Book Review: Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution, by Avi (Beach Lane Books, 2012)

Recommended for ages 9-14.  

The versatile Avi, who won a Newbery years back for his historical novel Crispin:  The Cross of Lead, pens a real historical thriller in his latest novel, Sophia's War, set during the American Revolution.  This is definitely my favorite Avi novel since The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.  Like that celebrated adventure/historical nove, Sophia's War features an indomitable young heroine, who thrusts herself in the center of political and military intrigue during one of the most famous betrayals in American history.

The novel opens in 1776 in loyalist-occupied New York City, the same setting for Laurie Halse Anderson's Seeds of America novels Chains, and Forge.   Twelve-year old Sophia Calderwood adores her older brother, William, who has enlisted in the revolutionary army.  Although she's a well-educated young woman who is well-versed in all the revolutionary rhetoric of the time, Sophia can't help herself when she becomes infatuated with the handsome and charming British officer, John Andre, who is billeted with her family.  But when her brother becomes a prisoner in the horrible prison ships off the coast of New York and Andre refuses to help, Sophia's feelings change, and soon she is eager to avenge her brother's fate.

When Sophia is approached by an acquaintance to spy for the revolutionaries by working as a maid at the British general's grand house, she discovers a nefarious plot--one which involves not only the handsome John Andre, but her hero, the acclaimed American officer Benedict Arnold.  Can she pass on what she knows to the revolutionary command, and will anyone believe her?

This is a tremendously exciting novel, one which I devoured in one sitting.  Told in the first person by Sophia, the novel is fast-paced, and action-packed.  While easy to read, the novel includes 18th century phrases scattered through the text, giving Sophia an authentic voice for the period without making the text too difficult for middle grade readers to read.  A few of the colorful phrases, such as "bosky," sent me to the glossary of 18th century words included in the backmatter.  Avi also includes an Author's Note, which explains that the characters of Sophia, her parents, and brother, are entirely fictitious, but the other figures who populate the novel are real enough and the stories of the American prisoners in New York and the handsome British officer John Andre are as historically accurate as he could write them.

Avi concludes his note with a passionate defense of historical fiction:  "History provides endlessly amazing stories.  Historical fiction, I believe, can illuminate these stories with the ordinary people who make extraordinary history...Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction makes truth a friend, not a stranger."

Thanks, Avi, for another terrific historical title for young people to add to your impressive canon of over 70 works.

Book Review: George: George Washington, Our Founding Father, by Frank Keating (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, 2012)

Today is Washington's actual birthday, and the perfect time to take a look at a new picture book biography of our foremost founding father and first president.  In this new release by former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, George tells his own story, punctuated by excerpts from Washington's own "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation," written in his own hand when he was only fifteen.  The text covers the well-known outlines of Washington's life in a simple yet compelling manner, demonstrating how he applied his "Rules of Civility" to all that he did:  "They were my primer on life.  I first learned them in school.  I wrote them down.  They became a part of me."

With traditionally-styled oil paintings by artist Mike Wimmer, the stunning illustrations lend an epic gravitas to the narrative, as we see Washington as a baby, a young boy studying, a young man working as a surveyor, a soldier, a married man, and of course a general and a statesman.

Back matter includes both an author's note and a note from the artist.  Wimmer describes his intensive research in order to portray costumes and setting accurately in his paintings, especially his use of paintings from Washington's own time.  End notes provide further explanations for the exact setting of each of the paintings.  The author also includes a brief bibliography on Washington for further reading.

Giveaway and Nonfiction Monday Book Review: Thomas Jefferson for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities, by Brandon Marie Miller (Chicago Review Press, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-14.

This new release from Chicago Review Press about Thomas Jefferson, one of the most venerated of our founding fathers, is a great addition to any school or public library, as well as ideally suited for  use by home schoolers.  Although many biographies of Jefferson are available for young people, this one is unique in including a variety of hands-on activities to enhance learning, from how to organize your library like Jefferson, how to observe the weather, grow a plant from a cutting, or paint a buffalo robe.  Although I did not try any of the activities, they include copious instructions, and are well suited for upper elementary and/or middle school students.

