The American Boy
Taylor, Andrew. The American Boy. London: Harper Perennial, 2004.
The book takes place in 1819 England. The main character, and narrator, is Thomas Shield, a newly appointed school master. Among the children is Edgar Allan Poe, going by Edgar Allan at the time.
This coincides with Edgar’s time in England. Most people in the book tend to treat Edgar as the Allan’s natural son, unlike in the U.S. where the fact that he was not legally adopted was well known within the Allen family.
Edgar is friends with a boy names Charles Frant. They band together as outcasts. Edgar protects Charles as best he can by getting into fights, even with the older boys.
The story centers around Shield. He is smitten with Charles Frant’s mother. There is also a murder mystery in the book and the sudden appearance of a man claiming to be David Poe.