Traitor in Williamsburg: A Felicity Mystery

American Girl Mysteries

by Elizabeth McDavid Jones

Felicity Merriman is alarmed when mysterious notices appear in Williamsburg, falsely accusing her friend Fiona's father of helping th British. With the Revolution heating up, Felicity knows the accusations will bring danger to Fiona's family. Then Felicity's own father is accused of being a traitor, too, and she decides she has to find out who's making the terrible accusations!

Set in 1776.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical, Fiction, American Revolutionary War

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Elizabeth McDavid Jones was born in 1958 in South Carolina. When she was a child, she moved in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated from East Carolina University and started a career in social work. When Jones earned a master's degree in literature in 1996, she changed her career to a university literature. During this period, she began writing children's books. She is a mother of four children.

She is the author of nine books and many magazine and serial stories for young people. Her books have sold over 750,000 copies. She is particularly known for her work writing with American Girl.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A cold finger of fear was inching up Felicity's spine. If Fiona's Da had been threatened, then maybe Father was in danger, too."

Someone in Williamsburg is placing posters around the town at night, loudly proclaiming perceived patriots as secret loyalists. And the townspeople? They're turning on their friends, their neighbors...with dire consequences.

"It's not true, Felicity. You know it's not! ... Da's as strong a Patriot as anyone in Williamsburg!"

And soon suspicion turns from Fiona's family to Felicity's. Felicity knows her father is a strong patriot but as the town starts to turn its attention to her family, she can feel herself wavering. There MUST be some way to prove Father's innocence...right?

"The man shoved Father harder, and Father stumbled forward. Then Felicity saw that Father's hands were tied behind him, and she went cold."

One thing that I like about the mystery books is that the authors tend to be willing to tackle more serious topics and moments from history. And this book? It truly begins with a bang.

We follow a friend of Felicity (Fiona) and her family after they experience the condemnation of the town due to their Scottish Heritage and a vile pamphlet proclaiming them to be secret loyalists. There was an angry mob, threats of tar & feathering, and the loss of nearly all of their possessions.

Then you could truly feel Felicity's fear when the next pamphlet is put up, and her own father is accused. The author did a great job of bringing us into the scene and the dire circumstances that the family experienced

I liked how even though we have a different author for the mystery book compared to the original series that Felicity feels more like herself (when compared to the first mystery book, Peril at King's Creek). The author seems to have a stronger grasp of Felicity's character and that really helped the story and the plot.

That being said, much of the plot was Felicity jumping around making conclusions while trying to figure out who's making all of the pamphlets. It worked for a while, but then became a little samey.

Something that did bother me, and ultimately brought the book down for me was the weirdly strong commitment to pretending that the Merriman Family doesn't own slaves.

For context, Felicity's parents own two slaves, Marcus and Rose. This is confirmed multiple times in the companion books and sometimes through one-liners in the "Peek into the Past" sections of the stories.

Furthermore, Felicity's grandfather owned a plantation (to which Felicity once pointed out the slave quarters) and when he died, her parents inherited the estate. So, now her parent's don't "just" own a couple of slaves, they own a lot.

And yet this book dances around the subject with lines like this:

"Felicity saw Marcus, the slave who helped Father at the store, restocking shelves nearby."

Which frustrates me. Marcus isn't some "friendly neighborhood slave" who helps out at her family's store. He's owned by Mr. Merriman, he works in the store for no pay, and ultimately likely never sees freedom.

I do acknowledge that this is historically accurate. The Merriman family was not the only white family to own slaves in their town in the 1700s but I also feel like it doesn't make sense to give Felicity's family this backstory and then to just...not acknowledge it or try to brush it under the rug.

I still feel like this could have been a powerful storyline - one where Felicity draws parallels between fighting for her own freedom from British rule and the stunning realization that her own family owning people is far worse...but the company never reaches for that. Instead, it seems to continuously brush that inconvenient backstory under the rug.

