The Winter Hero (Book Review 2)

The Winter Hero (Book Review 2)

By: James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

            “The Winter Hero”, a fairly good book. This book is based on America before and during Shay’s Rebellion. It includes betrayal, regret, and sadness, excitement which are not shown nor hinted near the beginning. It also deals with those in debt during the time.

Justin Conkey, the main character, is a Fourteen-year- old boy, living on a farm with his, brother-in-law, Peter, and his sister, Molly. Justin admires Peter, because he was a war Hero in the Revolution but Justin doesn’t know what Peter had faced. Anyway, the book starts with Justin running through the woods looking and calling for Peter. He then finds Peter and tells him that the Sheriff is taking their Oxen. Suddenly, they both took off toward their barn. Once they got there the first thing they saw was the Sheriff standing in front of the barn with the Oxen. “Take your hands off them!” Peter shouted. Also note that Peter and the Sheriff have known each other for a while.

            “Peter, don’t give me trouble.” The Sheriff replied. They then got into an argument about who should take the oxen, but then the sheriff pulled out a document with a signed name on it. “Mattoon”. Mattoon is a rich man with many people in debt to him, Peter being one of them.  After a little more arguing, Peter was about to get into a fight. However, Molly, who was in the barn, saw him losing his temper, so she ran out and jumped on his back, and told him to calm down. After more arguing the Sheriff decided to leave, without the oxen, and send Peter to court.

            Later, Peter decided that they were going over to see a man named Daniel Shays, or as some call him, Captain Shays; he’s the leader of the town’s militia. When they got to Shays’ house, they sat around a table with the Captain to discuss their predicament. They began talking about their debt to Mattoon, then about the Sheriff, and how they were supposed to go to court the next day. After that, Shays wanted to help them, so they devised a plan. Peter and Shays would gather up people who were in debt, and they would block the court so the judges couldn’t attend their meeting. However, Justin also wanted to help, so they took him to work for Mattoon, to pay off the debt, and see if he could overhear anything of use. Therefore, Justin went to Mattoon and started working, while Peter and Shays gathered the debtors and blocked the court.

            Justin starts doing his part, serving Mattoon, listening to all his conversations, and reporting the information to Shays and Peter, and they keep this routine, changing and rearranging for any attacks Mattoon may have.

            This is actually a fairly good book, like I said before, but it takes a long time to actually understand and get into the book. It’s a historical fiction, and deals with a lot of controversies people have had over many, many years. I’d recommend this book to those who like reading history, or those who enjoy war books, “hint, hint”.