Set in 1616, The Lucky Sovereign written and illustrated by Stewart Lees is the engaging story of Sam, a young boy and his father who spend their worldly fortune to set sail for the new settlement of Jamestown, Virginia. But when the boy makes an enemy of a thieving sailor named Flint, the sailor retaliates by stealing from him. Bereft of funds in the new world, the boy must find a way to convince the governor of what really happened. Recommended for young readers as an adventurous tale of sailing to the New World, The Lucky Sovereign is brought to life with warm and beautifully rendered full-color artwork.

This is a captivating tale of the Powhatans and their Pocahontas, or Matoaka as she was known. Born the daughter of the powerful Powhatan, it's almost as though she were placed by providence at the juncture of the English and the eastern woodlands Indians.

Just ten when the Jamestown settlers arrived in 1607, she became early known for her cheer and joy in seeking friends amongst the colonists. But clashes came, and her aging father sought to expel the settlers, and almost succeeded, with the help the colonists' starvation and disease. Three years after their arrival, the colony was abandoned, the departing ships at the mouth of the James waiting for the morning tide to carry them to England.

The relief ships pulled into view at that instant, a miraculous event, and Jamestown survived, and in time established a firm foothold in Virginia. Clashes with the Powhatans continued, however, and the colonists captured Pocahontas as a hostage against the relief of the Indian-held English captives. In her captivity, which seems to have been a friendly one, she was converted to Christianity-- the stories of her memorizing the various church liturgies are dear-- and married the young colonist John Rolfe. Her father agreed to abandon his war against the settlers, and indeed touchingly sent a string of fresh water pearls for her wedding and deeded land to Rolfe. There were to be eight years of peace following their union.

The Virginia Company saw advantage to her traveling to London with her new husband, and by then young Thomas Rolfe, their child. They arrived in England in 1616, and she was received as royalty by King James and Queen Ann, and met many of the English notables of the day. But the climate took its toll, and she succumbed to tuberculosis or smallpox on the very eve of their departure for Virginia. She died in Gravesend in Kent County, and lies today in the little St. George's Churchyard there.

Her monument is the peace which allowed the English the final foothold in Virginia, in spite of its eventual price on the Indians. Barely twenty when she died, she is recalled as a sprightly girl, an evocation of an America long gone.

Woodward's book is filled with details and documentation, and well worth a five-star read! What she omits, however, is that Pocahontas is survived by thousands of American descendants today, each carrying her memory in their blood as the 400th anniversary of that first north American colony nears.

A thrilling adventure! More thrilling even than all her other books combined!

This book was a diary written by Elizabeth. Elizabeth and her family and were coming from England to the new land of America. They had to built houses when they got here. Life was hard in the new land. They met Indians. Elizabeth liked the Indians but the other people were afraid of Indians.

In 1609, nine year old Elizabeth Barker's family sails from England to Jamestown, Virginia, establishing America's first English colony. In her diary, Elizabeth explains the hardships of daily life and the happiness of family. However she is also sad because her twin brother Caleb was left in England because he had bad lungs. Elizabeth and her best friend Jessie have fun and adventures in this new strange land. They befriend the Indian princess Pocahontas. Howeveer soon Elizabeth realizes life isn't all going to be great, as her family faces scarce fook, illness, even death. However Elizabeth is determined to make a new home in this strange new land.

I have just read a book called Our Strange New Land by Patricia Hermes. In this book Elizabeth is writing in a diary. In this book Elizabeth and her family travel to Jamestown in America from England, but sadly they can't bring Elizageth's brother, Caleb because he is sick and had to stay in England. In the book they lose their food, have many, many people die, and meet indians. They even meet Pocahontas. Elizabeth has adventures with her friend, Jessie. Also, Elizabeth's mom has a baby girl and they name her Abigail. I think this is a really good book because you learn a lot about the pilgrims that lived in Jamestown, Virginia. I hope you can take the time to read Our Strange New Land by Patricia Hermes.

Arthur Quinn's goal -- to give the first 150 years of American colonial history the sweeping treatment the topic deserves -- is laudable. Quinn's attempt, unfortunately, falls far short of that goal. Simply put, the work just isn't a very good history book. Historians, professional and armchair, revel in linear detail like dates and places, and want to be certain that they are getting the whole picture. Quinn isn't bothered by such things, possibly because they might get in the way of the story he's trying to tell. Aside from his occasional, awkward forays into flights of literary greatness that, more often than not, just fall into tortured prose, Quinn's indifference to dates and some events is a fatal flaw in a work of history. For example, he completely ignores the Mayflower Compact (although we learn a great deal else about the Pilgrims), one of the most important documents in early American history, and has nothing to say of the death of Wolfe at Quebec, along with Montcalm. Quinn is so indifferent to noting months and years that a reader often loses track of where the story is in time. Those exclusions, and others like them, seriously weaken the book.

In the end, a reader should approach this book as an outline, a primer perhaps, that covers a compelling expanse of our past, and take it upon her or himself to fill in the gaps. For those readers who prefer narrative to history, then this book should be enough. It is full of fascinating, fatally flawed characters (and lots and lots of native Americans who like to eat those characters). For readers looking for a more detailed, textured understanding of our founding, this is a decent place to start -- if Quinn's writing style doesn't drive you crazy within the first 12 pages -- because it is organized decently and many highlights are there, but keep in mind that it is only a start.

An absolute pleasure to read. Never read a history book that was so hard to put down. Not your typical perspectives on colonizing North America. A gripping, vivid read.

