Cooney, Caroline B. The Ransom of Mercy Carter.

Random House, Dell, Laurel Leaf. 249p. c2001.0-440-22775-5. $5.50. JS

Mercy Carter has seen her family attacked by the Mohawk Indians. She is now a captive after having been marched through hundreds of miles of cold, snowy wilderness. Her stepmother did not survive this arduous journey. Her brothers and sisters have all been separated from her. She has an Indian name, Munnonock, and is rapidly beginning to understand, as well as speak, the language of the Mohawks. Mercy should feel bitter, but the only treatment she receives from these "savages" is kindness. Her captor Tannhahorens and his wife have adopted her. Mercy thinks about the possibility of escape, but even when she does try, she realizes that her heart will not let her part from these people who have become her family.

There are numerous stories of Indians capturing settlers. Cooney has done considerable research into the period, the languages, customs and events for this book, which is loosely based on a true story. While there is much emphasis on the savagery the settlers experienced from the Indians, Cooney brings out the Indians' side also as she builds around this story of an 11-year-old white girl's experiences. She does not, however, touch on the situations in which the Indians were brutalized by the whites. These events take place during the French and Indian wars when the French were enlisting the aid of the Indians as they attempted to acquire territory in America. Cooney's interpretation offers a great story about a young girl who learns to adapt and survive, Mercy is the kind of heroine teens will enjoy. Sally M. Tibbetts, LRC, Maine H.S., Des Plaines, IL