Redemption - Softcover

Julie Chibbaro has had a lifelong obsession with history and the origins of the world's cultures. She has lived and worked in Mexico, the Czech Republic, and Canada, and currently resides in her hometown of New York City. Redemption is her first novel.

Grade 9 Up–In 1524, 12-year-old Lily Applegate leaves her small village in England with her mother for the New World. They believe that her father has been sent there as punishment for harboring a Protestant monk. On the crossing, an evil baron takes her mother hostage. Lily befriends his son, and they pursue her mother. Lost in the frightening woods, they are reunited with Lily's father, who is living with the Nooh Indian tribe with a new name and a new wife. As Lily struggles with this discovery, she is put to a final test when she finds her mother dead. Her faith, which had always been so sure and steady, is thrown into great turmoil as she finds herself caught between the survival of the body and survival of the spirit. Chibbaro weaves a fast-paced and engrossing story. While the details of early exploration of the Americas are sketchy at best, the author does her best to fill in the details of the earliest Europeans to arrive in the Americas. The historical elements are well done, and the author paints a vivid picture of the living conditions on a ship, and then the Europeans' fears when they arrive in a strange and unforgiving land. While this story is engaging and exciting, the vocabulary and themes are sophisticated. This absorbing read will appeal to older teens who have a thirst for adventure and historical fiction.–Anna M. Nelson, Seabrook Library, NH
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