“Mary Elizabeth's life undergoes a dramatic change when she leaves the only home she has known for another world far away in a place called America. The journey aboard the ship not only teaches her about perseverance but also that making a home in a a new world has its share of challenges. Join Mary Elizabeth as she lives one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime and learns the importance of family and the value of perseverance.”
Series: Book #1 in “The Eleanor” series.
Spiritual Content- James 1:12 in the acknowledgments; A few Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; In bonus content at the end, there are over a handful of Scriptures shared and a lesson on perseverance while telling about Joseph from the Bible; Prayers & Blessings over food; Talks about God, being able to worship Him freely, & Jesus dying for our sins; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mary Elizabeth’s family is moving to America to be able to worship God freely; Mary Elizabeth’s father leads her younger brother in a prayer to ask Jesus to come and live in his heart; Mentions of God, loving Him, & being able to worship Him freely; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking and praising God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of churches;
*Note: A mention of something smelling “heavenly”.
Negative Content- Some grief and missing family members and friends; Seasickness; Mary Elizabeth helps her mother kill chickens (which she dreads doing but preserves through it; barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of possible and near drownings & injuries; Mentions of grief & homesickness; A few mentions of deaths & illnesses (including the death of a child to smallpox); A couple mentions of Jennifer’s parents going through a divorce & her concern about possibly moving away; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of a tavern; A mention of tobacco; A mention of gamblers; A mention of jealousy; A mention of rumors;
*Note: Mary Elizabeth and her family see slaves being forced to board a ship and she is very bothered by how they are treated (they are in chains, Mary Elizabeth cries when one is whipped, and when she asks why that is happening, her parents are sad as well and tell her that there are “a great many things we won’t understand in this life”; Mary Elizabeth’s heart breaks and feels heavy, wishing she could do something and has the idea to pray for them); Mary Elizabeth’s mother is concerned about Indians in their new area, but it’s recalled in a letter later that when they met Indians for the first time, they were “quite nice”; In the Prologue, Jennifer thinks going to a tea party at her grandmother’s is immature for her age and doesn’t want to go (she rolls her eyes once and also says she’s too old for dolls; By the end of the Prologue, she is having fun with her cousins); In bonus content at the end, there is a mention of perseverance is being faithful to a friend “even when they have hurt you”, a quote from Helen Keller about perseverance, and mentions of classic books (Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Gone with the Wind); A few hints to a grandfather not doing well (forgetting things and calling someone by a different name); A mention of a Raggedy Ann doll.
Sexual Content- Seeing married couples share a few kisses (no true details; Mary Elizabeth blushes when her father kisses her mother and her mother says “not in front of the children”, but Mary Elizabeth’s father says that “I want them to know that I adore their Mam.”); Mary Elizabeth noticed a young woman blushing around a man and the man stammering when he speaks to her; A beautiful young woman attracts the attention of fellows in the ship;
*Note: A couple mentions of labor pains.
-Jennifer Jean, age 11
-Mary Elizabeth Powell, age 10
P.O.V. switches between them (Jennifer in Prologue & Epilogue only)
Set in present day (prologue & epilogue) & 1635
118 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
This was a very solid middle-grade story! There’s also bonus content at the end that has some great tips and recipes for having a tea party that could work great for a book club too.
This book follows two girls: Jennifer Jean and Mary Elizabeth. Only the prologue and epilogue are in Jennifer Jean’s POV and the main part of this book was about Mary Elizabeth. At the beginning, I didn’t care for Jennifer Jean’s attitude and thinking she’s too old for hanging out with her grandmother and cousins with their dolls, but I was glad she started to have fun. We see her again in the epilogue and learn a little bit about how hearing about Mary Elizabeth’s perseverance helped her.
I’ve never really been interested in the 1600s time-period or books set then, so I was very surprised to have enjoyed Mary Elisabeth’s story so much! She was an absolute dear and the story was very wholesome. There was an emphasis on perseverance and having a good attitude.
This was a lovely start to a series I’m looking forward to continuing soon!
See y’all on Friday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
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