More Reviews in the Felicity-verse

Main Series:
Meet Felicity - ★★★★☆
Felicity Learns a Lesson - ★★★★★
Felicity's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Felicity - ★★★★☆
Felicity Saves the Day - ★★☆☆☆
Changes for Felicity - ★★☆☆☆
Felicity's Boxed Set - ★★★☆☆

Best Friend Book:
Very Funny, Elizabeth - ★★☆☆☆

Short Stories:
Felicity's Dancing Shoes - ★★★★☆
Felicity Takes a Dare - ★★★★☆
Felicity's New Sister - ★★☆☆☆
Felicity's Valentine - ★★★☆☆
Felicity Discovers a Secret - ★★★★☆
Felicity's Short Story Collection - ★★★☆☆

Mystery Books:
Peril at King's Creek - ★★★☆☆
Traitor in Williamsburg - ★★★☆☆
Lady Margaret's Ghost - ★★★★☆

Additional Historical and Activity Books:
American Girl Cross-Stitch - ★★☆☆☆
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
The Boston Tea Party (American Girl: Real Stories From My Time) - ★★★★☆
Felicity's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Felicity's Cooking Studio - ★★★★★
Felicity's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Felicity's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Introduction to Williamsburg - ★★★★★
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆
Welcome to Felicity's World · 1904 - ★★★★★

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in 2017):
Love and Loyalty - ★★★☆☆
A Stand for Independence - ★★★☆☆

Beginner Reader & Picture Books:
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Girl marathon continues. Reading for the first time as an adult.
 
The beginning of this one felt actually scary to me – mobs dragging someone out of his home, the threat of people getting tarred and feathered, the worry that Father might be similarly targeted. Oddly, I felt less worried about Father once he was safely (??!) in jail for a bit.
 
So many AG mysteries introduce new characters who are really more central to the mystery than our girl is. In this one, it looks for a moment like that's happening, but as the focus of the mischief shifts from Mr. McLeod to Mr. Merriman, it really does become Felicity's problem.

The majority of the plot is Felicity trying to find something that will unmask the anonymous writer who is making accusations about Mr. Merriman and prove Father’s innocence. Elizabeth McDavid Jones keeps the plot ticking along nicely – enough twists and developments to stay interesting, but Felicity and her friends also make steady progress in their search.
 
Several suspects show up pretty quickly. I’d quibble that the culprit is a little more obvious than I’d prefer – though the more subtle suspect I had my eye on does turn out to be an accomplice. Overall, I found it satisfying and didn’t want to put it down in the middle. Between this one and Peril at King’s Creek – both revolving around war secrets, both by Jones – I’d recommend this one, hands down.
 
Favorite side character award goes to Widow Reed, who owns her own print shop and encourages Felicity and Elizabeth. I’ll take a book about her, please.


More Felicity babble

Meet Felicity | Felicity Learns a Lesson | Felicity’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Felicity | Felicity Saves the Day | Changes for Felicity

Very Funny, Elizabeth

Felicity’s New Sister | Felicity’s Dancing Shoes | Felicity Takes a Dare | Felicity Discovers a Secret | Felicity’s Short Story Collection

Peril at King’s Creek | Traitor in Williamsburg | Lady Margaret’s Ghost

[Julia Kerrigan]

I’ve put a finger on why the American girl mysteries don’t hit as hard as their 6 book canon—I think all the magic goes away when you don’t have those mini illustrations every few pages that show the historical objects and figures the girls are referring to. Thus concludes my scientific study.

[Olde American Spirit (Shannon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, that was a lil intense 😅 with the political unrest and mob scenes, but well done. No real violence (thank you), but I was feeling the stress with Felicity, Elizabeth, and their new friend. The girls end up hatching quite the cool plans to thwart the culprit!

I liked how this first book in the mystery series takes up just a few months after Felicity’s original series book #6 leaves off. I adored how both girl’s families are still on opposite sides but the girls are so respectful to each other (and everyone else) about the differences.