Organized chronologically, this book begins with some background on Jefferson's father, Peter, and his wife Jane.  Thomas was the first of their eight children, and showed himself to have a quick mind from his earliest childhood.  Jefferson went on to be a brilliant college student, often studying 15 hours a day (and without a tiger mother!), and then studied law.  We learn about Jefferson's immersion in radical politics, his family life, and his drafting of the Declaration of Independence.  Later chapters explore his presidency and his founding of the University of Virginia, as well as recounting the incredible story of his death on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--the same day as his friend and rival, John Adams, also breathed his last.

Miller's volume is clearly written, and provides a fascinating look at this complex individual and his wide range of accomplishments and interests.  I particularly appreciated that she does not shirk from analyzing Jefferson's many contradictions, which she summarizes as follows:  "A man who believed in frugal government yet lived his own life burdened by debt.  A man who hated kings and privileged nobles yet lived as an aristocrat himself.  A man who believed passionately in freedom and liberty yet owned slaves who toiled for his comfort."

It is the last of these contradictions which is most difficult for us in the 21st century to come to terms with.  Although Jefferson recognized the evils of slavery and even condemned slavery in the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, these remarks were removed in one of 86 changes made by Congress.  Slavery, though, was deeply engrained in Jefferson's consciousness; he grew up in a slave-owning household, and inherited his first slaves when he turned 21.  Miller includes in her book an advertisement Jefferson placed to recover a runaway slave, describes what is known of his relationship with Sally Hemmings, including discussing the many children she bore him (a new historical fiction novel for young people, Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Bradley, comes out in mid-September, and will be reviewed here at The Fourth Musketeer later this fall).

This volume is greatly enhanced by an abundant use of illustrations, including many full page reproductions of paintings, photographs, maps, and drawings.  The large format of the book and generous use of white space make the text easy to follow, and the author makes good use of many sidebars for further explanations of different topics in Jefferson's life, from his slave Jupiter to the Hemming family to political explanations of events such as the Sedition Act.

Back matter includes places to visit and websites to explore, further reading for young people, a selected bibliography, and a detailed index.  A timeline of Jefferson's life is also included, as is a note to readers explaining how primary sources from Jefferson's life can include different spelling, grammar, and punctuation from what we are used to today.

Award-winning author Brandon Marie Miller has previously written numerous history books for young people, including similar volumes on George Washington and Benjamin Franklin (complete with activities).  She also blogs about books at the group blog Hands-on Books:  Nonfiction for Kids with Fun Activities.  

I am delighted to offer a copy of this book as a giveaway to my readers.  To enter to win a copy of this volume, please leave a comment below with your e-mail address so I can reach you if you are the winner.  U.S. only please.  A winner will be selected on September 15, 2011.

Those who plan trips to Washington D.C. may be interested in the just-announced news that the Smithsonian will be collaborating with Monticello on a new exhibit examining Jefferson's interaction with slavery.  "Jefferson and Slavery at Monticello:  Paradox of Liberty" opens January 27 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture gallery in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Disclosure:  Review copy provided by publisher.

Related articles

• Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: one of history's myths? (csmonitor.com)
• Smithsonian to host exhibit on Jefferson, slavery (sfgate.com)

Book Review: Ben Franklin: His Wit and Wisdom from A to Z, by Alan Schroeder (Holiday House, 2011)

Recommended for ages 7-12. 

While there is no shortage of books available on Ben Franklin and his amazing life, Alan Schroeder’s new picture book biography, written in an unusual almanac format uniquely suited to Franklin’s encyclopedic interests, is an attractive addition to books available for elementary school aged children. Written by Schroeder, author of other notable picture book biographies such as Minty:  A Story of Young Harriet Tubman,  and illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist and children’s book illustrator John O’Brien, this slim volume manages to pack a tremendous amount of information into the traditional 32-page picture book format.  


