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jb_anderson's review against another edition
4.0
A very accessible way to teach youth about the Revolutionary War and some very interesting information!
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
A fun way to learn history. This book focuses on the American Revolution and I enjoyed reading it aloud with my daughter. I learned a lot that I didn't get while in school.
storywarden's review against another edition
4.0
Four stars because I don't really like nonfiction usually, but this one kept me interested.
amberleelettersandreads's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best book about the American Revolution that I’ve read. It mixes humor with fact and is easy to follow.
bethgiven's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes I feel a little sheepish telling people I majored in history because I feel like I'm going to be expected to know things I don't. One such gaping hole in my knowledge that I hope I don't get asked about: the Revolutionary War. Sure, I knew "taxation without representation" and that George Washington was a general. I've seen National Treasure enough times to know "one if by land, two if by sea" (even if I don't know why). If hard-pressed, I'd probably correctly place the battles of Bunker Hill, Yorktown, and Saratoga in the proper war, but only by process of elimination (apparently I didn't figure out how to study for Ms. Schick's AP US exams until we hit Civil War era). So when I was digging through the archives at Red Hot Eyebrows and came across this gem, I thought I'd give it a shot ... looked much less intimidating than McCullough's [b:1776|1067|1776|David McCullough|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1306787560s/1067.jpg|3364186].
And yes, this book turned out to be a lot of fun! The author, Steve Sheinkin, was a textbook writer ... and this book, he says, is a compilation of the stories he had to cut for the textbooks. That's too bad, really; if only textbooks were written this way: as an engaging, funny story! I read it like a novel (pausing to fill my husband in on the cool details) and learned a ton. I loved the illustrations, too. This would be a good book to add to our home library. And, being the history-lover I am, this made me want to learn more ... maybe I'm finally ready to give McCullough a try!
And yes, this book turned out to be a lot of fun! The author, Steve Sheinkin, was a textbook writer ... and this book, he says, is a compilation of the stories he had to cut for the textbooks. That's too bad, really; if only textbooks were written this way: as an engaging, funny story! I read it like a novel (pausing to fill my husband in on the cool details) and learned a ton. I loved the illustrations, too. This would be a good book to add to our home library. And, being the history-lover I am, this made me want to learn more ... maybe I'm finally ready to give McCullough a try!
rsburton's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This book is great for learning about the American Revolution in a fun and engaging way.
katlikespie's review against another edition
5.0
The author makes such a heavy topic as the American Revolution accessible for middle grade readers. I (at 30) learned a lot, too.