Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale

by J. Albert Mann

On a hot summer day in a quiet frontier settlement, a bloody raid leads to an even bloodier conflict. A young Mohawk warrior and a patrotic farm boy have survived the battle, but can they survive the night?Sixteen-year-old Noah Daniels wants nothing more than to fight in George Washington's Continental Army, but an accident as a child left him maimed and unable to enlist. He is forced to watch the Revolution from his family's hard scrabble farm in Upstate New York—until a violent raid on his settlement thrusts him into one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution, and ultimately, face to face with the enemy. In A Revolutionary War Tale, J. Albert Mann takes readers deep into the woods of northern New York, where two young enemies meet face to face. Based on actual events and exhaustive research, this gripping, dramatic tale of courage and honor will prove impossible to forget.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Young Adult, War, Fiction, American Revolution

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

J. Albert Mann is a disability activist, an award-winning poet and the author of eight published novels for children. She has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults and is the Partner Liaison for the WNDB Internship Grant Committee. She lives on a little fishing boat in the Boston Harbor with her first mate, Marcella, a ginger tabby.

Reviews

[Carol Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixteen-year-old Noah Daniels is a patriot with a problem. Lame since childhood, Noah wants nothing more than to take arms up against the British as his father did. But his childhood injury holds him back--both mentally and physically--until the day in which all of his abilities are tested and proved.

SCAR: A Revolutionary Tale (Calkins Creek, 2016), J. Albert Mann's first young adult historical novel, is short but powerful. Spanning the course of just three days, Mann artfully alternates between Noah's present predicament--he is wounded and is caring for a young wounded Indian--and the events leading up to it.


The reader is immediately drawn into the story in the first lines:
Their screams blind me. I run. Fast. So fast that I run right through my limp. There is nothing I can do for them now--not for Dr. Tusten, nor for Mr. Jones or Jon Haskell, not for any of them. Even as I dodge a blur of trees and rocks and branches, the scene under the ledge replays in my mind, Dr. Tusten shouting at me to run, that hatchet...
My lame foot catches a rock and I meet the ground. Hard. The musket ball in my stomach shoots searing pain straight up into my teeth.
This can't be happening.
I dig my forehead into the hemlock needles and suck in the familiar smell of soil--I wish I could go back three days in my life, just three days... (p.7).
Even though the reader doesn't know the protagonist's name, there are enough clues in these opening paragraphs to set up the story and provoke questions: "Why is this boy running? What happened three days ago?" And even more importantly, "What's going to happen next?"

Through the use of alternating chapters (present story and events that happened three days prior) the reader slowly understands the backstory: Noah's father's patriotic fervor before he died; his mother's reluctance to let Noah become a part of the Continental Army; Noah's self-assessment as a "crippled farm boy;" Noah's longing to have his own farm; his infatuation with the new girl in the settlement, Eliza Little; and his fear and hatred of the Iroquois Indians who recently joined forces with the British.

After he is wounded, Noah stumbles upon a young injured warrior:
The brightness of the stars has always seemed cold to me. I frown and look back at the boy who has become my patient. The white light of the moon catches on the shiny scar running down his cheek....Scar. I will think of him as Scar.
My father named everyone. (p. 21)
Faced with the choice of helping him or abandoning him, Noah uses his newly-acquired "medical" training to try and help him.
Without thinking, I pick up his hand in mind and look up at the sky between the branches of the hemlock trees. Why is it that when we want answers we know we can't have, we turn our faces to the sky? Maybe it's all those stars. Maybe just comparing our concerns to their twinkling masses shrinks our problems.
Scar squeezes my hand.
I'm afraid to look at him. I know that he knows he's dying.
He squeezes my hand again.
I look down. His eyes are like the stars, full of twinkle. (p.45)
Earlier in the story, Noah faced another choice: Was he going to join the men going to battle, or would he use his lame foot as an excuse not to go? Despite knowing that his mother would want him to stay, he remembers her admonition: "Don't let others shoulder a responsibility that is yours." (p. 82)

