Alexander Hamilton: Young Statesman

Young Patriots

by Helen Boyd Higgins, Cathy Morrison (Illustrator)

The adult accomplishments of this Founding Father, architect of the Constitution and first Secretary of the Treasury, are legendary, and in this latest offering, children meet the young "Alec" growing up in the Caribbean as he dreams of visiting the land called America. Accompanied by his parrot, Hurry-Up, and his companion, Poleon, Alec's tranquil days are filled with the books he loves and visits to the waterfront to greet the large ships arriving from Europe—until his uncle insists that Alec fit riding lessons into his schedule. Children will identify with Alec's struggle to overcome his fear of horses and cheer at his courage as he narrowly escapes a violent hurricane while on horseback, all while keeping his eye on the prize—school in America. Featured sections and fun facts explain what happened next and when Alexander Hamilton lived, providing young readers with a snapshot of the leader's entire life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens

120 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[Jennifer Buczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with Lila for school this year

[Terry]

This book is part of the Young Patriots Series. The books in this series are consistently well written and illustrated. The authors know their audience and engage them immediately. Individually (by title) or collectively (as a series), they earn a 9.5 out of 10.

The books are fun to read and provide a little color to the history and heroes that 8- to 12-year-olds might not get from the typical textbook. The books are essential to the classroom library.

To read our full review (complete with the kids' opinions!) go to The Reading Tub®.

[- ̗̀ jess ̖́- · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a Hamilton fan, and when I stumbled upon this in my university library, I had to read it. It's actually somewhat historically accurate - I read the first half of the Chernow biography, including Alex's early childhood in St. Croix and I'm glad Hugh Knox and Ned Stevens are there! It's a good introduction on Alexander Hamilton for kids. Even though, to my knowledge, Alex never had a talking parrot.

Also, Alex fights everyone. This is good, because it introduces the kids to Alex fighting everyone in his adult life. Now they know that if someone in US history is fighting, one of them is Alexander Hamilton.