Thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper has a difficult time in front of her. The British have just pulled out of Boston as patriot fighters surround the city. But Elsbeth’s employer and her father have both evacuated, too. So, she must fend for herself in a city plagued with smallpox.
There’s a rebellion afoot.
Britain’s 13 American colonies were somewhat self-governed, while dutifully paying their taxes to the crown. But after massive tax increases, intrusive demands from Great Britian and British soldiers shooting down protesting citizens in the streets of Boston, the passions of the colonists were inflamed.
It became a war.
For a young Boston citizen like Elsbeth Culpepper, however, the ongoing struggle is somehow both a part of her life and very much outside of it. At 13, the most she can do is hope to survive. And even that is no easy task.
Elsbeth’s mother and brothers all died of the pox—a deadly viral contagion that causes physical misery and covers the body in blisters. Elsbeth suffered with the disease, too, but she somehow survived. It left her pocked with scars on her face as a reminder of both her loss and her good fortune. Her father, a talented sailmaker, survived as well. But they rarely see one another.
Elsbeth longs to be a seamstress. She learned to sew and stitch from her mother. And she has a talent for it. But it’s nearly impossible for a pocked-faced commoner with no connections to get a seamstress apprenticeship.
So the teen girl counts herself lucky when she gains a housekeeping position with a crotchety old judge. It puts a few coins in her pocket, a roof over her head and a bit of food in her stomach. That will have to do for now.
Then, however, the war presses in on Boston. The Continental Army’s cannons are set up around the city, and after a single night of noisy bombardment, the British decide to withdraw.
That changes everything.
When the British agree to evacuate the city, their local supporters are left with the choice of staying and facing criticism from patriot colonists or leaving on the British ships.
Elsbeth’s employer—a member of the Royal Governor’s council—decides to evacuate. Elsbeth’s father, who seems to disappear with the dawn, must have left, too.
So where does that leave a penniless girl?
Well, Elsbeth is definitely no dunderhead. She’s as handy and hardworking as any two maids twice her age! She can read, write, sew, cook and clean. She has wit and knows exactly what to say around any and all who have position and power.
Wars and disease may rage, fortunes may shift, and many may fall. But Elsbeth Culpepper, with keen eyes and sharp mind, will find a way through the rebellion of 1776.
There’s a general sense in the book that many people attend church on Sundays. And some people say things such as “Praise God’s mercy.” But there aren’t any discussions of faith in the story.
One of the characters here talks about her grandmother’s belief that “owls take messages to the dead.” And later, after someone dies, Elsbeth hears a pair of owls calling in the night and remembers that mentioned belief.
After the British authorities and their supporters leave Boston, Elsbeth gains employment with Mr. Winslow Pike and his family. Mr. Pike tends to be generally sensitive to Elsbeth’s struggles, but his wife, Mehitable, is far less so. Most of that strain comes from a built-in class prejudice between those who are wealthy in the world of 1776 and those who are subservient (giving them a similar status as slaves).
Elsbeth is able to break through some of those prejudicial barriers because of the relationships she establishes with the seven Pike children. The kids all come to appreciate and love her.
Widow Judith Nash is another character in the Pike family orbit. She’s a stern, perpetually displeased housekeeper who makes extreme demands of young Elsbeth at every turn. And she eventually becomes rather hateful in an attempt to deceptively get the Pike family to fire Elsbeth.
The Pikes are also temporarily caring for Hannah Sparhawk, a wealthy, spirited 16-year-old who’s trapped in Boston because of a siege and the smallpox quarantine. Hannah likes Elsbeth enough to ask the younger girl to become her personal maid. The two cross class barriers and become friends.
Hannah’s guardian, Capt. Hunter, is a deceitful man who eventually shows his true colors. He not only manipulates Mr. Pike and steals away most of Pike’s shipping company, but he also lies to Hannah about her beloved grandmother. Hunter, in effect, steals Hannah’s inheritance. The captain also suggests that Mr. Pike might regain a lost fortune by shipping slaves.
We only briefly meet Elsbeth’s father. And though, at first, he appears to be a man who abandoned his child, we learn that he was actually taken away against his will. He strives over the course of eight months to escape captivity and find a way back to his daughter.
We never meet Elsbeth’s deceased mom, but Elsbeth makes some decisions (such as the choice to help a very ill stranger) because she’s convinced her mother would have done so.
No profanity, but there is a fair bit of grumbling and name-calling in the mix, including uses of “tarnation,” “numbskull,” “muttonhead,” “nincompoop,” “blast you” and “tarnal maggots and lice!” Hannah calls her assigned guardian (Capt. Hunter), “Captain Fizzlefart.”
Some people drink wine.
We’re told that the Pikes’ rambunctious boys burned down a relative’s barn. We read of several people struggling with the fevers and physically debilitating effects of smallpox. In one case, we see the grizzly details of a person’s death from the disease. An older man approaches Elsbeth with news of her dad, forcing Elsbeth to steal on his behalf in exchange for the information.
A doctor moves to bleed a patient, but he’s stopped. We hear of deaths at sea and people dying in the war.
There aren’t any sexual or sensual situations in this story. But two different young couples fall in love. In one instance, a young woman gets very sick, and her boyfriend stays devotedly by her side. The second couple is separated for a long time, but when they reunite, the individuals voice their love and marry.
Have you ever wondered what big historical events might have looked like from the perspective of people who lived through them? Did you like how this book looked at the American Revolution from Elsbeth’s point of view? Was there anything in her story that you were surprised by?
War can be a disturbing and scary event, no matter when it happens. Have you ever wondered what God says about war?
Take a look at 1 Samuel 17:47; Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 2:4 and Matthew 5:9. What do you think those verses are telling us about God’s perspective? Now take a look at Ephesians 6:12. What does that verse say is the biggest thing we should be warring against? Where should our focus be?
Rebellion 1776 delivers a compelling and educational tale about a young girl living through the Revolutionary War. It gives young readers a first-hand perspective on the events and struggles of that age—including things such as the public square reading of the Declaration of Independence and the devastation of the smallpox virus.
Parents of younger readers should note that there are deceptive and hurtful choices made by people in the story, as well as a few moments of peril. And the gruesome physical aspects of the deadly smallpox virus can be disturbing and emotional.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
