My summer reading

Caitlin Kilgore                                                                                         

September 13, 12

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ELA

Reading Response About Summer Reading

 One of the books that I read over the summer was The Year Of The Hangman by Gary Blackwood. This novel deals with the idea of what would have happened if the Americans had lost the Revolutionary War. The story is about a teenage boy who unwillingly comes to the colonies from Europe. Creighton is what we call today a troublemaker. He enjoys gambling and drinking.   After the death of his father, Creighton becomes too much for his mother to handle. Creighton arrives in the colonies against his will and to an unwelcoming uncle. I won’t give away the book but this is a quick summary of the action-packed novel The Year Of The Hangman.

Over the course of the novel, Creighton changes for the better. When he arrives in the colonies he is upset and just wants to go home. But while on his way to West Florida his ship is attacked by the rebels and his world changes forever.  They are taken to New Orleans, where his uncle is held captive by the Americans.  Creighton is sent to live with Benjamin Franklin. His uncle expects him to be a spy and figure out when and where Franklin is printing a secret newspaper The Liberty Tree that is read by the rebels, also known as the Americans.  Creighton starts to help his uncle, but then when his uncle and a lieutenant escape and purposely leave him behind, he begins to think for himself. I won’t give the rest of the book away but Creighton finds his true self and learns to speak for what he believes in by the end. This is how Creighton changes over the course of this story for the better.

Overall, I really like this book. I think that this is a good novel for readers who like history because they can start to imagine what could have happened to our nation if we had lost the Revolutionary War. Also this book helps you understand what it is like in a battle both literally and figuratively. Figuratively, you see how it is to battle oneself as you make decisions under pressure. I would recommend this book to people 12 and up. Anyone who likes novels about characters who make life-changing decisions should read The Year Of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood.