Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes is so well written that I felt like I was inside Johnny’s head, and experiencing the American Revolution first hand. The author, Esther Forbes, describes in vivid detail what it is like to be an apprentice to a silversmith in the 1770’s, an orphan with a maimed hand, and too young to fight, but somehow old enough to live on your own.
I didn’t know Esher Forbes won a Pulitzer Prize for an adult book on Paul Revere. Her breadth and depth of knowledge of Colonial America shows up in Johnny Tremain. It won a Newberry Award in 1944.
A young reviewer on amazon.com said:
“This book is the best book ever!!! In school, we are learning about US history and my mom got this book from the library. I’m 13, and I thought it would be boring, but when I got into it, I didn’t put it down until I finished it. It’s all about America on the verge of the revolution and a boy whose dreamed for the future have been dashed by a horrible accident. It’s super exiting and I had my mom buy it for me so I can read it again and again. What I love about this edition is that it has a comic book introduction that’s very funny.”
Sixteen.”
And what’s that-a boy or a man?”
He laughed. “A boy in time of peace and a man in time of war.”
“After that Johnny began to watch himself. For the first time he learned to think before he spoke.”
“Children’s books fairly pulsate with power when it comes to teaching. There are endless ways in which books power learning.” Michael O. Tunnell, chair, Department of Teacher Education, McKay School, Brigham Young University.
Start powering the learning of character for your children! Turn on an audible book in your car from the Libby app!
"Peace Like A River…" 