Each letter of the alphabet is represented by fitting entries related to Franklin and his life and work. For example, A is for Almanac (a brief three paragraph entry explains the popularity of almanacs in Colonial America and how Franklin was responsible for the most popular almanac of all, Poor Richard’s Almanac), Abiah (the name of Franklin’s mother), Apprentice (Franklin apprenticed in his brother’s printing shop), and Armonica (a musical instrument invented by Franklin).  Franklin’s witty sayings, many of which remain popular today, appear on small banners in the detailed ink and watercolor illustrations.  


While the format of this book does not present Franklin’s life and achievements in a traditional chronological order, the author and illustrator make abundant use of the almanac format to present a variety of fascinating details about the great man.  Under “H”, we discover that Franklin was a “hero” (he saved a man from drowning once) and that his mother subscribed to “hardening off” for all her offspring, meaning that the baby Ben was dunked in cold water three times a day (thought to keep infants robust and healthy!)  


I don’t envision this book so much as a classroom read-aloud; rather it’s a book I can imagine a child poring over, with or without an adult, engrossed in the many fine details of the illustrations, the pithy quotations, and the wide variety of experiences of Dr. Franklin.  

Book Review: Dear America: The Second Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart: Cannons at Dawn, by Kristiana Gregory (Scholastic 2011)

Recommended for ages 8-12.

As part of their relaunch of their hugely successful Dear America series, Scholastic has published a sequel to one of the earlier diaries in the series, The Winter of Red Snow, published in 1996.  Two years have past since Abigail chronicled the despair and misery of the terrible Valley Forge winter of 1777-78, but the war still drags on, now nearly four years old.  Her father is camped with Washington's main army in New Jersey when Abby and her family are forced to flee their home after a fire destroys everything they own.  After seeking shelter with a cousin who cannot keep them, they soon join the many women and children who are encamped with the American troops.  They must earn their keep by laundering and mending, and return are given rations by the army.  Martha Washington and her slave, Oney, also live by the camp (although in better accommodations!) and appear numerous times during this story.

When the army moves, Abby and her family must follow along, part of a "ragged, noisy crowd."  The winter is once again brutal and food is scarce and often rotten, filled with maggots.  All are waiting for the Marquis de Lafayette to return from France, with French ships and supplies.  But life goes on, with babies being born in the camp, some new friends being made, and romance blooming between Abby and a young soldier, Willie.  The soldiers build huts for shelter from the winter weather, and Abby tries to keep some normalcy by attempting to teach the younger children their letters.  Spies are everywhere, including the treacherous Benedict Arnold, and with rations and pay scarce and non-existent, the American troops are threatening mutiny.  The British seem to be having victory after victory in the Southern colonies. Will the war ever end?

Although this book can stand alone without having read the first book about Abby's family, I would recommend reading them in order for a richer experience.  Once again Kristiana Gregory captures the adventure, trials, misery, and triumph of this exciting period of American history through the eyes of a sympathetic young colonist.  Highly recommended!

Book Review: George Washington's Spy: A Time Travel Adventure, by Elvira Woodruff (Scholastic, 2010) ISBN 978-0-545-10487-6

Recommended for ages 8-12.  


Looking for exciting time travel books for your young patrons or students who've read their way through the Magic Tree House, the Time Warp Trio, and others series of that ilk?  Elvira Woodruff's George Washington's Spy might just fit the bill for these readers.  A magic rowboat at a lake near their home sweeps fifth grader Matt, his annoying little sister Katie, and four friends from their Nebraska home back to 1776 Boston, where they land in a freezing and dark forest and their magic boat quickly disappears.  It's a dangerous time, with the British in Boston and George Washington and his troops trying to drive the British from the city.

The boys go to look for help for Katie, who has injured her foot, while the girls remain behind, but with the freezing weather, they must seek shelter when the boys do not quickly come back for them.  They are fortunate to be taken in by a kind woman, Mistress Hewson, and her young daughters, who, through a series of funny misunderstandings, believe that the girls are related to the British Earl of Essex.  They take the three girls into their home, where they try to blend in by acting "colonial."  They soon discover that the family who is so kind to them is a Loyalist family--enemies of George Washington and the Patriots!

And what has become of Matt and his friends?  They've been taken prisoner by a group of Patriots, where they meet Benjamin Franklin, and Matt is drawn into George Washington's spy network, complete with letters written in invisible ink, messages hidden in buttons and secret passwords.  Can Washington make the British Redcoats leave Boston, and will Matt, Katie, and their friends ever get back home?

The author does not shirk from exploring the complex politics of the time, when even Benjamin Franklin's own family was split, with his son siding with the Tories and the King.  Everything is not black and white, like the children thought from history class.  Mistress Hewson "may have been a Tory, but she acted like any other mother."  At the book's conclusion, the children ponder the moral complexities of the Revolution, wondering how good people like the Hewsons could be America's enemies.  "I thought choosing sides would be so simple, but it's not," remarks one of the girls.

While this title is a sequel to Woodruff's George Washington's Socks, there's no problem reading this one without having read the earlier book.  I particularly enjoyed how Woodruff weaves real historical figures into the story, including Washington (who makes a brief appearance toward the end) and Franklin.  In addition to offering plenty of suspense and adventure, the author fills her book with plenty of humorous details, such as the kids' repeated tries to get their cell phones to work in 1776 (out of range and no signal light up on the phone), their cravings for pizza, chocolate, and marshmallows, Benjamin Franklin trading his boots, with buckles made by Paul Revere, for the sneakers of one of the time-travelers, and the Hewson girls' fascination with nail polish and underpants,   But in addition to humor, we also see the harshness of the times, with prisoners in the stocks, smallpox epidemics, public floggings, a character being tarred and feathered, while another is hung for treason by the British.

Author's notes provide historical details on a number of topics, including Loyalists, colonial spies, and the Battle of Dorchester.  The book also includes a glossary of revolutionary-war vocabulary used in the book, as well as a brief bibliography.

This book would be an excellent choice for students interested in history, adventure stories, or time travel.  I can also imagine this book as a very fun and engaging read-aloud for teachers to use in the classroom.  Also, this book would be appropriate for children who are younger than 8 but who are advanced readers for their age.  And at 229 pages, this novel won't intimidate reluctant readers.

A teacher's guide can be found on the author's website.

Historical Thriller Book Review: Forge, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Atheneum Books, 2010)

Recommended for ages 10 and up.


I was so excited to finally get my hands on Forge, the sequel to Laurie Halse Anderson's acclaimed Chains, which was a National Book Award finalist and the winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.  About the only thing I didn't relish about Chains was the ending, which left the reader with a nail-biting cliffhanger in what felt like the middle of the story.

If by some chance you missed Chains, you'll want to read it before delving into this sequel--the second volume of a planned trilogy.  Chains, set at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, focuses on the story of Isabel, a 13-year old slave owned by a prominent New York City family who support the British.  Isabel meets another slave, Curzon, with ties to the Patriots, and becomes a spy for the Patriot cause--with the hopes of obtaining her freedom.

In Forge, the story begins where Chains ends, with Isabel and Curzon escaping to freedom, but the focus of the story quickly changes from Isabel to Curzon.  The two have separated again, with Isabel running away to try to find her sister and Curzon finding himself in the middle of the Battle of Saratoga, then enlisting in the Patriot army.  The irony of a slave fighting for the freedom of others does not escape Curzon, who attempts to argue his case with his friend and fellow soldier Eben.  Curzon questions whether bad laws deserve to be broken, but Eben is frustrated by Curzon's logic.  "Two slaves running away from their rightful master," he says," is not the same as America wanting to be free of England.  Not the same at all."

