Guts & Glory: The American Revolution

Guts & Glory #4

by Ben Thompson

Now available in paperback, this fourth book in the action-packed Guts & Glory series takes readers through the exciting and fascinating history of the American Revolution. Perfect for history buffs, reluctant readers, and fans of Hamilton !

From George Washington crossing the icy Delaware, to Molly Pitcher fearlessly firing her cannon, the people of the American Revolution were some of the bravest and most inspiring of all time. Jump into a riot in the streets of Boston, join the Culper Spy Ring as they steal secrets in the dead of night, and watch the signing of the Declaration of Independence in this accessible, illustrated guide to the birth of the United States.

History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson's extensive research and irresistible storytelling make history come alive in this fourth book in the unforgettable Guts & Glory series.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, American History, Middle Grade, American Revolution, Childrens, Historical

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2017

About the author

I write stuff about badasses.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although initially I didn't much care for the "Hey, dude, that humongous battle was totally awesome" verbiage used throughout this book, in the end I was won over by the author's knowledge of and enthusiasm for his subject. I find the American Revolution fascinating, and I read this book to see how it worked as basically an introduction to the subject for elementary age kids.
Because it covers so many battles and so many personalities, it doesn't go into a lot of depth. Still, I learned some things I didn't know, which is one of the main reasons I read books in the first place. It turns out that Spain was also one of America's allies in the Revolutionary War (I did not know that!), and the town of Galveston, Texas is named after Spanish Admiral Bernardo de Galvez who captured British Forts in Alabama and Florida. I also learned about British bad guy Banastre Tarleton, who I'd never heard of before.
The author explains a lot of things by using current pop culture references, which may not wear well, but if, for a few years at least, it helps kids relate to long-ago events, I'm all for it. In some instances he phonetically spells out certain words kids may be unfamiliar with; in other places, he encourages them to go look up a pronunciation or a meaning. I'm sure he joins me in hoping that some kids actually do this, and learn even more.

[MitchellSev]

Guts and Glory Revolutionary War was a fantastic book. What I really liked about it was that it gave a lead up to the war and explained the events of what lead to it. I already knew these thing but it is good for a person who has no knowledge of the Revolutionary War. That is one thing I liked about the book.

The book was great, but there were some things I did not like. I did not like how they did not include that many spy stories, there were some but I wish there was more. The only reason why I wanted more spy stories is because they played an important role in the war on both sides. Guts and Glory American Revolutionary War a phenomenal book.

Overall I would rate it five stars. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes history or anybody who just wants to learn about our nations founding. Guts and Glory American Revolutionary War is a great book and I encourage people to read it.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ended my 2018 reading with this highly engaging and irreverent non-fiction overview of the American Revolution for middle-grade readers. As a huge history geek, I was thrilled by how much Thompson covered that I *didn't* already know, and I was delighted with his storytelling. If I had a 4th-6th grader, I can totally see listening to this story as an audiobook in the car, and I'd read it together with an even younger child who is interested in history.

[Bookbag_Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tree Of Liberty Must Be Refreshed From Time To Time With The Blood Of Patriots And Tyrants.

It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men.

The Sons Of Liberty
Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can.
The Shot Heard Round The World
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,. Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,. Here once the embattled farmers stood. And fired the shot heard round the world.
Bunker Hill
Powder is scarce and must not be wasted.Do not fire until you seethe whites of their eyes.
Building The Continental Army
We have too many high sounding words and too few actions that correspond with them.
The Invasion In Canada
Arnold's expedition has been marked with such scenes of misery that it requires a stretch of faith to believe that human nature was equal to them.
A Declaration Of Independence
Yesterday, the greatest question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater, perhaps, never was nor will be decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.
The Empire Strikes Back
Crossing The Delaware
The Marquis de Lafayette
Saratoga
Valley Forge
Courting France
The Legend Of Molly Pitcher
"Mad" Anthony And The Virginia Hercules
The Culper Ring
Three may keep a Secret, if two of them are dead.
The War On The Frontier
Not Yet Began To Fight
Deborah Sampson
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
Butcher Tarleton
Yorktown

Okay, yeah, I will write a letter to the dang king of England telling him to suck lemons.

The first English settlement in the New World was actually Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Not Plymouth Rock.

And home field advantage can make all the difference.

There he wrote his thesis paper about why it should be totally ok if the colonies didn't want to listen to every dumb thing that King George III of England said.

This made Sam Adams pretty righteously angry, and he was going to make sure every single person in Boston realized that this stamp Act & Sugar Act nonsense was the most horrible thing that had ever happened in the history of the civilized world.


