Jacqueline Dembar Greene

For her tenth birthday, Rebecca is invited to visit her cousin Max's movie studio When the cameras begin to roll, she finds herself unexpectedly presented with a part to play. Rebecca doesn't have the courage to tell her family, but is it wrong to keep such a big secret? Later that summer, on a visit to the factory where her uncle and cousin work, Rebecca is horrified. Is this the life that's in store for cousin Ana? There must be a way to improve conditions at the factory, and Rebecca is determined to do her part - even if it means marching straight into danger.

Set in the year 1779, The Leveller gathers the historical facts of the life and times of the main character, Tom Cook, and weaves them into a tantalizing fictional story of his daring escapades in colonial New England. Legend has it that Tom's mother had sold his soul to the Devil in return for his recovery from a childhood fever. His neighbors thought he was bewitched and Tom became a loner, stealing from the wealthy and giving to the poor leveling fortunes, so to speak. This historical novel, written for the middle grade reader, was first published in 1984 and has been out of print for many years. "Drawing from journals and legends of early New England, the author has fashioned a tale of the notorious Tom Cook Although he was openly feared and treated as an outcast, he was secretly loved by many as The Leveller, a contemporary Robin Hood. Tom's cleverness in outwitting the wealthy eventually pays off, as he manages to outwit the Devil and regain his soul." --American Bookseller