But when the army arrives at the winter encampment at Valley Forge, white and black soldiers alike are unprepared to deal with the conditions there:  about 12,000 soldiers with no barracks, bitter cold, and no meat.  The author begins each chapter with a quote from a contemporary source, many of which are increasingly desperate reports from General Washington to the Continental Congress on the need for supplies of all kinds, from food to shoes to clothing.  Most days rations consisted of nothing but firecake, a mix of flour and water that tasted like ashes and dirt, and was "hard enough to break rat's teeth."  Anderson so successfully evokes conditions at the camp that we groan along with the men at their terrible conditions.  But the men manage to find a little humor in their situation..no food means "we've got nothing to fart with."  A special treat for Christmas is a piece of chewy pigskin to chew on (I'm assuming like the pigs ears people buy now for our dogs).

Through all the hardship Curzon manages to keep secret that he is really an escaped slave, but he can't stop thinking about Isabel and what might have become of her.  Fate is to bring them together again at Valley Forge.  While General Washington and Baron von Steuben try to forge the raggedy American volunteers into real troops, Curzon and Isabel try to forge their way to a new relationship...are they more than friends or an ever-bickering brother-sister pair?  And can they in turn forge their way to a life of freedom along with the Patriot army?

This book equals Chains in its ability to bring the complex world of Revolutionary America to life--a world in which some struggled for freedom while others were condemned to a life of slavery.  What will happen to Curzon and Isabel?  We won't know until the last volume in the trilogy comes out next year.

While the main characters in the story are fictional, Anderson integrates their story seamlessly around real-life figures such as Washington, Nathaniel Greene, Charles Wilson Peale, and others, and in an afterword explains clearly which characters are "real" and which are fictional, as well as additional historical explanations.  For example, she explains how black Americans fought for both the Patriots and the British.  The appendix also provides a wealth of suggestions for future reading.

But don't call her book historical fiction.  The author believes historical fiction gets a bum rap from kids.  Please, she begs teachers and librarians, in her blog, call her books "HISTORICAL THRILLERS."  The phrase historical fiction, she says, makes kids bolt for the exit or writhe on the floor in agony because between Johnny Tremain and the excruciating boredom of history class, they think all things historical are worse than chewing on barbed wire."



I think the "thriller" label is justified for Forge, as it is for Chains--I had a hard time putting the book down, and literally gasped with shock at times as I turned the pages.  Put this in the hands of young readers, please, and kudos to Anderson for another page turning thriller (with some non-excruciating history thrown in).

Here's an interview with the author:

From her blog:   “I believe historical fiction can become just as popular as fantasy. Both genres provide intense coming-of-age experiences that are set in different worlds and layered with fascinating detail about how that world works. Both genres feature narrators who are often in life-or-death situations. Both fantasy and historical fiction allow readers to examine the human condition from a safe distance, apart and away from their daily lives.”

Book Review: The Ride: The Legend of Betsy Dowdy, by Kitty Griffin, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Atheneum Books, 2010)

Recommended for ages 5-10.  


Looking for stories with girl power to share with your class or children?  Look no further than The Ride:  The Legend of Betsy Dowdy, a new picture book by Kitty Griffin about a heroine of the American Revolution.

While no proof of the truth of Betsy Dowdy's tale exists, the story of the 16 year old's 51-mile wild ride has been told for more than two centuries in North Carolina.


According to tradition, Betsy rode through the freezing December weather on her sturdy pony Bess to warn General Skinner and his militia that the British had landed and were after their ponies and supplies.  This version of the tale is exuberantly illustrated by two-time Caldecott-honor winner Marjorie Priceman.  The illustrations, with their vibrant colors and swirling, expressionistic lines, portray the excitement and panic of Betsy's experience riding through the night, crossing rivers and woods in her bright red cloak.


In a recent interview, Griffin notes that it doesn't matter to her whether Betsy was an actual historical figure or not. "My goal was to show a strong girl doing the one thing she could to help save what she loved and make it an entry point to the American Revolution (for young children), said Griffin.  "The fact that her story has survived, for me, that makes it real," she added.  This dynamic picture book would be a terrific read-aloud for teachers doing units on the American Revolution, women's history, or for parents to enjoy at home with their children.   

