MY AMERICA: ELIZABETH

The My America series was written for younger readers. According to Amazon, it's for ages 7-9, as opposed to Dear America's 9-12. That makes them fun, quick reads. There are 7 characters in the series with 3 books apiece. Patricia Hermes wrote both Elizabeth's and Joshua's, but contributed nothing else to any DA-related series.

I debated on how to tackle these next few books, because they're all about the New World. Elizabeth's comes in a lot earlier at 1609. The next is Mem's well-known DA at 1620. I was considering doing all of them in one big entry, but opted to do separate reviews instead, in case I get side-tracked.

Elizabeth arrives in Jamestown, having gone through a hurricane and lost several of their ships, including the one bearing the majority of the food. She sees a lot of hard times. People are dying left and right, both from disease and from starvation. There are conflicts with the Indians, although Pocahontas is a positive presence. The little town is run by a string of selfish incompetents and people often get away with not doing their fair share of the work.

Elizabeth is a fun character, being "a little bit mean" as she describes herself. Her friend in the first book is a mostly good girl, but her friend in the second and third books is more like herself. They can be sassy and stick up for themselves in a way that almost feels too modern, but then considering what they're going through, they've earned the right to respect. The books blend realistic conflicts between mostly realistic characters into a historically trying time with ease. I wish Hermes would have tackled a full-length DA book or a Royal Diary. I think she would have done an excellent job.