Tiffany

If I were in Tim's place I would tell father that Sam was coming back because I think it's important for a parent to know where their child is. I also remember how worried my parent were when my brother went riding his bike and we couldn't find him. When we found him my parent were relieved,so I think Mr. Meeker would be relieved when he found out that Sam was safe.

In the book,I think Betsy is sort of like a spy. She let Sam hide out,and she found out that Sam was coming home. I think betsy is nozy because she hangs out in the Meeker's tavern a lot to get gossip.

When the rebel officers were taunting Mr. Meeker, I felt worried becuase Father really didn't have the gun and it would be a shame if he got killed for telling the truth. Although when Sam said the rebel officers wouldn't shoot father,I felt relieved.
If I were Sam I would be confused. If I took the gun I would be worried that when I went in the tavern I would be killed,but on the other hand I might have gave the gun to the officers because I wouldn't want to see my father injured.
When Sam took the gun back I felt frightened because if the officers knew that Mr. Meeker's son had the gun,they might go looking for Sam and kill him.
If Sam stayed I think Father would have told Sam how scared he was and tell him the truth about why he didn't want Sam to go into war in the first place.
I think Tim called Sam a coward because he wanted Sam to go into the tavern so the rebel officers would see Sam with the gun. I think Tim was using reverse psychology.
I don't think Sam is a coward because he secretly went into war and ditched college to fight for freedom.

I agree with Nicole Barritta's comment on Chapter 3. Betsy's role is becoming bigger in the story. She didn't have much of a role in the first and second chapters of the book,but now she finds out all the gossip about Sam in war. She is like a spy and a secret messenger.
I actually agree with a lot of Nicole's opinions and I cant wait for more! ☺

♥Tiffany♥

Chapter 5 gave us more about Tim's opinion on Sam leaving for war. I think when Tim found out about how serious war can be,it changed his mind.
The quote that Tim stated in Chapter 5 can be true because war affects everyone even of they live far away. When soldiers go to far away places to fight,they may not come back. If they don't return home safely it can make their friends and family upset and worried.I think Mr. Meeker is sly and up to an evil scheme.
I think this because Mr. Meeker said they might not be business letters,and when a serious war like that is taking place no one can really trust anyone.
Overall, I think the chapter was OK,and I hope chapter 6 will be more exciting.

I think Tim's actions in the chapter were uncalled for and also dangerous. Mr. Meeker could be right,and Tim could get hurt. Mr. Meeker probably knows more about the war than Tim and also,Tim should obey his father.
I don't trust Mr. Heron because when Tim and Betsey read the letter and it was only testing Sam it made me curious. Mr. Heron wanted Tim to deliver the messages,but he tested Tim first. I think the real message Mr. Heron wanted Tim to deliver was about Sam because if it wasn't about Sam,Mr. Meeker wouldn't have tested Tim.
When Betsey and Tim were in the scuffle I didn't know what to think. It was rude for Tim to tackle and girl,and it was also rude for Betsey to be so nozy. It wasn't Betsey's letter and she should mind her own business.

Chapter 7 was kind of boring to me,but I think it told us more about how the war was affecting all the colonists. I think it is affecting the Meeker family,too. Mr. Meeker and Mrs. Meeker are arguing about Sam,and Tim has to listen to them dispute which makes him upset.
The war in the Middle-East isn't really affecting my family because no one we know is in war. Although,it does make us upset when we hear about it on the news. I would be very upset if a relative or friend died in war. I would also be worried,like Mr. Meeker,knowing that one of my relatives could be killed.

Tim is really unsure about the war. He said he would be a Loyalist if he went into war,but then he might be a Patriot because of what Sam said. It is hard for Tim to make up his mind when everyone he loves is giving him different opinions on the war. Chapter 8 made me feel worried in both the beginning and end. When the Cow-boys were attacking Mr. Meeker I was worried that he might get killed. I also felt worried for Tim. He must have been so frightened seeing the Cow-boys hurt his father. Towards the end of the chapter,I still felt quite scared. When Mr. Meeker and Tim were traveling through the snowstorm,it must have been very hard. Luckily Mr. Meeker knew a house where they could stay at. If I were Tim or Mr. Meeker, I would be terrified wondering if the Cow-boys were still there.

I don't really like the cold weather right now,and if I had to travel through a snowstorm with oxen,I wouldn't be very thrilled. I could really imagine how Tim and Father must feel. This chapter also showed us what the colonists had to deal with during the Revolutionary War.

Chapter 9-
I think Mr. Meeker was killed because a lot of events were taking place during the Revolutionary War and nobody really trusted anyone. I think what happened to Mr. Meeker will have a big impact on Tim. Tim might have to take over his father's duties in the tavern
Chapter 9 made me worried. I didn't know what happened to Mr. Meeker. It also made me anxious to find out what had happened to father.

Chapter 10-
“I still hadn’t figured out what he was fighting for. It 
seemed to me that we’d been free all along."

Tim said the above quote because he is only a child,and he doesn't have to pay all the taxes that adults do. The prices kept going up,but it didn't have an impact on Tim because he wasn't the one paying the taxes.

Tim thinks that Sam believes he is part of something big. What Tim meant was that Sam has faith that the Patriots will win,and if the British are defeated, Sam will prove father wrong. Sam also might think he will recieve more attention if he helped the Patriots win.

I thought that Chapter 11 was OK. Nothing happened in the chapter that gave me a certain feeling. I hope the next chapter will be more exciting!

The quote "In war the dead pay the debts for the living", means the soldiers in battle die to give us freedom. Just like the war in the Middle East occuring right now,the soldiers keeping us safe,although they know they may get injurred or even die.
Chapter 12 was very sad and depressing. Sam was accused for stealing his own cattle,and he was taken away. Anything dangerous might happen to Sam.

The quote "Give me liberty or give me death," might have reminded the troops what they were fighting for. Some of the soldiers might have thought that the war was crutial and unnessecary since a lot of people were dieing,but when they hear the quote said by Patrick Henry they are reminded about what they are fighting for. They were in battle for liberty and freedom. The quote could've also boosted the spirits of many Americans.
Overall,I though chapter 3 was OK. I thought it was unfair that Coloneal Parsons didn't believe Tim,but I found that this chapter was a little humdrum.

Patrick Henry Limerick-

I'm sure you heard of Patrick Henry the colonist.
He was against British tolerance.
"Give me liberty or give me death!" was one of his famous quotes.
He wanted to defeat the British redcoats.
Patrick wanted to end all the nonsense.

I hope you liked it ♥♥

I thought it was ironic that Mr. Meeker and Sam were both captured when they were with Tim,but Tim never was caught.
I also thought it was ironic because both Sam and Life were captured by Americans.

I though this chapter was filled with much drama and heartbreak. It was sad to find out about Sam being accused and trialed for an act he never committed.

I didn't agree with the statement in the Epilogue. If we didn't solve this problem another way,we might not have had the same end. We could have still been ruled by Great Britian if we didn't go into battle.

The United States could not have been a nation without the Revolutionary War. Without the Revolutionary War,we could be controlled by another country overseas, and we might have different customs aswell as a different lifestyle.

I thought the novel would be boring at first,but after I started reading it I found it very interesting. I now agree with the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover," is true. The novel was filled with different emotions in every chapter.

I really enjoyed the book, and I hope everyone else did aswell!!
♥♥Tiffany♥♥