Book Review: Storyteller, by Patricia Reilly Giff (Wendy Lamb Books, 2010)

Recommended for ages 8-12.  


Patricia Reilly Giff is a versatile novelist, equally popular with younger readers for her contemporary Zig Zag Kids and Kids of the Polk Street School series, as she is with middle grade students, whom she has targeted with both historical fiction and contemporary novels such as the Newbery Honor winners Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods.  


Her newest release, Storyteller, tells the stories of two girls, Elizabeth and Zee, distantly related to each other across more than 200 years.  When Elizabeth's father leaves for Australia, she is sent to live with her Aunt Libby, her mother's sister, whom she barely knows.  At her house she discovers an intriguing old framed portrait of a distant relative named Eliza, known as Zee, who looks almost exactly like her.  She is immediately drawn to the picture, thinking how strange it is to look so much like someone who lived so long ago.

As Elizabeth's aunt shares with her the bits and pieces she knows of Zee's story, Giff skillfully interweaves Zee's 18th century diary, which begins just as hostilities are breaking out between the colonists and the British.  The absent-minded Zee longs to make her father and mother proud of her, but doesn't seem to be able to do anything right.  As political tensions split apart her small community, pitting neighbor against neighbor, Zee's brother and father take off to train with a militia led by General Herkimer, who comes from the same part of Europe as they do, leaving Zee and her mother alone to mind the family farm in upstate New York.

But when Zee's house is set on fire, she loses everything--including her mother.  With the help of Old Gerard, a Native American, she takes off on a journey that will require all Zee's survival skills as well as strength she didn't even know she had.  She will need every ounce of courage to overcome her shock at her loss and fend for herself, traveling through the wilderness to try to find her brother and father at the far-away fort.

As Elizabeth, in the 21st century, learns more about Zee and has the opportunity to walk where her distant relation walked, she becomes the storyteller, the heir to Zee's story, the story she'll pass on to her own children.

This is an excellent novel to pair with Gary Paulsen's 2010 release Woods Runner; both stories deal with aspects of the American Revolution that are less discussed in literature for young people, since they take place on the "frontier" or wilderness rather than in the urban political hubs of Boston, Philadelphia, or New York.  They therefore provide a much different perspective on the conflict; both also highlight the role that the Native Americans played in the Revolution, many fighting on the side of the British in the hopes that they would stop further colonial expansion into their lands.

Book Review: The Family Greene, by Ann Rinaldi (Harcourt, 2010)

For ages 10 and up.

Ann Rinaldi is one of our most prolific and well-loved writers of historical fiction for young people, particularly well-known for stories set during the American Revolution and the Civil War.  That said, I was disappointed with her newest novel, published in May, which centers around several generations of women in the family of General Nathaniel Greene, second in command to George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

Even the cover is disappointing, with its sad-faced model that doesn't seem to fit at all with the themes that emerge in the story (compared to the stunning YA covers that have been coming out lately, what teenager is going to pick this one up?)  The story is told in two parts; the first part is narrated by Katy Littlefield, who is 10 years old when our story starts.  She is sent to live with her worldly Aunt Catharine, whose husband is a prominent patriot.  Her aunt is a notorious flirt and good friends (or perhaps more?) with Benjamin Franklin.  Her aunt is supposed to teach her how to be a "lady," with lessons such as this:

You should know this, Caty Littlefield...we women have the right to flirt.  If it is kept a harmless pastime.  Men expect it from us. Done properly, it gives us power, and Lord knows we have litle of that...But it must be learned to be done properly.  

When Katy grows up, she marries a cousin of Uncle Greene, Nathaniel, 12 years older than she is. War breaks out soon after their marriage.  Her husband is quickly promoted to brigadier general, and she goes with him, as did Martha Washington, to live at Valley Forge, where she entertains all the gentlemen with her lively spirits, and becomes a "belle of the camp."