Later when Dr. Tusten, who has observed his lame foot, questions his decision to join the militia, Noah responds:
If I were to ask these men sweating in the hot sun right now, each of them would own a good reason to stay behind, just as you believe I do." I wave over at Mr. Jacobson. "That men has six children to feed. And the Reverend has a portion of his flock to put to rest after yesterday. And Jon Haskell's wife is sick with fever." There is no shortage of pain and suffering in the lives of poor farmers, and I could have gone on, but instead I turn back to him. "And you, sir, you're standing before me, even though I'm sure that you must have a wife and children to think about. I will follow this militia, Dr. Tusten, whether you agree with my decision or not." (p. 93)
The book ends on an ambiguous note. In an email exchange Jennifer Mann said, "Every reader brings their own ideas to that end." You'll have to read SCAR, which launches tomorrow, to find out for yourself. An Epilogue and "About the Characters" provide more information about the battle and the combatants on both sides.
From the Author
Since I'm always interested in how authors get their ideas (particularly when it comes to historical fiction!) I asked Jennifer how she became interested in the Battle of Minisink Ford. She responded:


On a weekend hike behind a friend’s home in the Upper Delaware River Valley of New York, I came upon an old wooden marker stating some small fact about a battle I’d never heard of. The second marker I came upon kind of changed my life. It was a simple wooden plaque drilled into the side of a rock ledge. It read:
Hospital Rock. Here on July 22, 1779, Lt. Col. Benjamin Tusten, a physician, and seventeen wounded militiamen under his care were trapped and killed by Joseph Brant's raiders.


A simple walk in the woods had brought me to a place where eighteen men had died. I started running up and down the trails looking for more markers. The markers told the story of The Battle of Minisink Ford, an obscure Revolutionary War battle. I didn’t know it then (or maybe I did), but I was to walk that trail literally and figuratively for many years to come as I undertook the challenge of writing my first novel of historical fiction. Standing there in the woods that day, I felt a deep need to discover who those eighteen men were and why they had died on a summer day in the shadow of a lonely rock ledge. In the end, I did find out “who” they were, but not “why” they died. That question never gets answered.

To be entered in the drawing for this ARC, leave me a comment by Friday, April 8. If I don't have your contact information, PLEASE include that also. This book would be a great classroom resource for grades 4-7 or as an addition to a home or school library.
- See more at: http://carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com/...

[Stephanie Molnar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so touching--it is one of the few books I've read that have made me cry. The jumps in time flow naturally and afford the reader the chance to see how one moment in the past effects one moment in the present. Beautifully written book that I could definitely see myself reading again. Also, don't let the fact that it's a "children's book" deter you from reading it. The subject matter keeps this book mature and does not shield the reader from the horrors of war.

[Elise Henrichsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale written by J. Albert Mann is the story of a fictional 16 year-old boy named Noah during the Revolutionary War. Noah wants to fight in the war liked his father did but is unable to due to his crippled foot, the result of a childhood accident. However, Noah’s wish is granted when his village is attacked by Native Americans fighting for the British. He joins the makeshift militia that was formed to retaliate the attack, unknown to his mother. Noah is quickly assigned as the doctor’s assistant and helps carry the bags during the march to ambush the Native Americans. During the march Noah is fairly content but then a gunshot is heard and more follow. The Native Americans are attacking and the small militia can’t fight back. Noah tries to help the doctor attend to the soldiers’ wounds but Noah is shot in the the stomach and forced to run. After getting far away from the battle he comes upon a Native American boy younger than him and severely injured from the battle. Noah takes care of him through the night and names him Scar. Scar dies in the morning. A group of Native Americans come and bury Scar. They see how Noah help Scar. Finally Noah briefly talks with Joseph Brant, the Englishman who lead the attack against Noah’s village and sees how kind Brant is before dying too,as a result of the shot to his stomach.
I really enjoyed Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale. It was short but had a lasting impact. Noah chose to stay with Scar during their last moments and I was really powerful to see Noah learn and realize that in war everyone’s fighting for a reason, and the other side isn’t just killing for the fun of it.
The book only spans three days, but goes back and forth from the very start of the attack on Noah’s village to the night Noah spends comforting Scar. That, added with the multiple flashbacks Noah has makes the story seem as if it’s more than just three days and also makes the reader feel like they’ve known Noah for much longer.
I also really liked how J. Albert Mann mixed fictional characters and events with real historical ones, making for a very accurate portrayal of the time and the Revolutionary War. In the epilogue she tells of the real life Battle of Minisink and gives a short bibliography of the historical characters. I thought this was very cool and enjoy having a little bit more information on what and who this book was based around.
Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale by J Albert Mann was a short powerful book and was also an enjoyable way to learn more about real historical events.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Scar. A healed wound...Do the wounds of war ever heal, leaving only a scar where we once bled?" That's an excellent question, and it's one to keep in mind when we study history and look back at the conflicts of the past. In this well-written piece of historical fiction, Mann shows just one skirmish from the American Revolutionary War, but she makes it very real to readers. The story takes place over the course of four days in July 1779, near the settlement of Minisink (near present day Deerpark, NY). The events are seen through the eyes of 16-year-old Noah Daniels, who lives with his mother and sister on the farm his father carved out of the wilderness before dying in 1778. Now their home and others in the area are being attacked by Mohawk warriors allied with the British. Daniel sets off with the militia to find the attackers and is caught up in a terrible battle between the two forces.

