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The Anchor Banks Channel Books It’s 1764, and 15-year-old Polly Moore finds herself running her ne’er-do-well father’s tavern in Brunswick, a village on the Cape Fear River in the North Carolina colony. Polly also assumes responsibility for her two younger sisters and for her family’s slaves and servants, since her mentally fragile, pregnant mother refuses to get out of bed. Like all colonial taverns, The Anchor is the center of village news and activity. Polly hears everything while she cooks and serves meals, runs the turpentine operations and sawmill, and cares for her family. Women are not supposed to be political, but Polly learns just how personal politics can be after Lieutenant Governor William Tryon arrives at Brunswick, the infamous Stamp Act goes into effect, and ships in the river can’t unload supplies she desperately needs. She hears news of the growing dissatisfaction with King George. She witnesses the first armed pre-Revolution rebellion at Tryon’s plantation house in 1766. Along the way, she forms her own opinions about slavery, freedom, and the treatment of women. In this meticulously researched story populated with historical figures, spunky Polly rises to the challenges that confront her and grows wise beyond her years.
Reviews “History is alive and well in the capable hands of Blonnie Wyche. The Anchor: P. Moore, Proprietor, is a time machine, taking us back to colonial times in coastal Carolina. Ms. Wyche knows her territory through and through, and the journey is a delight.” “Readers aged 11 to 15 who have enjoyed Ann Rinaldi’s historical novels of the Revolutionary War period will find another strong and idealistic heroine in Polly. The Anchor will be a particular asset to eighth-grade students and teachers seeking to enliven and personalize North Carolina history.” “What a splendid historical novel set in the turbulent years leading to the Revolutionary War! Readers will root for, laugh along with, and shed tears with Polly, a 15-year-old, indomitable heroine. A book rich in historical detail and sense of place.” “An exciting tale that mixes intrigue, budding young love, and heroism.” “Grade 6-10—This historical novel is overflowing with the harsh realities of the daily life of a family during the pre-Revolutionary War in the North Carolina colony. Polly Moore's father puts her in a precarious position. His gambling and ill management of their tavern, the Anchor, drags his family into incredible debt. Only when the proprietorship papers are signed over to 15-year-old Polly do things begin to change. Struggling against the disdain of women in business, public scorn of her kindness toward slaves, the Stamp Act, and Parliament's taxation, the teen acts heroically to save her family and all that she has inherited. Filled with rich historical detail, the story stars a heroine who shines like a beacon in a man's world.”
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