I read in one sitting 🤩

[RaspberryRoses]

the felicity series is like no we will not discuss slavery but we WILL discuss anti-scottish sentiment

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best Felicity mystery, in my opinion. It is very suspenseful, and I honestly found it scarier as an adult. In 2008, it was easy to imagine that this kind of mob mentality was a thing of the past, but the book's glimpse into political unrest, extreme accusations, and the cost of public shaming is relevant to current times. I appreciate how realistic the book is, and how well it portrays different people's reactions to false accusations.

Because this book has very high stakes, it is one of the most suspenseful and gripping American Girl mysteries. It also requires some suspension of disbelief, since Felicity and Elizabeth get so involved in unsupervised investigation, but they do involve Ben and another apprentice in some of their mystery-solving, so they aren't doing this completely alone.

The mystery also involves multiple plausible suspects and well-paced twists and turns. My only real critique is the continued lack of acknowledgement regarding slavery, even though this book does directly refer to Marcus, a helper at Mr. Merriman's store, as a slave. The book at least uses the word and acknowledges this fact directly, but I wish that the Felicity books involved her becoming increasingly aware of the injustice around her in daily life, since she is such a justice-oriented child.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent it was very suspenseful I felt like the character in the story it captured what it would have been like to live in a war-torn country during the 18th century I’m not a much of a historical fiction fan, but this book captured it all I was in love with the backdrop at the end of the book and the plot itself is stunning.

[Dolly Parton with a Gun · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re like me, an adult revisiting a character you cherished in childhood, this is just the right amount intriguing and comforting.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun story full of mystery and trouble for Felicity and her family. The characters remained "in character" and it was interesting to learn about the "committee for safety" during the start of the American Revolution.

This was not a "Christian" book, but there was nothing objectionable in it.

[SFrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Book That Teaches the Importance of Having Hope

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I know this is a story written for a very young audience, but still, the mystery being solved relying on the protagonist happening to walk into the printer’s shop at the exact right moment to overhear the exact incriminating information they need feels lame.

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it shows the sometimes violent side of every war including where there isn’t fighting.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the podcast I’m currently listening to called “American Girls” by Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney.

Wow, what a complete turnaround from the last Felicity mystery I read. Although, for some reason, for the first time ever, we’ve backtracked into Felicity’s timeline and I don’t know why??? But, despite that, I absolutely loved “Traitor In Williamsburg”. Throughout the entire book, I was enthralled with what was going on, how the situation with Felicity’s father was going improve, what Felicity was going to do, and who was behind it all. It actually took me to page like, 70 - something to realize who the real traitor was so, although this is a children’s book series, this book did do a good job leading you to multiple different suspects and inquiring who was the actual criminal. Felicity also has really grown significantly from the first book I read about her to now. Still, she is doing stuff she probably shouldn’t be doing (like running around at night alone), but Felicity had to take a very serious, grown up role in this book, helping her family when her father has been jailed. She did a very good job in protecting her father’s innocence, while also handling her family in whatever needs they had.

Like all Felicity books, I obviously did not appreciate nor like the racism/enslavement in this book just like I’ve had a problem with for the entirety of the series. I feel like as the series progresses, the enslavement just gets worse and worse with what the character do towards them. I don’t know why? Yet again, I encourage parents who might be reading this series with their kids or know that their kids are a fan of these books that they have open and honest conversations with their kids about our country’s history and how we shouldn’t treat people differently just because they might look different from us... I can’t believe these are things in the Felicity series, yet again, that the author (not Valerie Tripp surprisingly this time, but another!!!), Elizabeth McDavid Jones, just chooses to ignore and encourage?

