who enjoy historical fiction, particularly stories set in colonial times, will probably enjoy this book. I look forward to reading Sarah's next adventure.

[Marcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set during the American Revolution, a little girl betrays her family and unwittingly helps out an enemy spy. After she discovers her mistake, she repeats it. Really?

The writing was okay for readers in late elementary school, and the bit of American history was nice, but a seriously stupid main character and horrible moral ruined it.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were some of my favorite books growing up. They became my ideal books; Adventurous, faith building, historical, not a lot of romance, with a strong but feminine main character.