This Newbury Honor book, published in 1974, explores the ambiguities of war through the experiences of the Meeker family. The peaceful life of the Meeker family is disrupted when their older, dynamic son Sam leaves school and his family to join the Patriots and fight for independence from Britain. When Sam announces his intentions, his family is dismayed. His father is against the war, not only because he is loyal to the king, but mostly because he believes that war requires a price that is too high to pay. Tim Meeker, the narrator of the story, is conflicted over his brother's decision to join the war. Sam has always been a person he looked up to, but now Tim begins to see that his brother is not perfect.

While Father argues that principles are not worth the cost of war, Sam and the other Patriots in the...