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978-1889199-05-4
1-889199-05-2
$12.00 paperback
5 1/2 x 8 1/2&
224 pages
Banks Channel Books
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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.
Advance Praise for The
Anchor~P. Moore, Proprietor:
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.
--Jill McCorkle, author of Carolina Moon and Creatures of
Habit
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.
--Margaret Miles, youth services librarian, New Hanover County
Public Library
about the author
Blonnie Bunn Wyche taught public school for 30
years, first in music education and then in K-6 classrooms. The winner
of several awards for her short stories (including first place in the
Robert Ruark Short Story Contest), she currently writes newsletters for
two historical organizations and a children’s newsletter for the Wilmington
Morning Star. An accomplished ghost writer, she wrote and edited
Danny Bradshaw’s book, Ghosts on the Battleship North Carolina.
She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. This is her first novel. |
