Scan barcode
random_yardstick's review against another edition
1.0
i hate everyone in this book. this book is inane and stupid and it sucks
thepurplepages's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I had read it back in middle school, and was worried that it would be a book I reread and despised because it sounded as if it were written for a middle school audience. However, the language was mature and readable and I enjoyed it even more than I had back then. The historical references were accurate and convincing and the included tragedies made the book that much better. The ending, though sad, was necessary to prove the point of the story, and really wrapped it all together.
khornstein1's review
5.0
An old chestnut for a reason. Gripping and great descriptions of the American Revolution from a teen's perspective.
starfleeting's review
3.0
I just remembered how I read this years and years ago and the low rating on it is purely because it wrecked me as a kid. Like I legit almost cried and I'm still upset about how it ended.
How could you do this to me???? Book that totally gives the ending away in its title?????
How could you do this to me???? Book that totally gives the ending away in its title?????
breakfastgrey's review against another edition
5.0
I've always dug this book despite its slow start because it does one thing very, very well: it gives shades of grey to the American Revolution. It is one of the exceptionally few books/movies/TV shows to treat the war as an actual historical event and not a comic book battle of good vs evil with cartoon characters. I also love that the foreknowledge of Sam's fate lends a sense of danger to every scene because readers know: this isn't a book where characters are safe. (student book club, reread)
jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
I first read this book in elementary school, probably when I was in fifth or sixth grade. The country was deep into celebrating the Bicentennial, especially in New England where I grew up, and I was thrilled when I found this book on the shelves in the school library. Little did I know what it had in store for me. The Colliers present the American Revolution not from the "yeah, let's celebrate how great the rebels were" side, but from the point of view of revisionist history of the 70s, which was beginning to look at the darker sides of the colonial revolt. Tim, our point of view character, is torn about the revolt; his father was completely against it, but his revered older brother, Sam, ran away from college in order to join Washington's army. Father, ironically, ends up dying at the hands of the British, while Sam, as we know from the book's title, dies too, also ironically, executed to serve as a lesson to his fellow rebel soldiers against stealing colonists' cattle to feed the army. This was dark, heady, thought-provoking stuff for a twelve year old, especially one who had been drawn to history because of all the celebration around the Bicentennial. I remember being so shocked: children's books are supposed to end happily, aren't then?
A few years ago, I reread the book, and found it so disappointing from a literary point of view. Oh, the lessons it taught me were still there, but they were presented in a very flat, heavy handed way, and without much in the way of compelling character development.
If I ever taught a class on children's historical fiction, though, I would definitely include this (along with JOHNNY TREMAINE and something more recent) to compare different eras' attitudes towards American revolutionary history.
A few years ago, I reread the book, and found it so disappointing from a literary point of view. Oh, the lessons it taught me were still there, but they were presented in a very flat, heavy handed way, and without much in the way of compelling character development.
If I ever taught a class on children's historical fiction, though, I would definitely include this (along with JOHNNY TREMAINE and something more recent) to compare different eras' attitudes towards American revolutionary history.
pizzamyheart's review
I read this back in grade/middle school. The title sort of ruins the suspense at the end.
thewallflower00's review
3.0
It’s much less “rah-rah-America” than I thought it would be. I was expecting something like “Johnny Tremain”, but no, this is a realistic look at the Revolutionary War before people knew how it would end. It’s like the Civil War. Neighbors are on opposite sides. As many people sided with the British as the Patriots. Soldiers from both ends victimize civilians for cows or guns. Bandits raid the roads, taking advantage of the chaos in the name of “patriotism”. If you try to sell a pig to someone who might sell it to someone who might sell it to the British, they’d just kill you. And meanwhile, the farmers are trying to stay alive in an economy where all funds have been diverted to the war effort. Reminds me of the background to Gone With the Wind where everyone’s optimistic and then it all goes to shit and it seems like the war is never going to end.
But anyway, yes, I recommend this book. The matter-of-fact tone is a pleasant change from most of the Revolutionary War novels I’ve read that were all pro-America. It doesn’t pull punches. The protagonist is well-rounded. He’s super young so he looks up to his brother and father for guidance, but they’re polarized on this issue. He starts to see the values of his world degenerate until it’s like a Mad Max apocalypse-land where natural resources are more important than money. It’s about the people behind the scenes, keeping the homefront, and no one is a saint.
But anyway, yes, I recommend this book. The matter-of-fact tone is a pleasant change from most of the Revolutionary War novels I’ve read that were all pro-America. It doesn’t pull punches. The protagonist is well-rounded. He’s super young so he looks up to his brother and father for guidance, but they’re polarized on this issue. He starts to see the values of his world degenerate until it’s like a Mad Max apocalypse-land where natural resources are more important than money. It’s about the people behind the scenes, keeping the homefront, and no one is a saint.