Captain John Smith: A Foothold in the New World

Heroes of History #15

by Janet Benge, Geoff Benge

"The mainsail cracked above them in the ferocious wind as a group of red-faced men descended on John. 'You have brought a curse on us. Overboard with you,' one of the men yelled. A chorus of cheers went up. It was the last sound John heard before he was dumped over the side of the ship and engulfed by the dark, roiling ocean." Thrown overboard, enslaved by the Turks, captured by pirates, rescued by a princess -- the story of Englishman John Smith (1580-1631) would seem unbelievable were it fiction. Young John first sought adventure in Europe, traveling as far as Russia and distinguishing himself in the wars that raged across the Old World. But John Smith's real passion was for the New World, and in 1607 he sailed to North America with the men who would establish the first lasting British settlement -- Jamestown. There he fought level-headedly for the policies that would enable the fragile community to survive starvation, disease, and deadly attacks to become a foothold in the New World.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Janet and Geoff Benge are a husband and wife writing team with twenty years of writing experience. They are best known for the books in the two series Christian Heroes: Then & Now series and Heroes of History. Janet is a former elementary school teacher. Geoff holds a degree in history. Together they have a passion to make history come alive for a new generation. Originally from New Zealand, the Benges make their home in the Orlando, Florida, area.

Reviews

[Daniel Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of adventure. Captain John Smith was a fearless soldier, slave, explorer, and writer. He is known for his strict leadership in holding together Jamestown, the first surviving American settlement. Highly recommended if you like history.

Note - Jamestown was not established by England but rather by a private company called The Virginia Company of London. Also, Jamestown was originally called James Towne.

[Carla Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

He did a lot more than have his life spared by a 12 year old.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

John smith comes alive in this book. My 10 year old son cried and moaned when I gave him the book. After 2 chapters he started sneaking it into the bathroom and staying up late to read it. John Smith is full of adventure and a real example of leadership.

[Kathryn Egly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action-packed biography that brings early American history to life. This book tells the story of John Smith—an adventurer, soldier, and leader whose courage and determination helped shape the beginnings of America’s first colony.

What I love most about the Heroes of History series is that Benge doesn’t just list historical facts—she paints vivid scenes that bring history to life.

In this book, John Smith journeys around the world, is captured by pirates, and negotiates with Native American leaders. It’s inspiring to see how his life, filled with hardship and adventure, ultimately contributed to the foundation of America.

This book is a great read for middle-grade readers and up, especially for those interested in history.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not know much more about John Smith than the Pocahontas story. But wow did he have a lot of crazy adventures. His story is like an Indiana Jones movie.

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

[JD' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read about captain Smith's journey to Constantinople as a slave. While in captivity he met a blonde haired English slave girl. Smith would kill his master and escape, then he would later on come back for a "Navy Seals" rescue operation from her Turkish captives. I found the adventures to be unbelievable.. until he was arrested and put in jail on the journey to the New World before reaching Jamestown. I found it funny and realized, who could make this up?

[Ruthie Planamenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty impressed with this one! Read during tutoring this summer, and while the authorship is obviously biased towards painting John Smith as a hero, I was impressed that they refrained from painting a one-sided view of the interactions between colonists and Native Americans. Grateful for the accurate details on Pocahontas and fascinating backstory of how John Smith became a captain in the first place!

[Kevin Koppelmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I had no idea Smith had let such a fascinating life. I had only heard of his role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown and his relationship with Pocahontas. What an incredible life he led!

[Lesli Kohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My children loved this book. I had no idea the details of John Smith beyond the more commonly known facts. We listened on audible and all four kids were engaged throughout the book.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain John Smith is the most interesting man in the world. We could not believe all the adventures and misadventures he had. My kids couldn’t get enough of this read aloud.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting life. I didn't know anything about John Smith's pre-America adventures. Good introduction to Smith's highly adventurous life, and now I want to read Smith's own writings.

[Wendy Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved learning more about John Smith than his role in Jamestown.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fascinating introduction to John Smith. He had one outlandish adventure after another. He was a gifted, soldier, leader and mediator.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about his life.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* Audio

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain John Smith played a leading role in the colonization of America, especially Jamestown. It was a dangerous and rough life, but Captain John Smith was well suited for it, having already lived a very adventurous life on the other side of the world, fighting for several causes and countries , fighting Turks and pirates, escaping imprisonments, and so on. In America, he is the one to come up with the title "New England," then he wrote very descriptive books about the area, his explorations, and his adventures. Janet and Geoff Benge are to be commended for their terrific biographies, written to be enjoyed by the whole family. I especially enjoy them as audiobooks.

[Joel]

0 estrellas, un "buen hombre" más no un cristiano. Es más una propaganda a los primeros colonos de Norte América .