Ann's Story: 1747 (Colonial Williamsburg(R))
Grade 4-6-Nine-year-old Ann McKenzie longs to be a doctor like her father, the Williamsburg apothecary. Redheaded, impulsive, bright, eager, and caring, Ann is much more interested in visiting patients than in learning the proper duties of a young woman of her times. Though the tone is a bit didactic, the protagonist is a likable heroine and the plot is fast paced-from the burning of the capitol to the rise of a smallpox epidemic. The construct of a story within a story-as if being told to modern-day schoolchildren visiting Colonial Williamsburg-is awkward and unnecessary, though once Ann's tale begins, it flows. Historical notes on Williamsburg, childhood, and medicine in the Colonial period; a detailed map; and several recipes are included. A concerted effort has been made to separate fact from fiction-unlike the treatment in the "Dear America" series (Scholastic). The foreword explains that the main character was a real person. For fans of the "Felicity" books (Pleasant Company), also set in Williamsburg, this is a must read; for other historical-fiction buffs, it's an acceptable choice.Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OHCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.