Downright Dencey

By Caroline Dale Snedeker

A girl seeks redemption by teaching an orphan boy to read, bridging social divides.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 340 ratings

274 pages

$12.95Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

On Nantucket, just before the War of 1812, young Dencey Coffin grapples with guilt after injuring an orphan boy. To make amends, she teaches him to read, defying societal norms and her Quaker upbringing. As their friendship blossoms, Dencey faces the complexities of love, social barriers, and her own maturation. Will she find the courage to challenge the expectations of her community and family? This tale explores the transformative power of friendship and the struggle to reconcile personal beliefs with societal pressures.

From the publisher

This treasure of a novel, a Newbery Honor Book, is set on the island of Nantucket just before the War of 1812. Much more than a tale of whaling ships and gentle Quaker eccentricities, it is a tale of friendship-the kind most truly espoused by these ‘plain’ folk, with all the struggle and complexity one should expect. Dionis “Dencey” Coffyn is a mystery to her mother, Lydia, whose stern exterior hides a heart that breaks every time her husband Captain Tom goes to sea. Within a context of outward simplicity of living and inward intricacy of relationship, Dencey matures from the little girl who, in unquakerly violence of temper, throws a rock that wounds the town outcast. She becomes a young woman ready to bear her part in life with grace and courage. Downright Dencey is a probing portrayal of the power of love to overcome social barriers and religious strictures. Ages 12 and up.