Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Young Patriots: Inspiring Stories of the American Revolution
Historical Fiction
For ages 8 to 12
Boyds Mill Press, 2004 ISBN: 978-1590782415
Imagine being able to be present when the events that made up the American Revolutionary War were unfolding. Imagine being a child at that time, a child who played a part in the great, and the small, events that took place all over the country. In this excellently researched book the reader is carried back in time and put into situations that did occur and that could have occurred in those crucial years in American history.
The authors have collected and created stories which reflect the atmosphere of those heady days. They also provide an enormous amount of historical information which helps the reader to understand the real-life events that serve as a backdrop for the stories. Much of the information is well known and some of it is less well know. Each story is prefaced by a brief historical ‘picture’ which sets the stage for the tale. At the end of each story the authors provide a very interesting section entitled "Did you know... " or "Do you wonder... " which is full of very interesting details about the real events which pertain to the story. For example after we read the story which centres on Paul Revere’s ride we discover in the "Did you know... " box that Paul Revere did not in fact say "The British are coming."
This excellent collection therefore not only sets apart fact from fiction, and describes the main events in the Revolutionary War, but it also brings history alive and we can get a very clear picture of the war in its entirety.
