My Brother, My Enemy

This fast-paced historical novel is based upon the disastrous Bacon's Rebellion at Jamestown in 1676, when a band of armed men who despised the English authorities and the Indians tried to conquer both. After his family is slaughtered by the Susquehannock, 14-year-old Robert Bradford turns against his Indian blood brother, Naokan, and joins Bacon's troops as a spy and a scout. Harrah (Honey Girl) obviously knows the historical material backward and forward, and she includes such riveting true scenes as the ""white apron"" incident, in which a line of women hostages are used as battle shields. Less successful is the execution of the novel's subtheme, that truth is found more often in shades of gray than in black or white. The author does her best to avoid stamping a 20th-century sensibility on the 17th-century story, but she falls prey to a patronizing attitude, especially in her portrayal of Amos the slave--""I was struck by his rhythmical accent and by the intelligence that burned in the dark depths of his eyes."" Still, the dialogue and plot move rapidly, and the conclusion will wholly satisfy those who like inspirational endings. A thoughtful author's note and bibliography round out the story. Ages 10-14. (May)