Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What were some of the key events leading up to the American Revolutionary War? Why did some colonists want independence from England? Why did some want to remain under British rule?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will likely be able to respond to the first two questions using their prior knowledge, but they may be less familiar with the Loyalists’ reasoning than with the Patriots’. You might give students time to consult the resources listed below to further develop their responses.

• This brief article provides information about Patriots’ and Loyalists’ demographics and reasoning.
• This 3.5-minute video provides a musical summary of the causes of the American Revolution.

2. What was life in colonial America like right before the Revolutionary War? In particular, what was life like for young people and for those living in Boston?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might speculate and make predictions with these questions, or you could opt for investigation to prepare their responses. To provide context for this short answer question and the resources below, you may want to introduce the novel as historical fiction that features a 14-year-old boy living in Boston in 1773.