Arthur Quinn loves America and American History. No, he doesn't say this anywhere in his book, "A New World", but his passion is obvious to anyone who reads this book. The pages are filled with his excitement which will draw in almost any reader, even those who normally do not like history. Better still, for those of us who do enjoy history, Quinn details portions of American History rarely covered in school or in other books.

The two things I liked best about A New World was Quinn's awareness of the times and his details about its people. Usually when we study or read about American History, it is in a void. Quinn is the first writer I have read who talks about how Machavilli influenced John Smith. John Smith, always a boring figure of the past, now seems like a wild adventurer to me.

Quinn also talks about Indian savagery. I never really appreciated why the Colonists had such fears or anger towards them. Our politically correct schools always teach us how Colonists took our land from others. I have never in school how some Indians tortured soliders so much before a battle, that the European troops gave up out of fear. Or how these same Indians would take a stick and slowly work it up the bone of a person from his hand to his shoulder. Not counting the constant war between some Indian Tribes and the colonist, these stories helped me understand the attitudes of those times much better.

After Barbara Tuchman's, The Guns of August, this is probably the best history work I have read. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Quinn. If you haven't read him yet, this book is a very good place to start.

Greatly enjoyed reading the book. For someone who's knowledge of American Indians comes mostly from seeing Western movies and reading Cowboy books this book represents a new insight into both the Indian Wars and the settling of the West. l knew Indians committed many atrocities, such as scalping, against Settlers, however, I did not appreciate that these and other atrocities were committed by "both" Indians and Settlers in perhaps equal amounts and in brutality.

What is impressive about this book is that Mr. Osborn has done extensive research on this subject and has documented his findings within the book with appropriate references. These historical references make the book believable and well worth buying it and reading it. No one truly interested in learning about American history cannot afford not to read this wonderful book.

This book details the long list of savagery that was committed in the long-running Indian War from the time of the first European settlement in North America to the closing the frontier in the late 1800's. No side emerges with completely clean hands for there is plenety of barbaric behavior to go around from Europeans burning alive Indians in a house to Mohawks slowly burning and torturing to death two teenaged female colonists. Everything (especially the demise of a colonist captured by the Shawnee) is described in grisly detail, and it is enough to destroy your faith in all humanity. There is no room here for "Dances With Wolves" or any sentiment like it.

It should be required reading for those interested in the Indian Wars.

This book does what has needed to be done by presenting in stark terms the savagery of the American Indian Wars. It is gory reading much of the time, but I disagree with a previous reviewer in that I think Mr. Osborn knows exactly where he is taking his reader. His final chapters are a sound capstone to his cataloguing of the tremendous and horrendous atrocities that occurred. His theme basically deconstructs the nowadays familiar political tactic of "make whitey feel guilty". His book is a reminder that Indians committed many many horrible atrocities against innocent settlers, probably far in excess of those directly committed against the Indian. Sand Creek, the Trail of Tears, and Wounded Knee get all the attention of revisionist historians with present day agendas. These tragic incidents are dwarfed by the unspeakable atrocities endured by thousands of white settlers detailed here. This book will be disregarded by those inclined to political correctness, but as Mr. Osborn quotes of Abraham Lincoln: "History is not history unless it is the truth."

Shadows In The Glasshouse is a good book. It has good descriptions. If you like a book that takes a while before the mystery; thats the book. In the book Merry is kidnapped from England and sent to Jamestown. She is forced to work in the glasshouse for five years. She later discovers that this glasshouse is no ordanary glasshouse. There was a murder, a missing book, and broken glass. I recommend this book for anyone. Megan McDonald is a good writer. She gives you a picture in your head. If you don't like this book look for more of Megan McDonald's books because she writes in different styles!!!!!!! She writes many history mysterys!!!!!!!!!

This is the kind of book that gets you thinking,(who did it?). Merry is an orphan and gets kidnapped. She finds herself on a smelly ship headed for Jamestown. Is she going to be a slave, or an indentured servant? How long wil she be there? Will she have enough food and clothes? Well, I'll leave that for you to find out. Her life is a threatening patch of thorn bushes. But at least her best friend, Angelo, is there to comfort her. The problem is that Angelo's new glass formula book is missing!Oh, no! This book is one of the best history mysteries that gets you on the edge of your seat. I like this book because my favorite mystery stories are when there is always trouble for the detective, even when it seems like the detective can almost do nothing wrong. Merry may be in harms way, but she is always on the path of victory! This book makes you want to know (automatically) what is going to happen next. My friends and I (in the fourth grade)have just finished reading it and we recommend it as a high winner with all the similes, metaphors, personifications, and vivid descriptions!

A GIRL NAMED MERIDETH SHIPMAN WAS STOLEN FROM THE STREETS OF LONDON TO BE A SERVENT IN AMERICA. THEY CALL MERIDETH MERRY FOR SHORT. SHE FINDS A DAGGER UNDER MASTER WEBBE'S MATTRESS. A FEW DAYS LATER SHE FINDS ONE OF THE CHARACTER'S DEAD! SHE WENT TO LOOK FOR ANGELO, HER FRIEND'S BOOK, BUT MISTRESS WEBBE FINDS MERRY AND ASKS HER WHY SHE IS IN THERE? SHE ANSWERED LYING, "MASTER WEBBE CALLED ME OVER HERE TO FINISH HOUSE WORK." I LIKE THIS BOOK BECAUSE ..... IT USES SLANG'TALK, SIMILES, METAPHORS, AND PERSONIFICATIONS.