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of the American Girl series of books and follows Felicity Merriman as she tries to clear her father’s name. I would recommend reading at least Meet Felicity (the first book) to have an idea of who all the characters are before checking out this book.
Felicity is living in 1776 Williamsburg, Virginia. Tensions are high between Loyalist (those who want to stay a British Colony) and Patriots (those who want independence). A shopkeeper gets accused of being a Loyalist and must go before the Committee of Safety; Felicity’s father defends him and then finds himself also being accused. Felicity and her best-friend Elizabeth decide to figure out who is behind the accusations and free Felicity’s father.
What I liked: I love how American Girl books make history interesting and you get a sense of what it was like to live in that period through the eyes of a young girl. In this book, we get a taste of the beginnings of the American Revolution. Growing up in Virginia, in school we spent a lot of time on this part of history, but I loved that the book gave you more of a sense of how torn the colonist were and how high tensions were running. Elizabeth’s family are Loyalist while Felicity’s are Patriots, so kids get an age-appropriate lesson in friendships across political spectrums.
What didn’t work for me: I think the resolution was a little weak; the book wraps everything up neatly in a chapter. But I think younger kids will appreciate Felicity being the hero and the one to find the needed evidence.
This is recommended for kids 9 and up. Unlike other books in the series, there are no illustrations so I think this is a good recommendation as younger kids could be bored (or potentially scared).
Parents note: Felicity’s father and his friend are both arrested, mild danger to Felicity and her friends, and there is a discussion on tarring and feathering people.
Overall, I found this book interesting and love the historical notes at the end that relate it back to real life events.

[Joey-Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a little dark and scary in places my goodness, Felicity was incredibly brave the whole time and even though the story didn’t directly say it, she was having anxiety attacks at all the stressful and scary things going on. I felt so sad for her struggling like that, but it didn’t stop or waver her determination to get to the bottom of everything.

I did personally solve the mystery from chapter two, it was so obvious to me what exactly was going on, though it took Felicity an awful lot longer to solve it, it was just apparent. I did like though the discovering of everything that was actually happening and how brave she was to stand up against the person in such a huge way.

The story was really sad, her friend Fiona’s dad got targeted first and it pushed him away from Williamsburg, then Felicity’s father becoming the next target when he’d done nothing to deserve it other than help that other man. It was so sad no one knew what they could do to fix it in any way, until Felicity and Elizabeth figured it all out.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my son's next choice for a read aloud book. It was very good. It's a bit darker than the OG American Girl series (ex: thread of a character being tarred and feathered), but it's historically what could have happened. I also read this book after recently discovering I had an ancestor in my family tree who was on a Committee of Safety during the Revolutionary War and suddenly I see that same term in this book, so that was cool! I'm still annoyed that the Felicity books gloss over the fact that her family owns slaves. I'm also annoyed that part of the book centers on some financial struggles at the store, but neglects to include anything about the planation Mother inherited from Grandfather about 3 months prior (from the last Felicity book) and Grandfather had been pretty wealthy.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felicity and her friend Elizabeth set out to discover who in Williamsburg has falsely accused Fiona's father of helping the British. Then Felicity's father is accused, too!
I appreciated the "The Looking Back: A Peek into the Past," which gave historical credibility to the story.

[Beth (FebruaryFilly) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the mysteries we’ve read so far this was my favorite. As always though I’m frustrated that she didn’t involve another adult. I mean how awful was father’s lawyer to not have pursued what Felicity did to help his client. 🙄 But makes for a fun, albeit unrealistic story.

[Ashley Hobgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book out of curiosity. I enjoyed reading this book because of the mystery and the drama. I loved that the story dealt with the importance of having hope and faith. I thought the novel was well written. It is a must read.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a cute cozy middle grade mystery. Felicity and Elizabeth, with the help of some friends, find out who ran Fiona’s family out of town and tried to frame Felicity’s father for helping the Loyalists

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was lovely to return to the story of a beloved childhood character with a book I'd never read. The descriptions warmed my heart, especially the last paragraphs and glimpses into everyday life sort of things, and I will always love Felicity.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was really good because it was surprising at times which made me more interested in it.

[Grace Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one quite as much as the other mysteries, but I can't put my finger on why.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad Felicity and Elizabeth figured things out! I think the mob mentality was pretty scary back then!!

