An absorbing historical adventure with a unique and colorful setting. Eleven-year-old Forrest lives at the Tower of London, where his father is Ravenmaster, the yeoman warder whose job is to guard prisoners and care for the famous ravens that live within the walls. Though often lonely, Forrest makes three friends: a raven, a young rat catcher, and, more dangerously, a Scottish girl imprisoned in the Bloody Tower. Soon the children become involved in an intrigue that is both dangerous and treasonous. Woodruff offers vivid sensory images of eighteenth-century London in a story that brings together children from three classes of society. The novel can be read for its exciting plot and sympathetic characters, but readers will also sense its underlying theme of courage, as Forrest seeks to prove to himself--and to others--that he is brave. In an unusual but welcome move, Woodruff appends a glossary, bibliography, and five pages of notes on The Tower through Time.

As the son of the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, eleven-year-old Forrest helps his father take care of the ravens and the prisoners and has the run of the Tower, but he longs to escape the prison walls. The setting is intriguing and the story engrossing as Forrest struggles with his identity and becomes friends with an innocent young prisoner set to be executed. Bib., glos.

<p>A young boy aids a prison escape in this adventurous historical fiction. Forrest lives at the Tower of London, which in 1735 has a jail and execution grounds. He helps his Ravenmaster father bring food to their prisoner and tend the Tower birds. When their newest prisoner turns out to be the faithful daughter of a Scottish Jacobite rebel, Forrest begins to question the terrible things he's always heard about Scots. He befriends Maddy, and when her father and uncle are murdered trying to escape, he swears to help hera"despite an inevitable treason conviction if he's caught. Pet raven Tuck and loyal chimney-sweep Ned figure into Maddy's escape, and the neat ending is not unwelcome after unpleasant details of indentured children, adult corruption, and merciless law. Occasional cheapness ("'there would surely be no war'" if children never grew up) is outweighed by courage, friendship, and the earnest, fast-moving story. (map, author's note, history of the Tower, glossary, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 9-12)</p>

Opening in 1735, Woodruff's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Dear Levi) historical novel has much to say about the nature of war, judgment and prejudice. Eleven-year-old Forrest lives with his family in the Tower of London, where his father serves as Ravenmaster, tending to the royal birds and keeping watch over whatever prisoners come his way. When one of a trio of captured Scottish rebels is placed in their care, Forrest, who has been raised to believe the Scots are devils, is hostile at first ("She's not like you and me," Forrest says to his best friend, Rat, about an imprisoned Scottish countess, "for she is not English. She's a Scot"). But the new prisoner is a girl, Maddy, the daughter of a rebel leader, and in the course of bringing Maddy her meals, he begins to see that she is in fact very much like him. Forrest begins to question everything he believes and, with the help of Rat (who seems headed for a dismal fate as a chimneysweep's "climber"), Forrest helps stage a risky escape for both Rat and Maddy. The resulting chase offers a spirited wrap-up, yet what readers may find even more engrossing is Forrest and Maddy's growing sense of empathy and understanding as they realize the shaky ground on which their prejudices are built. The period touches will fascinate readers, too—from the stench of the moat to Forrest's mother's thrill at a public hanging. A colorful tale. Ages 8-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Nov.)

Gr 5-8-Eleven-year-old Forrest is the son of the Ravenmaster in the Tower of London. Historically, this position, which fell to one of the Tower guards, was to care for the ravens that live within the walls of the fortress as a token of luck to keep it from falling to its enemies. Forrest has grown up in the Tower and has his own pet raven, Tuck. He feels confined and sheltered from the outside world. Bullies make fun of him. When dangerous Scottish rebels are captured and imprisoned, he hopes to show his bravery. His responsibility, however, turns out to be to take food to the young daughter of one of the rebels. As he learns more about Maddy, he comes to admire and respect her, and realizes that if he does not help her escape, she will be executed. To do so, though, he will have to go against all he has been taught. The story has its share of suspense, excitement, and interesting characters. Set in 1735, it does not flinch from describing the brutality of the time, including public hangings, which Forrest's mother loves to attend. While some of the plot elements may seem unrealistic and the ending too pat, the story is certainly satisfying. Its message of judging people on their own merits and not on the basis of stereotypes comes across strongly. An author's note, a history of the Tower of London, and a glossary of unfamiliar English and Scottish words are appended.-Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.