Calico Captive
by: Elizabeth George Speare
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Summary:
In 1754 an Indian raid on her small New Hampshire town leaves Miriam Willard a prisoner of the Indians, forced to take part in a harrowing march north. Not knowing how it will end but expecting the gauntlet Miriam is not sure she can go on. Unbeknownst to her however is the fact that she is not being taken for the Indians but rather for the French. She is traded into the elite society of the French in Canada, with no way back home in sight.
I love stories with a strong female lead (can you tell?) and Miriam is very good at her job. She is neither perfect nor bratty but a wonderful spunky in between. She doesn't accept her new existence without a fight and that fight is what keeps her interesting throughout the novel. She makes the mistake of prejudice and has to grow up and come to terms with these new people who are not at all what she had imagined them to be.
Another...very specific thing that I love to read about is sewing and dressmaking. I am pretty sure it's because I can't but I desperately want to. And as one could probably tell from the title, there is a lot of fabric in the course of the novel. Miriam happens to be quite deft with a needle and this talent is able to take her a long ways.
Also Speare has done a wonderful job in capturing the setting of the story. She describes everything wonderfully and you can tell that she has done her research.
Adding the above elements together comes a great young adult book which sadly seems to be overlooked. I would recommend this to anyone who wanted an easy read, but still full of fun, adventure and a little bit of growing up.
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