One of the problems with studying early American history is that it is so distant, and the conditions are so different from today, that it is hard for students to identify with the figures they study. Daniel is easy for young people to identify with. He works hard to keep the farm going, knowing his father would want the family taken care of. But he also wants to fight with the colonists, and all his mother's excuses cannot override the patriotism his father instilled in him. There is also his acquaintance Eliza Little, who is the same age and visits with him during his daily walks. Her family moved to the area because her father thought it was safer with more of a militia presence, and they share the loss of a parent (his father, her mother). When the warriors following Joseph Brant enter the area, Daniel worries for the safety of Eliza and her family as well as his own. All of this is understandable - worrying about parental expectations, the importance of friendships and possible romance, yearning to be seen as an adult (or at least as capable) - these all make sense in any time period.

Another problem with covering historical conflicts in the classroom is that students often see the situations as very cut and dried, good guys versus bad guys. This story also shows that things are much more multi-dimensional than that simplistic view. Once the men from the settlement actually meet up with the enemy, Daniel has his idealistic notions of the encounter thoroughly ruined. And the aftermath of the battle will shake up readers as much as it does the protagonist.

Highly recommended for grades 4 - 7. Excellent for units on the American Revolution. The epilogue shares the historical facts that the story is based on, and the author also provides biographies for some of the more significant historical figures included in the story. The bibliography offers a list of all the print sources used by the author. The publisher also plans to offer an educator's guide for use with the book.

I received an advance galley from the publisher for review purposes.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

There aren't enough children's books on the American Revolution, so it's good to see a new one on the shelves. I liked this one, just not as much as Woods Runner or My Brother Sam is Dead. The interesting thing about this book is that it starts in the present, then goes back a few days, and works forward to the present.

When the story opens (and it's a short one), 16-year-old Noah is wounded in the woods and stumbles upon a wounded indian. At first he's angry, but then he feels compelled to help the indian since he has a medical bag with him. The indian has a scar on his face, so that's the name Noah gives him.

As the two lie there, sick and wounded, not knowing whether they will live or die, Noah thinks about how all of this started two days earlier. His settlement is raided by a group of Tories and indians. They burn houses, steal livestock, and kill a few people. A group of militia men get together and decide to go after them. Noah feels it's his duty to go along. Unfortunately, the attack does not go as planned, and Noah barely escapes alive. That's how he ends up lying on the ground with an indian in the woods.

As with so many historical fiction books that I read, the afterword is more fascinating than the story itself. That's how I know the story could have been better. It's definitely worth adding to your Revolutionary War bookshelf though.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I wonder who we will be chasing, the men of flint or the eaters or men?”

A compelling coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Battle of Minisink in northern New York during the summer of 1779, SCAR: A REVOLUTIONARY WAR TALE is a beautifully written YA historical novel that spans three crucial days in the young life of 16-year-old Noah.

The Revolutionary War is underway and Noah yearns to fight with the Patriots against the British army, but a lame foot and an unwilling mother have been holding him back. Until the day his settlement is attacked and Noah makes the bold decision to join the surviving men from his community and set off with the militia to track and confront the men responsible for the raid – Mohawk leader Joseph Brant and his troops.

J. Albert Mann expertly weaves history and facts into Noah’s personal narrative of family, young love, and war. Written for teens, I believe SCAR will find a wider audience with adults and advanced middle grade readers. A fascinating look at one battle in our nation’s history through the eyes of Noah, an endearing character who we root for until the last page. I loved everything about this powerful novel.

[Great Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this gripping Revolutionary War tale, a crippled boy joins the militia to fight the Mohawk Indians that have just burned down his settlement. Deep in the woods under siege two enemies meet and a story of honor and courage unfolds. Reviewer 25

[S.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any class studying the Revolutionary War. J. Albert Mann's "Scar" sheds light onto the impact the Revolutionary War had on small colonial settlements. Come to deeply understand their patriotism, passion and their heartaches over the lives lost to the war.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intense and personal meditation on the terror and trauma of war.

[Susie Chocolate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A middle school book I read with one of my readers which I enjoyed so much because I’ve now read quite a few books about the Revolutionary War. My favorite was a trilogy written by Laurie Halse Anderson which is narrated by two slaves. One who is a runaway and one who gained his freedom and was a great patriot fighting against the British Red Coats.

This book took a perspective I hadn’t read before which is the flight between the Iroquois Indians who were fighting on behalf of the British because they were told that the crown would then protect their lands. They fought against the inhabitants of a frontier settlement in what became modern day New York state.

Real colonial young boys died in the Revolutionary War. Real mohawk Indian boys died, fighting in the Revolutionary War. Although they died fighting, each party believed greatly in the freedom they were fighting for. The young patriot protagonist Noah, to throw off the British rule of the Colonies and Scar the Indian, to help the colonist encroaching into native American territory.

A fresh perspective and one that was educational as well.

[Ahmad Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah daniels, a sixteen year old boy controlled by his mom, expecting to be the man of the house, but instead is weakened and angered by a crushed foot, which limits him from fighting in George Washington's army, which also leads to him getting wounded, which is probably the reason the name of the book is “Scar”, while wounded he sees a wounded Indian soldier, after he beats the man, he feels remorse and starts helping him and feeding him, while beating him he realized something, he realized they were both fighting for the same reason, which is what convinced him to change his mind. “Scar” really shows character development with Noah, from beating a man, making him choke on his own blood, to helping him, and healing him, it sends a message, that sometimes war changes people to good, which empowers empathy, but most of the book is just Noah, staring into this man’s soul, with regret, and the will to help, if only the book showed us the Indian man’s point of view, he would have been very confused, a stranger going from beating you to helping you. Even in war, you can find peace.

[Oak Lawn Public Library - Youth Services · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Scar
Author: J. Albert Mann
Pages: 144
Lexile level: 780
Recommendations & Comments:
___5 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: Set during the Revolutionary War, Scar, by J. Albert Mann, chronicles the life of teenager Noah Daniels who joins the militia after a violent attack on his settlement. Not long after, Noah is seriously wounded during the battle of Minisink, and finds himself laying near another wounded boy close to his own age – an Iroquois soldier allied with the British. Noah befriends the boy and tries to tend his wounds. The book alternates between flashbacks and present time as Noah reflects on his past in relation to his current circumstances, realizing that he and the Iroquois soldier are ultimately fighting for the same thing – freedom. Noah is left with misgivings over the war and sympathy for his so-called enemy. The writing style is top-notch prose, delivering action and imagery like a set of one-two punches and conveying a sense of urgency, thus making for a fast and exciting read.

Reviewed By: Roger Burns

[Natalie Phister · Rating 3 out of 5]

HISTORICAL NOVEL CATEGORY
Scar is about a 16-year-old boy who lives in Revolutionary War era New England. After a raid on his settlement, he decides to join a militia bent on seeking revenge for the lives lost and homes burned. Despite his crippled foot and the certain disapproval of his mother, Noah Daniels sets out with the men and learns what war is really like. Turns out it's not the glorious endeavor his father had made it out to be. It's a nightmare. After the fighting, he comes across a dying Mohawk warrior about his age. They sit through the night together, telling stories and running out of water. In the end, the battle claims them both, but not before they have forged a strong bond that transcends their different backgrounds. Very good. A little slow-paced at times, but the ending was poignant and the story as a whole was interesting.

[Jihvsibvdv · Rating 1 out of 5]

fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book; fuck this book;

[Carolyn Tara O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's not that the fight is worth your life, it's that your life is worthless if you do not fight."

Wow. Super well researched, moving story about a young boy who wants nothing more than to be a good man. And what happens when that desire comes at a time of war...? There's only one thing for it -- he's off to fight. Noah is an endearing main character, and his connection with the injured young Mohawk Scar is a beautiful interlude in the midst of a brutal war. I really enjoyed reading about the way of life of these early American settlers, and at such a precarious time in our history. Highly recommended.

[Stuart Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scar is a work of historical fiction based on the Battle of Minisink during the American Revolution. Noah, a young man whose family wants freedom for his colonial family, finds himself shot and next to a young Mohawk boy who was also shot while fighting as an ally to the English. The book unfolds by going back and forth in time to explain a three-day time period where different conflicts bring the two boys together as dying soldiers. In the course of these three days, each of the boys find themselves battling for their own freedom in the Battle of Minisink.

[TrAvIs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did not enjoy this book because it was more for people who enjoy the life of a farm boy instead of someone in the war. the book is not that much about Scar an Indian boy who was shot and was stuck in mud it it more about Noah the main characters past and going into the war and fighting Indians not so much as Noah and Scar surviving the night it is more about Noah going to sleep and dreaming about his past and remembering how he got there

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but compassionate, realistic story that tells of the cruelties and horrors of war during the American Revolution. A young patriot, Noah is caught in the battle of Minisink in upstate New York. Coming upon a gravely wounded young Mohawk, he tries to save him. Flashbacks tell of Noah's own ordeals. The story is based of real people and actual events.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book to memorialize a little-known incident during the American Revolution! I enjoyed this book a lot. I was previewing it for our middle school classes. Sadly, it is a bit too short for our purposes, but I will still recommend that the library purchase it, and I'd still tell students about it. What a great read!

[Tarantula Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book does not have enough attention!!! I couldn’t put it down at all and read it in like a few hours, and the story is told so deliciously that it’s a crime this book is not in English classes and school libraries everywhere. I learned so much from it about the history it tells and I just wish more people would read it!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction based on the Battle of Minisink during the Revolutionary War gives life and shows the possibility of love and compassion to the harsh realities of colonial life and the horrors of war.

[Mahen Bitkuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was very sad because there were many wars and blood. I rated it a four out of five stars because it was what I wanted in a book. Suspense, thriller, and here and there included horror.

[Tara Ethridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always on the lookout for good middle-grade historical fiction, and this one has the intensity of war that many kids like. Based on an actual battle in the revolutionary war. I liked this book but wished I loved it.

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched revolutionary war story that centers on the battle of Minisink Ford. Does a good job of bringing the time period and day to day lives of colonial citizens to life, in quite a short book. Not all that fast paced, but a solid read.

[Anthony Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to 3.5 stars. I enjoyed how the non-linear timeline slowly revealed the beginning of the book. At times, however, the book did move as quickly making it feel longer than a 130 page book

[Peyton Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. it was a good plot line and I liked the two different time lines but I wish you would get more of scars story. Also the two different time lines didn’t really end up together in a clear way. But overall it was a enjoyable book

[Sarah Gebreyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay... kind of left me hanging.

[Gia Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark read, but well-written. Very short revolutionary war novella. Would maybe be good for in class reading because of its brevity, but strength of subject.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic story but I feel like it was cut short. I suppose this is how it truly was during the revolution.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy, well-researched read that tells the story of the Battle of Minisink from a relatable point of view.