What do you think?
Rate this book
Ten-year-old Thomas Hutchinson struggles with his rebellious nature in the face of a stern father while also experiencing the rising tensions caused by the Revolutionary War
Paperback
First published April 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Nancy N. Rue
223 books291 followersNancy Rue is the author of over 100 books for adults and teens, including the Christy Award-winning The Reluctant Prophet, Unexpected Dismounts and Healing Waters (with Steve Arterburn), which was the 2009 Women of Faith Novel of the Year. She travels extensively—at times on the back of a Harley—speaking to and teaching groups of women of all ages. Nancy lives on a lake in Tennessee with her Harley-ridin’ husband, Jim, and their two yellow Labs (without whom writing would be difficult).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 26, 2014
gr 4-6 188 pgs
American Revolution, Williamsburg, VA.
10 year old Thomas Hutchinson thinks he has everything figured out. Thomas's family's position in society makes him more important than everyone else and Patriots are good and Loyalists are not. When his father takes the family to live in Williamsburg, Thomas finds that he could not be more wrong. His father tells him that part of the reason they are fighting is for all men to be treated equal and that Thomas is no better than anyone else. Thomas also learns that some of the new people he has met are Loyalists! Thomas must decide if he agrees with his father and whether politics or friendship is more important.
Part of a series "Christian Heritage".
American Revolution, Williamsburg, VA.
10 year old Thomas Hutchinson thinks he has everything figured out. Thomas's family's position in society makes him more important than everyone else and Patriots are good and Loyalists are not. When his father takes the family to live in Williamsburg, Thomas finds that he could not be more wrong. His father tells him that part of the reason they are fighting is for all men to be treated equal and that Thomas is no better than anyone else. Thomas also learns that some of the new people he has met are Loyalists! Thomas must decide if he agrees with his father and whether politics or friendship is more important.
Part of a series "Christian Heritage".
April 14, 2021
Enter the Williamsburg Years by Nancy Rue. Returning to my childhood once again, reading some of my very favourite series from my past when I was small. I love these books so much and I had read them so many times that some of the lines seemed oh so familiar and it made me smile when I came across these old friends. This series is set in the Revolutionary War period in Williamsburg, Virginia area and it centers around one very stubborn (and often foolish) boy, Thomas Hutchinson. But as I always think of these books, they're the Thomas and Caroline books. Because that duo is one of my favourites and I just love seeing them have adventures together, even if they do spend far more of their time being angry at each other than I remembered. No matter though. It is a true joy reading a book about people that lived oh so long ago...and that love our God and long to obey and honour Him in their everyday lives. And though these are just young children (I think Thomas is 11 when the books start?), they still have a duty to their parents and to their God. Anyway, enough background. This book starts when Thomas is pretty much a brat. But. He grows. He makes so many silly mistakes and makes you wince pretty much every chapter. But it is a joy to see his growth. And Alexander! Love him so much. Love the interplay between Alexander and Thomas, love Caroline, love Sam. Of course John Hutchinson is amazing, maybe the best "dad" in all of the Christian Heritage Series. Anyway, enough words have been spilled. This book is surely held up higher because of my nostalgia, but having read it just a short month ago, I still think it's a solid book and one I would encourage any child to read today.
January 4, 2019
The book that snapped me out of a potential very rebellious teenage streak.
December 13, 2021
Definitely the most amazing historical fiction series ever. It is well written, has great themes, great characters, and a stellar story. I did cry during the last book.
October 7, 2025
this was one of my favorite books growing up, I have read it so many times I can't even remember exactly what it's about😂
May 31, 2017
This is a wonderful, powerful Christian series for children that is set in Virginia during the Revolutionary War era. I have always had a big interest in that time period, and being a Christian, as well, I found these books particularly of note for me. And they are vastly entertaining, too!
