"Duncan's War" Book Review

A few weeks ago, I started yet another Douglas Bond book. I’ve been reading a lot of his books lately because they go so well with my history curriculum. I started the “Crown and Covenant” series, which takes place in Scotland during the 1600’s.

The first book in the series is called “Duncan’s War.” Duncan M’Kethe is a 14-year-old boy living in Scotland under the persecution of Sir James Turner. His family belonged to the Covenanters: those who pledged to uphold a Presbyterian form of church government rather than submit to the authority of the Catholic church and their rites and rituals of worship. Duncan and his family live very peaceful lives in the countryside as shepherds.

Duncan has a fiery temperament and wants to go to war against Sir James Turner and his dragoons who are terrorizing the Scottish people. But his father instructs him to show love to them and live at peace with all men.

But the M’Kethe family cannot avoid the conflict forever. They must defend themselves against Turner in a battle After the battle, Mr. M’Kethe disappears, and Duncan goes on a search to find him.

This book does a great job of showing what it was like to suffer persecution during the time of the Reformation. It also helped me learn a lot more about Scottish history, which in turn helps me to better understand the motivations behind the founding of America. I would recommend this book for all ages.