Sarah on Her Own

by Karen Mueller Coombs

Overview

Alone, 14-year-old Sarah arrives in Colonial Virginia in 1621. She has only two options--become a wife or a servant. She resolves to return to England, but first must earn her fare home by raising tobacco. Two years pass and the colony is beset by problems. Despite hardships, Sarah comes to love the country and a settler who changes her mind about becoming a wife.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780380782758
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/1996
Series:	American Dreams Ser.
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	4.23(w) x 6.89(h) x 0.63(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

This rather melodramatic saga, first in the American Dreams series, is unlikely to linger long in the reader's memory. On the ship from England to Jamestown in 1620, orphaned Sarah Douglas's only relative, an aunt, dies of "the fever." Alone, Sarah moves to Martin's Hundred, a settlement near Jamestown, where, disgruntled, she tutors children and eventually plants tobacco in hopes of earning her passage back to England. The plot limps along until close to novel's end, when irate Native Americans stage a bloody attack on the settlement; Sarah, unbelievably, witnesses the carnage from a perch in a tree. Coombs (Saving Casey) closes her tale predictably: the settlers avenge the gruesome assault and Sarah agrees to marry a kind man. Sarah's bond to the New World is thereby cemented, but the story has little to similarly tether the reader's interest. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 6-10Voyaging to America in 1620, Sarah Douglas hates the sight of the Virginia coastline before her and promises herself that she will do whatever is necessary to book passage back to England as soon as possible. The only comfort she feels is the friendship of Anne Bell, a fellow passenger. Anne has come seeking a husband and soon finds a trustworthy, honest man. Each young woman's path leads her to the realities of living in a harsh new environment. Sarah slowly begins to love the countryside as she works hard tutoring young children and eventually planting tobacco on her own land. On her 17th birthday, she witnesses Native Americans brutally attacking people who live around the fort at Martin's Hundred. When the assault is over, Sarah is again determined to leave this land of poverty, disease, and violence. This historical novel presents a lucid and gripping account of the lives of Virginia's early settlerstheir hardships and joys. The characters are fully realized and their passionate actions are involving. The swift pace, distinctive writing, and visually descriptive passages bring readers closer to historical events. YAs will enjoy this first entry in the series and look forward to more.Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL

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