Rinaldi then cuts off this story and switches narrators to Caty's daughter, Cornelia, some years later on the family plantation in Georgia.  Cornelia is concerned with her mother's reputation when she witnesses her exchanging kisses with their schoolteacher, but Cornelia's problems escalate when her nasty older sister tells her that Nathaniel Greene is not really her father, but rather that her father was a lover of her mother's.  Cornelia becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about her parentage.

This would have been a more appealing novel if Rinaldi had stuck with the first part of the narrative, perhaps enlarging on the section in which the young married Greenes are at Valley Forge.  In the second half of the novel, the character of Caty suddenly changes, without explanation, to a mean-spirited flirt who can be cruel to her children and disrespectful to her husband by her actions, which to my view go beyond most people's definition of flirting.   While some of Rinaldi's fans may enjoy this book, it definitely was not one of her best.

Book Review: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen (Random House, 2010)

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

How can anyone not be a fan of Gary Paulsen? He's written 175 incredibly diverse books, not to mention articles and short stories; probably his most famous book is the adventure story Hatchet, but he also excels at laugh-out-loud contemporary stories (have you read Lawn Boy?) and historical fiction, including the moving slavery story Nightjohn and the Tucket adventures. And of course he's won three Newbery honors and countless other awards for his books.

His newest book, Woods Runner, is set during on the Western frontier (in Pennsylvania) in 1776, seemingly far away from all the trouble brewing between the colonists and the British. Samuel, thirteen, lives with his parents and is a gifted outdoorsman, or "woods runner," spending his time hunting and trapping game in the wild forest that borders his home, providing fresh meat for nearly the whole settlement. It takes many days for news of far-away Lexington and Concord to reach them, and Samuel's father assumes the trouble their is just some local riot. After all, how could a "gaggle of farmers" be insane enough to fight the mighty British army?

When Samuel is off hunting, he spots smoke that appears to be from the direction of his home, eight miles away. Expert at reading the signs of nature, he realizes that it's not a forest fire he sees, but the smoke from a deliberate attack. Running all the way home, he finds a scene of unspeakable carnage. His neighbors," Paulsen writes, "shot down and hacked where they'd fallen. They did not look like they had been people. What he found seemed more like trash, paper, and cloth born across the ground." Miraculously, to him, he does not find the bodies of his parents. An experienced tracker, Samuel studies the tracks he finds, and soon begins following the trail of the killers in the hope that his parents have been taken prisoner and that he can somehow free them. Along the way he is joined by a small girl, Annie, who has been orphaned by the war, and the two of them head to New York, where the British are keeping most of the prisoners.

Paulsen does not shirk from describing the horrors of war and its effect on the civilian population as well as the soldiers. We see the British, the Native Americans, and the Hessian soldiers all commit acts of atrocity. Samuel himself feels like killing to avenge the atrocities he sees. Yet we also see kindness in the midst of wars, as strangers reach out to help Samuel, even nursing him back to health when he is savagely attacked.

In a departure from his other historical novels, Paulsen intersperses historical segments with the novel's narrative. These one to two page essays cover subjects ranging from communication to daily life on the frontier, firearms, details of warfare at the time of the Revolution, covert communication, and more. This method does interrupt the flow of the story, but readers can easily choose to ignore these sections, which are clearly marked, and treat them as if they were a sidebar. This type of information is more often included in an afterword or author's note but Paulsen explains in the beginning of the book that he chose this particular method to set Samuel's story against the larger context of the war, and also to provide details of what it was really like to live on the frontier at that time in history.

This is a fast-paced historical/adventure novel that is likely to appeal to young readers from about 5th grade on up. Because of its setting on the frontier, it provides an interesting perspective on the war that would make it a good companion book to a classic such as Esther Forbes' Johnny Tremain.

For additional books about the American Revolution for young people, you may want to refer to a recent post on Rebecca's Book Blog, in which she provides an excellent booklist of middle grade and young adult historical fiction set in this critical period of our history.