Peter and the Pilgrims

Louise A. Vernon is a great writer of historical fiction for youth. In this book, Vernon creates a plot so captivating that readers hardly realize just how much they are learning about history. While this could be done as a read-aloud for ages as young as five, it is a good personal reading book for ages 9-14. As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was surprised about how much historical knowledge I gained. This will be a must-read book for all of my children. The back cover reads: “Peter Cook has a good life as a bound boy. Although a youth who has to do hard labor, he is treated like a son by his master. Everything changes the day that Peter discovers his master has died of the dreaded disease, the black plague. Because Peter touched the corpse he is thrown out of the great house and left on his own.”

(Reviewed by Jenny Phillips)