TRAVELED TO // The American Revolution
MET ALONG THE WAY // Founding Fathers & Mothers and The Colonists

The Noble Turkey // Monroe Is The Guy Holding The Flag // Von Steuben Day - Ferris Bueller's Day Off // Guts & Glory History

Know Your Founding Fathers ( and Mothers!)
Samuel Adams
John Hancock
William Prescott
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Alexander. Sixth Earl Of Stirling
James Monroe
Marquis de Layfayette
Daniel Morgan
Von Steuben
Benjamin Franklin
Mary Ludwig Hays
"Mad" Anthony Wayne
Benjamin Tallmadge
George Rogers Clark
John Paul Jones
Deborah Sampson
Nathaneal Greene
Alexander Hamilton

[Maureen Lubitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on You Have Your Hands Full

Guts & Glory: The American Revolution was written by Ben Thompson. I picked up the Audible edition of this book (as well as the others in the series) during a sale, and my girls and I listened to it while we were driving around during all of our after-school activities.

This book is a wonderful introduction to the foundations of American history. Thompson uses a jocular storytelling format to convey information, and I found myself enjoying listening to this book as much as the kids. Much of the story is slightly irreverent, which naturally appeals to children. He uses modern pop culture examples to draw comparisons with events from the Revolution, like comparing Bunker Hill to an epic battle from Lord of the Rings or saying that he has to pay tax “every time he buy[s] a new Xbox game or a Big Mac”. Understanding history is so important, and I have a great deal of appreciation for Thompson’s ability to make learning about history appealing.

Both my twins and my older girl studied Colonial history during their last school year, so much of what was discussed in this book was already familiar to them. They are also big fans of Hamilton, and one of my twins would get very excited every time the book mentioned someone she knew, like the Marquis de Lafayette.

We don’t have a physical copy of this book, but I don’t think that was a disadvantage; it actually worked out quite well as an audiobook because of the fun/cool format. We did have access to a pdf with the illustrations, but we never went back to look at the pictures that we were missing.

I would absolutely recommend Guts & Glory: The American Revolution. One of my college majors was history, but I focused on medieval and Renaissance history. I haven’t studied American history since high school, and I can honestly admit that there were a few things that I learned by listening to this book. We picked up the other Guts & Glory books at the same sale, and we are definitely looking forward to listening to them in the future!

[Jessie • jessie_allbookedup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a history book, just straight up HISTORY book was not on my 2025 bingo card. But a few days ago I turned on Hamilton, discovered there were quite a few things I didn’t know (or was taught and don’t remember now) so I found this book and the rest is history 👀 I couldn’t help myself with that one

This was really fun! I love that the author makes this more conversational and feels like a friend is talking to me about history. The narrators were fantastic and I highly recommend listening to this on audio. I also think this would be fantastic for kids to listen to and one day plan to have my kids listen to it. It’s a great resource.

I also was having the best time telling my husband all the fun facts I was learning. For example, the US had our very own “mulan” named Deborah Sampson! I had no idea!

I can’t wait to dive into the other books in this series and I definitely want to find more books like this. It didn’t feel like I had some old stuffy professor lecturing me on battles and historical figures. It was refreshing! If you have any recs let me know!

This also makes me want to pick up some romance historical fiction from the American revolution so if you have recs, send them to me!

[Aaliyah Corley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Thompson wrote this book as if he were talking out loud. He reminds me of Oversimplified sometimes. It’s fun to read because of how he told the stories of people important to the American revolution. The book doesn’t go too deep into the story of the American revolution but it does give a nice overview of what happened. You could hold up a conversation after reading the book.

My favorite story was at the beginning of the war. It was the story of an 80-year-old guy called Samuel Whittemore. Whittemore hid behind a stone wall and waited for the British soldiers to come by so he could ambush them. ALONE. When the British were in sight, he engaged in combat.

He killed a bunch of British soldiers with his musket, shooting point blank. After getting swarmed by soldiers, he decided it was time to fight hand-to-hand against them. It didn’t work out too well and he got shot in the face. The British left him for dead and continued marching back to base. When Whittemore’s militiamen found him covered in blood, trying to reload his weapon. He survived the war and lived till the age of 98.

[Sohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guts and Glory; The American Revolution by Ben Thompson receives an 8/10 form me, as the book has great content about the American Revolution, and is also entertaining to read. "What if I told you that the story about George Washington cutting down a tree is crap, and that once, GW swore at a dude so much" (Thompson 1). This is some of the entertaining parts of Guts and Glory; The American Revolution , which makes it entertaining to read. However, at some points, the book becomes really boring to read. Thus, this book deserves an 8/10 from me. I would definitely recommend this book to any other adult or kid interested in learning about the American Revolution.

[Manan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star, because the author sounded very casual. The book splendidly described the various events of the Revolution and had small biographies of some of the important people of the Revolution, which made it interesting. However, the author did not use show and tell, nor did he elaborate. This book did provide an overview of the Revolution in a chronological order and it even depicted the rest of the world during this time period. Thus, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star because the author did not sound serious about the subject at hand.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times this book is really entertaining. Other times it drags. The author is thorough in his coverage of the war, and uses humor to connect with kids who might not otherwise pick up a history book. The problem is that he uses humor for a few pages and then falls back into boring textbook verbiage. Every time he dropped the humor I needed a 5 minute break to keep from falling asleep. At 302 pages, I can see kids getting part way through and then giving up. The author needs to work on developing his style.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the hard copy at the library based on the cover and subject matter. We are planning a trip to the East Coast this fall and my son's history lessons in school have left a lot to be desired. I wanted him to have a good overview, delivered in a 6th grade accessible way. This was perfect! I ended up also borrowing the audiobook. We listened on the way to and from school every day and both thoroughly enjoyed it. My son also followed along in the print version of the book. We both learned lots of new things and have a good base for new information.

[Enzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read the Count of Monte Cristo and as I was talking about it. The central issue which leads to the betrayal is Napoleon's return. We were talking about how the World at the time was filled with Revolutions the American and at that exact moment the rest of America. Which lead to who was the Ambassador to France and England which lead to the founding father which lead to Guts & Glory. Great book to get the skinny on the Founding Fathers. Really interesting and I figured its a short read but a good one.

[Sarah Hay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read about many of the important figures of the American Revolution. Lots of humor along with lesser known facts that older readers will find amusing. The book has many black and white drawings throughout along with sections that highlight various figures with a few facts about them before, during, and after the war.

Good for ages 12 and up.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Ben Thompson. Earlier I read the WWII book in his Guts & Glory series, but I already did a review on that so LET’S GET INTO THE MEAT OF THIS REVIEW.

Packed with action and facts, this is waiting for any other history geeks out there. Dig into it. You might not be able to climb back out. It’s that good. So, uhhh... like I say after all of my reviews, READ IT.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in this series. It is a good one. I do prefer Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, but this book has a lot more information since it tackles larger chunks of history rather than one person's tale. I was impressed with the style and the Know Your Founding Fathers pages but also about some of the people I hadn't heard about who were instrumental in the war.

[Donnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for kids about the American Revolution. Some facts not exactly right, but would be a good way to encourage use of multiple sources when doing historical research in the classroom. Has lots of figurative language aimed at engaging kids - comparisons to Star Wars and video games... I enjoyed the jaunt through history from a very engaging voice.

[Miss Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made learning about history fun and interesting. Humor and anecdotes scattered throughout the book make it really enjoyable and it's really easy to read. This is a great book for those who are fans of the Horrible Histories book series.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat humorous and irreverent take on the American Revolution which is well researched and gave me information that was new to me.

A fun way to engage young readers in learning history and especially getting the big picture as well as the details.

[Sylvia "Chivy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of my passions history and the American Revolution.
This was so incredibly amazing and full of history I didn't know.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.
I'm going to leave you with a name....
Deborah Sampson.
Look up her up. Her history is going to blow your mind

[Christine Gustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my 7th and 9th grade girls as part of an American History study. We really enjoyed the humor and writing style of this book! Ideal for middle-grade and high school students.

Note: contains some slang, lots of pop culture references and mild language.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Thompson makes the complexities of the American Revolution accessible to all. I could not stop reading this book. I'm not kidding. Recommended for 12+ through adults.

[lizzielee2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an American Revolution enthusiast this was a very enjoyable read. His humor made the book interesting enough to keep anyone reading.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to read all of Ben Thompson’s books in this series.

[W!ll · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good 👍

[Donna Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son who is in 5th grade loved this book. We bought the audible version along with the hard copy of the book. He read along with the audible version everyday.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a history book written in a casual style for kids, I read this aloud to my 10-year-old.

[Luca S]

this book was amazing and I recomend it for people to read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and interesting!

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my ten year old twins who loved it as much as I did. I love that it has sparked a love of American history.

[Caleb Crumby · Rating 5 out of 5]

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