A Kidnapping in Kentucky is based on the true story of Jemima Boone and her friends Betsy and Fanny Calloway, and their subsequent rescue by a group of settlers led by history legend Daniel Boone.
In the year 1776, many tribes of Native Americans were unhappy with the settlers in their land, and were about to hold a conference determining whether or not to go to war because of the settlers’ penchant for trapping animals for pelts rather than meat. The more the settlers trapped, the more the wildlife moved, and where the wildlife moved the Native Americans must follow. On the 14th of July, 1776, Jemima and the Calloway sisters were kidnapped by five Braves. This is the story of the kidnapping, and of the men who tracked them down and freed them. Written in a smooth and simple style, the author does not paint Native Americans or settlers as the “bad guys” of the stories, but simply tells the tale of the time in 1776, and relays this piece of history as a tribute to determination and bravery. I really enjoyed this little story. It is a very brief book, tailored toward young readers, but with enough excitement to keep older readers engaged. If you have read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, you will enjoy this story! Review of a book provided by Chicken Scratch Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None Violence/Gore: Many instances of violence and gore, including but not limited to: characters frequently go around armed with guns, knives, and/or tomahawks; frequent fear of Indian attacks; a girl has an injured foot; report of a past death; characters are attacked by an character and hit him with a canoe paddle; characters are threatened with tomahawks and taken captive; a character hears screams for help; characters are frequently in fear of death or injury via tomahawk or knife; a character implies the lives of certain characters may be in jeopardy if the captors fear pursuit; a girl pretends to be badly hurt; a character briefly fears someone is dead; girls are tied to trees at night to prevent them escaping; a character’s injury frequently bothers her; characters believe Native Americans are planning to make war on the settlers; characters corner and kill a buffalo for meat; two characters are shot and killed; a girl is almost hit with a tomahawk; a girl is almost clubbed to death. Sex/Nudity: Report of a difficult childbirth; characters mention how Indians use kidnapped girls to increase their tribes; a man is shirtless; a girl thinks of a boy she likes; a man is in love with a girl; a man frequently talks about his captured sweetheart; a man and woman hold hands; a man strokes a girl’s hair; a man and woman marry.
Mature Subject Matter:
Kidnapping; death of a family member; death of a child; disease; threat of war.
Drugs/Alcohol:
None
