Monday, December 1, 2008

Book review: The American Twins of the Revolution


It is September 1777. General George Washington and his war-weary troops, located just north of Philadelphia, are in desperate need of supplies, food, and money. Unfortunately the British are aware of the Continental Army's plight and are determined to bring them to their demise. Lucy Fitch Perkins' book, The American Twins of the Revolution is based on a TRUE story of danger, hardship, and heroism during the Revolutionary days.

My final verdict: This is a thrilling book! It has spies and soldiers. It has treasure and bribery. It has threats and honor. It has escapes and arson and determination and bravery. The twins, Sally and Roger Priestly, are of the author's creation, but General and Mrs. Priestly are real-life characters. The underlying story is very much true (the author's preface gives a nice explanation) and knowing so makes the account even more wonderful to ponder as you read through it. The cover recommends this book for ages 10-adult, but my 5-year-old daughter and I enjoyed the entire, exciting story together. It was hard to read just one or two chapters at a time, and I was sorry to see it end. Some parts are written in a slave English dialect and take a couple tries at getting the pronunciation and meaning correct, but it is well worth it to really get a genuine feel for the characters and time period in American history. This story touches on both good and bad realities of this fallen world, past and present, and provides opportunity to discuss those topics in both a historical and moral context. Excellent book--I highly recommend it! The American Twins of the Revolution can be purchased from Salem Ridge Press in both hard and softcover. Read the entire first chapter of The American Twins of the Revolution.

1 comment:

Shanna said...

Michelle-

Thanks for linking to me! I've got you entered twice into the giveaways!