Ten-year-old Thomas Hutchinson learns not to be a selfish jerk when he meets a girl named Caroline Taylor. Thomas is a troublemaker and bully, so his father took him away from their plantation to live in Williamsburg with him (where he does business for the government) in order to keep an eye on the boy. Up to this point, rebellious Thomas has mostly had his way with his soft-hearted mother and his nineteen-year-old brother Clayton, who serves as his tutor. Thomas looks up to his charismatic sixteen-year-old brother, Sam, but he is often away at the College of William and Mary, therefore giving Thomas no outlet but to be a brat. But now he is forced by his wise and commanding father to change his ways. In order to provide some much-needed structure in Thomas's life, his father gets him a new tutor and an apprenticeship at an apothecary.
During this time, Thomas meets a girl his age in the town. At first he just sees Caroline as another opportunity to bully someone smaller than himself, but she surprises him by fighting back. They become friends, and Thomas learns to care about someone other than himself. At first, life is miserable for him as he tries to show no interest in his tutor and suffers through work at the apothecary. But then he becomes intrigued despite himself, wanting to learn new things for the first time in his life. He discovers that his tutor is Caroline's older brother, Alexander, and that their family is made up of Loyalists. Since the Hutchinsons are Patriots, Thomas is surprised that his father would hire Alexander as a tutor. But Mr. Hutchinson teaches him that there is no reason not to associate with decent people who think differently from him. Thomas also ends up learning to trust his crusty old boss at the apothecary, Mr. Pickering, and even save him from people threatening to steal from him.
I fully enjoyed this book and the ones following it. They teach important lessons but are fun for kids at the same time. They are actually quite deep and poignant, too. I read these out loud to my younger siblings and they loved it.
Ten-year-old Thomas Hutchinson learns not to be a selfish jerk when he meets a girl named Caroline Taylor. Thomas is a troublemaker and bully, so his father took him away from their plantation to live in Williamsburg with him (where he does business for the government) in order to keep an eye on the boy. Up to this point, rebellious Thomas has mostly had his way with his soft-hearted mother and his nineteen-year-old brother Clayton, who serves as his tutor. Thomas looks up to his charismatic sixteen-year-old brother, Sam, but he is often away at the College of William and Mary, therefore giving Thomas no outlet but to be a brat. But now he is forced by his wise and commanding father to change his ways. In order to provide some much-needed structure in Thomas's life, his father gets him a new tutor and an apprenticeship at an apothecary.
During this time, Thomas meets a girl his age in the town. At first he just sees Caroline as another opportunity to bully someone smaller than himself, but she surprises him by fighting back. They become friends, and Thomas learns to care about someone other than himself. At first, life is miserable for him as he tries to show no interest in his tutor and suffers through work at the apothecary. But then he becomes intrigued despite himself, wanting to learn new things for the first time in his life. He discovers that his tutor is Caroline's older brother, Alexander, and that their family is made up of Loyalists. Since the Hutchinsons are Patriots, Thomas is surprised that his father would hire Alexander as a tutor. But Mr. Hutchinson teaches him that there is no reason not to associate with decent people who think differently from him. Thomas also ends up learning to trust his crusty old boss at the apothecary, Mr. Pickering, and even save him from people threatening to steal from him.
I fully enjoyed this book and the ones following it. They teach important lessons but are fun for kids at the same time. They are actually quite deep and poignant, too. I read these out loud to my younger siblings and they loved it.
July 29, 2012
There are, I believe, 5 sets of books in all based in difference pentacle time periods - each set has 5 books. So I'm rating this on the whole of all the books as I don't wish to add each and every book to my reviews. ;)
The stories are all exciting, the facts are good but pretty average of what you'll read in any historical fiction book, the characters are fun, and the stories are Christian-based. Nancy Rue weaves an adventurous tale!
The stories are all exciting, the facts are good but pretty average of what you'll read in any historical fiction book, the characters are fun, and the stories are Christian-based. Nancy Rue weaves an adventurous tale!
January 21, 2009
Too much juvenile troublemaking with too little consequence.
April 8, 2015
The Williamsburg years, along with the Chicago years, were my all-time favorites of Nancy Rue's! Historical Christian fiction, well put together!
April 26, 2016
Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews