The Pact

by Tom Durwood

Six international teens join the American Revolution.

Coming of age and making history.

They went into 1776 looking for a fight. Little did they know how much it would cost them…

Six rich kids from around the globe join the Bostonian cause, finding love and treachery along the path to liberty.

A new perspective one on of history’s most fascinating moments.

Amply illustrated edition of a young-adult historical fiction novel.

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Tom Durwood is a teacher, writer and editor with an interest in history. Tom most recently taught English Composition and Empire and Literature at Valley Forge Military College, where he won the Teacher of the Year Award five times.

Early reader response to Tom’s historical fiction adventures has been promising. “A true pleasure … the richness of the layers of Tom’s novel is compelling,” writes Fatima Sharrafedine in her foreword to “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter.”

The Midwest Book Review calls that same adventure “uniformly gripping and educational … pairing action and adventure with social issues.” Adds Prairie Review, “A deeply intriguing, ambitious historical fiction series.”

Tom earned a Masters in English Literature in San Diego, where he also served as Executive Director of San Diego Habitat for Humanity.

Two of Tom’s books, “Kid Lit” and “The Illustrated Boatman’s Daughter,” were selected “Best of the New” by Julie Sara Porter’s Bookworm Book Alert 2021.

His new book, "An Introduction to Higher Math: Five Concepts Taken from the 'Ruby Pi' Stories (Ruby Pi Adventure Series)" is out now on Amazon!

👉 https://amzn.to/3ZyiA4l

Visit the links below for free pdf's to read a sample of each book!

https://www.themathgirls.com
https://www.boatmansdaughter.com
https://www.mycolonials.com
https://www.teddystantrum.com
https://www.kidlitcrit.com
https://www.empirestudies.com
https://www.usginchina.com

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Pact” is Book One of “The Illustrated Colonials” Trilogy. The first few chapters are dedicated to the advent of six protagonists -- Jiayi Mei Ying from China, Prince Mahmoud from the Ottoman Empire, Sheyndil from Russia, Leo from Germany, Will O. from Holland, and Gilbert from France. These ‘royals’ all meet in France at the School of Selestat.

From the first page, readers will never be bored.

“The citizens who act as my servants enjoy cooking for
me. They have told me so on countless occasions.”
“How stupid are you?” demanded Gilbert, who stood nearby.

Besides plenty of colorful illustrations that are appealing and enchanting enough to keep the readers wandering inside the historical journey, the author has added brief chapter openings packed with irony and humor. Here is one of them:

There are three ways by which a nation might acquire wealth.
The first is by War; this is Robbery.
The second is by Commerce, which is generally Cheating.
The third is by Agriculture, the only Honest way.
… Benjamin Franklin

I really enjoyed the latter part of this story, from Chapter 7, “The School of Young Monarchs.” The author creates a beautiful and peaceful village in France. I wonder how impressive the lessons of the author when he teaches history. Each chapter starts with a poignant quote of life to uplift the readers’ moral values. Tom Durwood has created an excellent historical masterpiece combining history, art, nature, and life lessons.

With book one of the trilogy, the journey has begun, and hope the six young protagonists will keep their vows as they promised in the blood spilled night.

[Helen Blackthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, there are some talented people in the world. The illustrations in this novel are stunning. They really captured the essence of this novel.

The Pact is a short read, with short chapters and lots of illustrations - perfect for the younger reader. It has likeable and some not so likeable characters, and the story is quite engaging. It is not a historical fiction novel in its truer sense as the author has taken some liberties with dates and depictions, but there is an air of the era about it.

I thought this book was great and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.

[Lost in a book · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very wise—I know that sounds like a strange thing to say but it is full of inspiring quotes and little nuggets of wisdom. I really enjoyed reading about the characters and the things they learn in their school. The story is full of twists and turns which made it unputdownable. I can't say much else about this novel because I don't want to give away any spoilers.

A great read.

[Beatrice Rivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really short novel so the review will reflect the length.

I was slightly disappointed to read in the notes at the end of the book that the author thinks so little of his writing that he decided to use illustrations to help his readers understand his story. I am all for illustrations in novels and for the age of the readers that this novel is aimed at then illustrations are very important, but I hated reading about the author's self-doubt. But, this self-doubt does explain an awful lot.

The story, set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, is about six, for the most part, wealthy individuals all of whom have nobility running through their veins. These individuals are collected, for want of a better word, and sent to a special school where they can learn and grow together (the why for this is never really explained). Here they learn to put aside differences and rub along together and learn from each other. The collecting of these characters happens in the first part of this novel and it is also where we are introduced to the characters one by one. I have to admit that these short sharp chapters that went from one end of the world to the other left me rather confused. At one point I thought that instead of reading a novel I was reading a collection of short stories that did not make a great deal of sense. It is only when I reach the second part of this novel that the story become a little clearer and I was able to follow it.

There were several things that I disliked about this book, so l am going to talk about them first to get them out of the way. They are as follows:

Repeated sentences, highlighted in blue, in the middle of the story - I did not understand why they were there and they completely threw me out of the world the author had created.

The excessive amount of quotes - if this book is aimed at young adult then some of these quotes would have flown right over their head and there was just so many of them that they interfered with the story.

On the other side, there were several things that I really liked:

The characters' individuality and how they slowly began to build a lasting relationship with each other. All six protagonists come from very different backgrounds which I thought was fascinating and I liked how they learned from each other.

The originality of the story. I have never read a book quite like it, and I liked where the author was going with the story.

This novel would certainly appeal to a younger audience. I just wish the author did not doubt in his writing abilities as much because he is a talented writer - BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

I have found this novel very difficult to rate because there were a lot of things that I did not understand or like about the way the book was presented, but there were moments of brilliance in the writing itself. I have, after much deliberation, gone with a four-star rating because I think this story has a lot of potential and I think this series, once the author has more confidence in his own abilities, promises to be a very good one.

*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.

[READER VIEWS · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Pact” is Book One in The Illustrated Colonials series, a historical fiction saga for teens and young adults with a distinctive spin on the American Revolution.

The main characters of this story are Mei Ying, Glibert, Sheyndil, Leo, Mahmoud, and Will O. The author takes the first part of the book to introduce each of these characters. Jiaya Mei Ying is the moody teen whose family controls the canals on behalf of the Chinese Emperor. Gilbert du Motier is the handsome French Dragoon. Sheyndil is the Russian farm girl and emissary to Catherine the Great. Leo is of German blood and next in line to inherit the title of Baron. Mahmoud is the spoiled prince who will one day become the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Will O. is the second son of a prominent family of Dutch traders.

All of these young people, due to different circumstances, find themselves attending the same boarding school in the Alsace region of the French Alps under the tutelage of Master Frestel and Master Dubin. Each has been chosen because he or she is a “member of a family with a wide reach” which is advantageous now that the “Bostonians have triggered a world war.” (p.43)

The second part of this story shows the readers how these main characters interact while undergoing an education that includes academics, teamwork, manual labor, taking care of animals, self-defense, and the British Nine Rules of War. As Master Frestel and the others at the school reiterate, these young adults are being coached to help the colonials, learn the American ideals of freedom, and to bring back these ideals to their various countries. After the ultimate battle at the end of book one, Master Frestel is headed to Boston while Mei Ying, Glibert, Sheyndil, Leo, Mahmoud, and Will form a pact. The pact includes being honest with each other, to always try to do good, and as Sheyndil so eloquently declares, “if one of us calls, the others must answer. We each vow it.” (p. 92)

“The Pact” sets the stage for the ultimate skirmish, the Revolutionary War. It will amaze readers how the author seamlessly weaves the young heroes’ stories into the fabric of this historical event without altering the actual circumstances of the war. Personally, this reader enjoyed seeing the war from a fresh perspective. Typically, the audience is used to a white male perspective when it comes to the great Revolutionary War. Mr. Durwood humanizes this dry subject by inserting these six interesting characters from different countries.

This is just the hook our young adult audience needs to be able to relate to this piece of history. However, young adults are not the only audience who will enjoy the beginning of this saga. Adult readers who know a bit more about the Revolutionary War will enjoy both the storylines and the history of the war. People ages 12 and up who love historical war fiction should start their journey by reading “The Pact: The Illustrated Colonists Book One” by Tom Durwood. They will enjoy both the story and the beautiful illustrations that accompany this story.

[The Book Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about six young and wealthy children who are brought together to attend a special school (The School for young Monarchs) where they learn various lessons all of which leads them towards the American Revolutionary Wars.

If you are looking for a fun historical fantasy with great illustrations then this is the book for you. If you are looking for a fantasy that runs along with the historical accuracy of the era then this book isn't for you. The author does not let anything as tedious as historical fact get in the way of a good story!

I thought the concept of this novel was very original if not a little underdeveloped. I wanted to spend more time with the characters, to get to know them and to watch and understand as they begin to know themselves and what part they have to play in this story. There is some brilliant writing in the story, I would have liked just a little more detail.

I took some times to think about how many stars I was going to give this novel. Initially, I thought to give it 3 stars, but I decided to read the novel again (as it is quite a short book this was no hardship) before I settled upon a star rating and I am glad that I did. On the second reading, I felt a little more at home in the world that the author has created and the illustrations certainly helped to bring the story alive. Therefore I have settled on a 4-star rating.

*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.

[Whispering Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this novel are fabulous and they really draw the eye and help to explain what is happening in the novel. I thought it was an inspired idea to have images in this novel as I know some children find it very difficult to picture a story in their head and they quickly lose interest in the book because of this. The chapters have also been kept incredibly short - again this would suit a younger audience and as the book is only 108 pages long it seems the perfect length.

There is a huge cast of characters in this novel and having six protagonists made this quite a challenging read, even for someone of my age! I thought the beginning of this novel was rather disjointed as we are introduced to each character and it did not flow as well as it could have. The other issue I could not get my head around was why the author decided to highlight certain passages in this novel, in the middle of the text. I found myself re-reading passages that I had already read which jolted me out of the story, and I think it would certainly jolt a younger reader out of it as well. Saying that however, the novel was enjoyable and the language was simple enough for its intended audience.

*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pact is a fascinating work of fiction that takes us into the familiar events of the Revolutionary War period, but shows it to us through an unfamiliar lens. That is, we are taken into the worlds of a diverse group of characters, both male and female, from China, Turkey, Russia, Germany, Holland, and France. We're shown their daily lives and how they come to bond with each other and learn from one another.

It is a very original take on these historical events, crafted by a gifted writer. I found it very engaging and look forward to reading the next in the series.

[Eve Schofield · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked how the author layed 0ut the main characters and their back stories. would have liked it more had he showed how they all met each other and their journey to the school.

[Oh Look,AnotherBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing children's historical fiction is one of the most difficult things to do because not only is your audience very elusive, but you also have to stay true to the historical sources and make the writing simple enough to be understood. Tom Durwood has ignored all the above and has written a historical fantasy based loosely around the American Revolutionary Wars.

I won't lie, this novel did not immediately grab me. I had, and still have, no idea what the first half of the novel was about, it seemed like six very disjointed short stories about six children/teens. Thankfully, in the second half of the book, things become a little clearer. This is the kind of novel where you really have to hang in there.

Apart from the confusion as to who everyone was in the first half of this novel, the seemingly constant stream of metaphors, and the excessive amounts of famous quotes, there is a hidden gem of a story inside. This novel focuses on six very different protagonists, who are brought together because...I have no idea why they were brought together, but they are at this special school and they learn things, as you do, but they also learn from each other and somehow they go from protecting cabbages to making an unbreakable promise. It was certainly an interesting premise.

What surprised me the most about this novel was the author's genuine concern about his lack of skill as a writer. He confesses, at the end of the novel that he wants the illustrations to distract from his "failings as a writer." My advice to Mr Durwood would be this, forget your insecurities, and write, writes as much as you can every day, and one day you will write the perfect sentence and you will not need illustrations because your words will speak for themselves.

I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series because I think Mr Durwood has the talent to write a compelling series, he just has to believe in himself.

*I recived a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.

Merged review:

Writing children's historical fiction is one of the most difficult things to do because not only is your audience very elusive, but you also have to stay true to the historical sources and make the writing simple enough to be understood. Tom Durwood has ignored all the above and has written a historical fantasy based loosely around the American Revolutionary Wars.

I won't lie, this novel did not immediately grab me. I had, and still have, no idea what the first half of the novel was about, it seemed like six very disjointed short stories about six children/teens. Thankfully, in the second half of the book, things become a little clearer. This is the kind of novel where you really have to hang in there.

Apart from the confusion as to who everyone was in the first half of this novel, the seemingly constant stream of metaphors, and the excessive amounts of famous quotes, there is a hidden gem of a story inside. This novel focuses on six very different protagonists, who are brought together because...I have no idea why they were brought together, but they are at this special school and they learn things, as you do, but they also learn from each other and somehow they go from protecting cabbages to making an unbreakable promise. It was certainly an interesting premise.

What surprised me the most about this novel was the author's genuine concern about his lack of skill as a writer. He confesses, at the end of the novel that he wants the illustrations to distract from his "failings as a writer." My advice to Mr Durwood would be this, forget your insecurities, and write, writes as much as you can every day, and one day you will write the perfect sentence and you will not need illustrations because your words will speak for themselves.

I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series because I think Mr Durwood has the talent to write a compelling series, he just has to believe in himself.

*I recieved a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.