The Iron Peacock Paperback – December 1, 2008

Good, uplifting, morally sound literature with complicated syntax and diction for middle school grades. This is the type of literature that has merit and we need more of it in our classrooms. My child is homeschooled so I get to make sure she reads quality stuff as opposed to politically correct garbage or entertaining nonsense so prevalent in school curricula today.

I love a good YA historical novel, and have read many, but this one escaped my notice until now. I'm glad I didn't find it before, because there are so few historical novels of this caliber being published now, so this was like finding one more present under the tree, long after the rest have been all opened and admired.Mary Stetson Clarke, in her usual fashion, did excellent research for this story of a group of 17th century exiles from England and Scotland. The novel is full of fascinating details about life in the early Bay Colonies. Joanna, the protagonist, flees England an aristocrat, and arrives in the Americas in debt and indentured. Her servitude is purchased by the owner of an iron works foundry, and details of the foundry's workings are neatly woven into the story without intruding. Religion, and proselytizing of Native peoples are strong themes here, too. The story is about Joanna and the people she meets and learns from as she copes with her indenturement, but it's also about the strange and varied mix of people whose lives collided and intertwined to form the beginnings of a new nation.

This is the first book that I ever borrowed from the library "all by myself", without someone else picking it out for me. I was in the third grade. It not only made me into an avid reader, it also made me a lover of history, especially American History. Probably more geared toward girls than boys.

A great story that portrays a historical time and common situation people of all walks of life found themselves in. How Joanna faces the situation that she finds herself in and overcomes is the story presented here.

I remember reading this book when I was young, and was excited to find it again. It is a moving story about a young woman who must become a bond servant in Colonial America after the death of her mother. An interesting tale from a historic time.

I liked the story in general. It's an interesting read, full of historical details that weave smoothly into the story. I love the character qualities of courage, fortitude and hope that the book emphasized. On the downside for me is the author's view of Christianity as simply a part of culture. The main character is an Anglican refugee from Cromwell's regime. She ends up living in a Puritan colony in the New World. Her faith doesn't play a major role in her life. She frets that Puritans reject the ceremonies the enjoyed. Aside from a minister in the colony, other Puritans are depicted as very rigid, unloving, beset by rules and sometimes even hateful. Most of them seem superficially religious, caring more about rules and fines, The minister and his family stand in stark contrast to them. I wonder if it's how things really were.I got the book for my 9 and 11 y/o to read. They'll still read it but it needs to be balanced with other books. A similar book to this would be The Witch of the Blackbird Pond.

As a woman I really enjoyed this and my 12yo daughter did too. My 12yo son tolerated it better than most books written by female authors since the action kept his interest. Great lessons about character building and thinking for yourself.