HUZZAH!! — Martha Simpson

This compelling YA historical coming-of-age story takes place during 1773 in pre-revolutionary Boston. It is woven around the intrigue and actual events leading up to the Boston Tea Party. Told from the perspective of Thomas, a fourteen-year-old apprentice to his shoemaker father, the story invites the reader into the events and experiences of Thomas and those around him as he finds himself in a deeply divided community. The patriots clash with loyalists who want to maintain allegiance to the king of England, creating two different world views on tea and taxation which will affect the merchants of Boston for years to come. Opposition to British rule must take a peaceful course in the search for a solution to a rigid system devoid of the freedoms all had hoped for when coming to America. Thomas takes a beating and a new turn during these spirited colonial times, emerging from fearfulness to courage and responsibility. With a theme of standing up for the right thing, some of the issues surrounding Thomas during this pivotal time in American history are rebellion, injustice, prejudice, fear, and bullying.