Justice for All

Liberty's Kids

by Amanda Stephens, Carnies Flying (Illustrator)

"At a time when we are searching for the kind of basis of the American soul, it is important that we know our history. A story with a moral...that says we are strong...isn't a bad thing to communicate to the young people of today."--Walter Cronkite, voice of Ben Franklin on Liberty's Kids. The Boston Tea Party. Taxation without representation. Intolerable Acts. The First Continental Congress. With the help of Ben Franklin, Moses (a freed slave), James and Henri (Ben Franklin's apprentices), and Sarah (a British teen who traveled to America), readers will travel back in time to discover what happened in American history from December 1773-September 1774.

Genres: Historical Fiction

112 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2003

Reviews

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread this in preparation for my job's summer reading club we're doing with this as the book choice of the summer, and it's nice to see how the story has held up over the years! I didn't remember that the book basically takes the first three episodes of the Liberty's Kids show and puts them all together in a single book. I personally didn't care for that because 3/4 of the book is spent on the Boston Tea Party, and the last fourth is split covering the next two episodes, which makes it feel unbalanced. I get that the episodes about Sarah and Henri taking the pamphlets to Abigail Adams + James learning about the Continental Congress aren't as interesting and action-packed as the Boston Tea Party, but they felt rushed. I think the book could've ended with the return back home to Philadelphia and not even touched on the other two episodes. So whoever made that choice...not the best, in my personal opinion.

That being said, the book does a great job of touching on some of the inconsistent views of the American Revolution, specifically about enslavement in the colonies. Differing opinions and having the liberty to have opinions are also touched on very well in a way that's developmentally appropriate for kids. Easy to understand without cutting important stuff out.

Overall, though, a good read and a solid choice for our summer reading club! I'm eager to rewatch the episodes and get the kids' thoughts on what they think of the book!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome book for kids.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this book out for my middle son, who enjoys history and historical fiction. We're familiar with the TV series (via DVD), so my youngest son requested I read it aloud to him. It's possible that I haven't seen all the video episodes, but there was quite a bit of content in the book that wasn't familiar to us (so it didn't just seem like a rehash of the show).

Although it's aimed at young readers, it doesn't paint everything in black and white terms. For example, James (the young patriot) gets to see the effects of tar & feathering on a young redcoat, and Sarah (the loyalist) sees redcoats acting at odds with the British gentlemen expectations she has for them. Idealism runs up against reality - how will it affect our young heroes? (no resolution in this book, though!)

[Beth Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud to Emma and Will. Nice overlap with our current history in school. The books are basically word for word as the movies, which makes them not excellent literature (although the vocabulary is strong), but even with few pictures they hold Will's attention.