Loyalty
Recommended Ages: 9-12
Who are you loyal to?
Loyalty by Avi is an excellent novel that will make your reader think. I had some hesitancy as I read the novel at first, not really sure where the story line or messaging of the novel was going. Ultimately, the message is for people to think for themselves, which we know can definitely be a lost concept. Before I dive any further, let me set the premise of the book.
The story opens in 1774 Massachusetts with the protagonist of the story, 13-year-old Noah Paul Cope. His father is a minister devoted to the church of England and is a Loyalist. The story begins with the Sons of Liberty members tarring and feathering his father, which ultimately leads to his death. Noah is stricken with fear after this incident and remains inside his home for several days. Nevertheless, he decides to venture out to repair the front steps of his home. Unfortunately, moments later, he is dragged away by two members of the Sons of Liberty and is whipped until he will confess to the whereabouts of other Loyalists. Despite the fact that Noah doesn’t know the information, he remains silent in order to be loyal to his father’s beliefs.
Not long after, the family leave their home, exchanging it for a horse and wagon ride out of town to Boston. At the mercy of his uncle’s charity, Noah, his mother and two sisters move in with their uncle. Through a series of events and a desire to remain loyal to England, Noah becomes a spy and works at a tavern known as the Green Dragon. The rebels and Sons of Liberty meet at this tavern to talk and plan. Noah’s job is to listen and report what he hears. It is this arrangement that allows Noah to not only exhibit his loyalty to England and the British soldiers, but pays the weekly salary that allows Noah and his family to remain in Boston with their uncle.
While working at the Green Dragon, Noah is under the charge of Jolla who is a free black man. Jolla is essentially Noah’s boss though not too much older than him in years. He teaches Noah how to do his job at the tavern, but also challenges Noah to consider what he really believes by questioning his beliefs and what he sees happening around him. Jolla and Noah become friends throughout the story and this aspect of the story line is great as that friendship develops genuinely through the writing and is not forced.
Ultimately, the story centers around Noah and his confusion. It isn’t until the end of the novel that he determines what he could be loyal to and what he should be loyal to. While the story discussed slavery and other issues concerning the British and Americans during the Revolutionary War, Avi does an excellent job of trying to show two sides of the story. He depicts what the British are doing that is upsetting the Americans and likewise what the Americans are doing that conflicts with British rule. Noah at first believes that there is power and salvation essentially in the British, but he soon learns that what he has been told is a lie. They cannot save. Unfortunately, it is this that turns Noah away from his father’s beliefs and the church. If you choose to let your child read this novel, this would be a great point of discussion – people who are hurt by the church or people in church, as well the old belief that the church was England and England was the church.
Insight to Noah’s internal struggle can be seen in the following quotes:
I must admit I felt one splinter of doubt: Why did my father have to be so unlike the other men in town, and preach against the things they believed? (8)
As I continued to sit there, I realized I had thought little about slavery. Father had said it was wrong, so I considered it wrong. But the only enslaved people in Tullbury were at Lawyer Hosmer’s, and my dealings with them had been almost nill. It occurred to me that I didn’t even know their names. (121)
After witnessing a press gang, Jolla says to Noah “How do you like being in a place where there are all kinds of slavery?” Noah begins to think. “I spend much of the day thinking over his remark. The fact was Jolla had a knack for asking questions that made me uncomfortable. I had no replies, much less answers. What if the things the rebels were saying about British tyranny were true? It gave me a moment of panic...” (131)
But Jolla would have us talk of weighty adult matters, and he treated my thoughts as worthy—even when he knew more than me. Father had always told me what to think. Jolla was always trying to get me to think for myself. (138)
“‘Noah...your father listened to no one. He thought he was right about everything. Don’t...don’t be like that. Think for yourself.’”(167)
What I now felt was nothing but confusions. I had to think things out for myself. Mother’s words. Jolla’s talk about slavery and the price of freedom. The execution. The press gang. Everything that had happened. My vow to be loyal. I tried to put it all together. To my dismay, I realized I didn’t know how to. Instead, my only thought was: What am I being loyal to? (168)
Noah hears a story of a tar and feathering done by the British to a rebel. “This tar and feathering was done by English soldiers, not radicals. It gave me a thought I’d never had before: The more people believe a thing, the crueler they are in defending it.” (209)
Speaking of the British empire, Noah states “It had not protected father. Or Abner. Or Captain Brown. I knew it could not protect me. Deeply shaken, I found it was hard to accept it all, and could comprehend only that everything had changed.”(265)
The recommended ages for this title is 10 to 12 years old, but I would certainly caution you depending on the sensitivity of your child. I know my children, who are in this recommended age, would be a bit too disturbed just yet for some of the descriptions.
A few of the descriptions that may be too much for some readers:
Within moments, all his clothing—including shoes and linen was taken from him and flung upon the ground. Father, milk pale, stood naked as Adam...I was forced to witness Father’s humiliation. Indeed, I was sure his dishonor was mine, too. (6)
It took but seconds for him to be covered in scalding pitch from his balding head to his small, narrow feet, some of it dripping down over his face like black tears. Oh, you who read my words: may you never witness the torture of your father. I don’t pretend I suffered anything like his agony, but at that moment I felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. (7)
A man is shot by the British army for desertion. “Even as man stood there, his face showing anguish, he writhed, trying to break free. He was unable to. Tears were flowing down his cheeks....The guns roared. The man at the post fell against the ropes, bleeding and screaming. It was horrible to see, to hear. Even at close range, the poor man didn’t die until the officer finished him with a pistol shot to his head. His brains spilled out.” (129)
On page 221, Jolla tells Noah how ravens follow armies to battle to start eating the dead bodies starting with the eyes.
On page 242, Noah finds his brother-in-law shot dead by the British. There is a description of his blood trickling out, the lifeless look on his face, and the need to drag his body home to his sister.
On page 294, Noah describes the Tavern being turned into a temporary clinic for injured British soldiers. Noah and Jolla clean up the mess, which includes descriptions of the blood, injured men, and amputated limbs.
The author’s note finishes with “When you look at how and why the American Revolution unfolded, it seems to me that it is still going on, with much, such as “All men are created equal,” still to be fully achieved. And when you consider events such as the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021, it is clear that the definitions of “patriot” and “traitors,” and of “loyalty” itself, are also still being debated” (341).
Truthfully, I really enjoyed this book, and it offers a lot to discuss with your reader. It is certainly not possible for me to do it full justice, but I hope that what has been presented gives you a good idea of where to begin in your own considerations.
