Forge (Prebound)
Autumn 2010 Kids' Next List
“Shortly after Isabel robs and leaves him, an angry and impulsive Curzon re-enters the army and is stationed at Valley Forge to wait out the winter. Through a traumatic series of events Curzon and Isabel are reunited; he's secretly happy, she's not-so-secretly bitter. As they battle the winter and their feelings toward each other they realize they still have a common goal, freedom. Yet another wonderful work of historical fiction, we know why you're a National Book Award Finalist Laurie!”
— Sarah Hill, The River's End Bookstore, Oswego, NY
The Patriot Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of discovery, for he is an escaped slave passing for free. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge--against her will. She and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.