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The following
title provides excellent historical details which will
stimulate discussions relating to 4th and 8th Grade NC
Social Studies competencies. THE ANCHOR ~ P. Moore, Proprietor, Wyche,
Blonnie Bunn ~~~ $12.00 pb 224 pgs. 2003. Upper elementary, middle school, high
school. It's 1764, and 15-year-old Polly Moore finds herself running her ne'er-do-well father's tavern in Brunswick, a village on the Cape Fear River in the North Carolina colony. Polly also assumes responsibility for her two younger sisters and for her family's slaves and servants, since her mentally fragile, pregnant mother refuses to get out of bed. Like all colonial taverns, The Anchor is the center of village news and activity. Polly hears everything while she cooks and serves meals, runs the turpentine operations and sawmill, and cares for her family. Women are not supposed to be political, but Polly learns just how personal politics can be after Lieutenant Governor William Tryon arrives at Brunswick, the infamous Stamp Act goes into effect, and ships in the river can't unload supplies she desperately needs. She hears news of the growing dissatisfaction with King George. She witnesses the first armed pre-Revolution rebellion at Tryon's plantation house in 1766. Along the way, she forms her own opinions about slavery, freedom, and the treatment of women. In this meticulously researched story populated with historical figures, spunky Polly rises to the challenges that confront her and grows wise beyond her years. Curriculum Applications: 4th & 5th Grade Social Studies - Revolutionary era; Grades 6-9 Language Arts/English or 4th Grade read aloud |
