Life is tough for thirteen-year-old Nathaniel Dunn, an indentured servant in colonial Virginia. Then in a twist of luck, he meets Basil, a kind schoolmaster, and an arrangement is struck lending Nathaniel's labor to a Williamsburg carriage maker. Basil introduces Nathaniel to music, books, and philosophies that open his mind to new attitudes about equality.
The year is 1775, and as colonists voice their rage over England's taxation, Patrick Henry's words "give me liberty, or give me death" become the sounding call for action. Should Nathaniel and Basil join the fight? What is the meaning of "liberty" in a country reliant on indentured servants and slaves? Nathaniel must face the puzzling choices a dawning nation lays before him.
“Filled with action, well-drawn characters, and a sympathetic understanding of many points of view.” —ALA Booklist
L. M. Elliott is the New York Times bestselling author of the WWII narratives Under a War-Torn Sky; A Troubled Peace; Across a War-Tossed Sea; and the Scott O'Dell award-winning Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves; plus Hamilton and Peggy! A Revolutionary Friendship and Da Vinci's Tiger. You can visit her online at lmelliott.com or follow her on instagram @l_m_elliott.