[Lisa Gerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book kept my interest. Had to read to figure who was the traitor.

[Little Seal]

I wasn't a huge fan of the original series, but this mystery wasn't half bad. They actually acknowledge slaves, which the original series failed to talk about.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book for the serous tones and secrets. I wish Fiona wasn’t just a one off character, randomly thrown into this story, but besides that, it was good.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit i wasn't the biggest fan of Felicity at the priper age for this series but I do love fiction set in this time period

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

felicity's friend fiona is bumming hard because someone has published broadsides accusing her father of being a traitor to the patriot cause & has hung them all over williamsburg. he has been called in front of the committee of safety to answer to the charges. felicity is well aware that a person found guilty of being a royal loyalist may be forced to leave the colony, because that's exactly what happened to her friend elizabeth's father. felicity tries to tell fiona not to worry, that everyone knows her father is a patriot, but fiona explains that their scottish background could work against them. many scottish people are loyalists & some people think that ALL scottish people are loyalists.

when the girls get to felicity's house, fiona's father is there, asking mr. merriman to testify on his behalf in front of the committee. mr. merriman agrees & fiona's father points out that mr. merriman may be jeopardizing himself by throwing his lot in with someone accused to british sympathies. felicity becomes concerned for her father.

as it transpires, mr. merriman does find himself in jeopardy for helping fiona's father. one night, the townspeople parade through williamsburg with fiona's father stuffed inside a cart, intending to tar & feather him. mr. merriman stops them & the next day, fiona's family leaves the colony.

& soon after, broadsides appear accusing mr. merriman of being a traitor.

there are suspects: one of the local printers (since someone must be printing the broadsides). he buys fiona's family's house after they leave & is hurting for money because his wife is ill. felicity suspects that he is being paid, perhaps by the british, to sow dissension among the patriots of williamsburg. another is a new wealthy man in town who apparently once courted mrs. merriman. felicity wonders if he is trying to smear her father's good name in order to lure mrs. merriman back to him or get back at mr. merriman for marrying her. & the last suspect is a fellow shopkeeper who is actually on the committee of safety. his shop isn't doing well & felicity wonders if he is trying to drive the competition out of business.

felicity & elizabeth hatch a rather complicated plot to force the culprit to reveal his face to them. they are pretty convinced that it's the printer guy, but it's in fact the committee of safety guy. & what's more, mr. merriman has been brought up on charges of being a traitor to the patriots after receipts are discovered in his shop indicating that he sold munitions to the british. can i just say that in the midst of the revolutionary war, that is a pretty serious charge? i have a hard time imagining someone selling weapons to the british just because they're hurting for cash. anyway, felicity knows her father is innocent; she just struggles to figure out how he was framed.

then it all comes together. in a realization. i will say that these mystery books really aren't that bad (especially compared to, say, the babysitters club mystery series), but it does bother me when characters in mysteries suddenly "realize" the solution to the mystery, piecing together information that the reader didn't really have access to. felicity "realizes" that the real culprit is the committee dude, & that he has been the one selling weapons to the british to supplement the paltry profits from his shop. his nephew is apprenticing with the printer felicity suspected & was paid to make the broadsides. the committee dude's goal was to put the other shopkeepers out of business & steal all their customers, & he opted to frame mr. merriman using doctored receipts of his own traitorous dealings with the british.

seems like an awful lot of work, no? when i frame my enemies, i generally try not to use anything that could come back & implicate me in more significant evil-doing, but i guess that's why i have never starred as the malefactor in a children's mystery series. felicity gets her mitts on the other receipts that prove the committee dude has been working with the british (she is buds with his shop boy, who lets her in to search the place), clears her father's name, & everyone lived happily ever after. aside from that whole pesky "revolutionary war" thing.

apparently felicity's family owns slaves. perhaps this is historically accurate for a well-to-do white family living in colonial virginia during revolutionary times, & if so, kudos to american girl for not sanitizing the character. but it's still weird to read.