When Freedom Comes: Hope's Revolutionary War Diary

Hope's Revolutionary War Diary #3

by Kristiana Gregory

In Hope's third and final diary, by Kristiana Gregory, we meet Hope once again in the middle of the Revolutionary War, as she continues to bravely face the turmoil and violence.

Hope describes the realities of life in Pennsylvania as she is caught up in the midst of the Revolutionary War. Though the emerging nation's future is still uncertain, Hope remains optimistic and brave.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Historical, American Revolutionary War, Diary, School

112 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Kristiana Gregory grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean. She's always loved to make up stories [ask her family!], telling her younger siblings whoppers that would leave them wide-eyed and shivering. Her first rejection letter at age ten was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the LA Times, and finally author.

Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.

JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.

BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.

Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.

New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.

Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.

Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.

Reviews

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical note gives the wrong year for the Treaty of Paris. This diary is a companion story to Dear America’s The Winter of Red Snow and it was interesting to hear about Lucy from a new perspective (Abigail was there briefly, too).

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me tear up on a couple of occasions.

[Theresa Reifon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format/Length: Chapter book; 112 pages

Theme(s): Adventure, Change, Cherish and Appreciate the things around you, Childhood, Courage, Family/Family Love, Family Struggles, Freedom/Liberation, Friendship, Inner Struggles, Meeting Challenges, War, Survival

Review: The main character is an 11 year young girl named Hope. She is a strong individual, as she is living through the Revolutionary War in Philadelphia. Hope tells of her experience through diary entries and the struggle of staying a close family with her father away fighting for the Patriots, as well as her struggle of remaining friends with her best friend Polly who's family is a loyalist.

When using this book with my 5th grade classroom, I used it as a support after reading from about the American Revolution in our Social Studies book.After the students read both of these texts, I had them create their own diary/journal entries as if they too lived during the American Revolution.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope Potter is almost eleven years old when she begins her third diary on Christmas Day, 1777. Her older brother Ethan has finally returned home, but their house in Philadelphia is still occupied by British soldiers, and her father is still away fighting for the Patriots. Hope can no longer even see her best friend, Polly, because Polly's parents are Loyalists. Things become even worse when the family learns that Papa is very ill at the American encampment in Valley Forge. Will they be able to do anything to help him?

Kristiana Gregory has written a good conclusion to Hope's story, and readers who enjoyed the first two books will want to read this one as well. Hope's stories are among my favorites from the My America series, because I love this period in history, and the author has done a good job at bringing to life the voice of a young colonial girl.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the story about Hope and the Revolutionary War. The British have occupied Philadelphia in 1777. The book shows how badly and arrogantly most of them behaved, taking over houses and stealing whatever they wanted from people.

There was also still a problem with the fact that some people supported the British and some the Patriots and this tended to tear towns and even individual families apart. The story shows the strength of some families as they managed to support the Patriot cause and still survive the British occupation of the city.

Regular history books don't seem to deal much with the suffering of the average person during the war, and this type of book helps to fill that void.

[Jenifer Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the last book of Hope's diary there are a couple of inaccuracies, but it's a good book and it will make you cry. I feel like if they had gone further with her story I would have read three more books easily. If you enjoyed the first two diaries, I honestly think you'll like the conclusion.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really remember what this was about, at all.

I do not remember much about this book. (8 & up)

I can't rememeber much about this book, all I remember is that this is a really east reading book. I know this was a good book for one it was Dear America for another it was historical fiction. I think everyone should read this.

[Julie Pollitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book!

I wish there was a fourth book. Such a great story, rich with history, and hard to put down. I loved the characters, and learned so much about this time period, and our history. Great, great book!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first dear America's I read, was The Winter of the Red Snow. This is 9f course a younger reading level than that, but I do enjoy the way it was tied into the Dear America story in the same time period

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book.

[Patrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting view of the American Revolution

[Jacquelyn Arbegast]

I love these stories. They all tell the story of America's history by using fictional characters that students can relate to.