Ms. Griffin wrote an interesting and gritty story. It dealt with childhood abuse by comparing the experience of the Kindle boys to the Patriots in the American Revolution. While I wished some more of the story questions had been answered in the book and it was faster paced I think she did a good job of dealing with a difficult subject. The story is told in the POV of seventh grader Rock. He fought with his loyalty to the end and I was relieved when he made the right choice.I think there is enough meat left on this story for a sequel. If you are looking for an age appropriate book for children to explain abuse I would recommend this one.