Jean FritzResenhas

IRL: Grade 5
No awards

Provides a look at the family life of Abraham Lincoln and at the circumstances surrounding his short, but memorable speech at the dedication of the cemetery at the Gettysburg battlefield. Includes text of the speech.

A spunky biography of an influential American.

AR: 5.1

Short, fun book that lands somewhere between historical fiction and biography.

Ann Hamilton's family has moved to the western frontier of Pennsylvania, and she misses her old home in Gettysburg. There are no girls her age on Hamilton Hill, and life is hard. But when the Hamiltons survive a terrible storm and receive a surprise visit from George Washington, Ann realizes that pioneer life is exciting and special.

I truly enjoyed this historical non-fiction book about the massive efforts, time, planning and finances it took to create the bronze horse that Leonardo so desperately desired to place in Milan. There is a lot of history presented in a way that older elementary and middle school students could appreciate. It would definitely be appropriate for teaching an art OR history lesson. In fact, this book would lend itself well across the curriculum for other areas, such as Science, for STEM education regarding the engineering of the actual horse statue itself. This story is not dry. There is a lot of emotion portrayed in the stories of all who helped to create Leonardo's dream to come true.

George Washington Allen, a boy who never gives up until he finds out what he wants to know, is determined to learn all there is to know about his namesake, including what the first president ate for breakfast!

Only 32 pages long, but clever, witty, and incisive. I particularly like the discussion of the evidence for the Brendan voyage and how, until 1960, the evidence for the Leif Ericsson voyage was no more than traditional tales, until the archaeological discoveries. The illustrations are rather clever, and obviously inspired by the Irish decorated manuscripts, of which the most famous is the book of Kells.

Everyone has a mother. Even George Washington. But Mary Washington is nothing like you'd think! She hates to dress up. And she always thinks she knows what's best for George. After all, she's his mother! You can read more about her in this true story by Jean Fritz.

Harriet Beecher Stowe grew up in a family in which her seven brothers were expected to be successful preachers and the four girls were never to speak in public. But slavery made Harriet so angry she couldn't keep quiet. Although she used a pen rather than her voice to convince people of the evils of slavery, she became more famous than any of her brothers. She firmly believed that words could make change, and by writing Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe hastened the Civil War and changed the course of America history.

This factual gem that's written with Newbery Honor author Jean Fritz's humorous touch chronicles the hot summer of 1787 where fifty-five delegates from thirteen states huddled together in the strictest secrecy in Philadelphia to draw up the constitution of the United States!

READING LEVEL 6.7 AR POINTS: 3.0


Why Not, Lafayette? by Jean Fritz (1999; 2001 ed.) 84 pages.

‘Why not?’ was Lafayette’s motto. He was tired of everyone saying no. His father had died while fighting in a war and, at age two, his mom left for Paris, leaving him with his grandparents to raise. After marrying and his second child born, he snuck away to America to help her fight for her independence.

He became like a son to George Washington and fought side by side with him. They were inseparable. Lafayette even named his son after him, George Washington de Lafayette.

Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, otherwise known simply as Lafayette, or sometimes Gilbert, was a Frenchman from Paris. He absolutely loved America and its independence and fought all his life to bring it to France. He stood against Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to conquer and rule all of Europe. He even spent many years in a German prison, when he was trying to escape a Revolution when the liberties took over and were beheading all the aristocrats. Unfortunately, Marquis de Lafayette was born into the aristocrats, but, he did not believe in the title and never allowed anyone in France to call him Marquis. Still, they considered him an aristocrat.

He was well-known and loved by the Americans and had travelled back and forth over the years. On his final trip over to the U.S., Americans welcomed him like a king. And when he left he took a crate full of American soil to cover his grave when he died. He took back so many other things as well, so much so that he had to use a second vessel just to carry his newly acquired American belongings, which included many animals.

This was a great and interesting little chapter book story for young readers. I had no idea who Lafayette was and now am anxious to learn more about him. Fayetteville, North Carolina, was named after him. Now, there are at least half a dozen towns called Fayetteville throughout the U.S. named after our America loving Frenchman.

4075/2023

L9IFIV42

Abraham Lincoln was one busy man. He had a country to run. And a war to win. And a family to care for. But when it came time to honor all the soldiers who had died in the great battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln still took time to say a few words. Two hundred and seventy-one to be exact. Here is a true story about a great man and his famous speech.

This is a sparkling little biography, clearly told and a pleasure to read!

good

fair

Loved this book as a boy.

A young adult story of a boy living in Salem, MA in 1774-1775. While I can't say I was blown away, I was interested in the story the author told. It presents history from the view of the Tory party, and what circumstances might cause a shift in one's political viewpoint. Written in 1967, it questions the extremism of political parties. My oh my, how things stay the same. Jean Fritz is one of my favorite young adult authors. When I was teaching my children at home, her books were always a help to any history we were studying. They provide context and good jumping off points for discussions, as well as being good to read.½

This chapter book describes the life of Lafayette and how he got involved as a major-general in the American Revolutionary War despite being from French nobility. It is engaging so far and describes how lost LaFayette felt as a young man in the predetermined role that he inherited. This book would be best for 3rd grade and up, as it is a chapter book. Some of the concepts may be tricky for a child who is just learning to read chapter books to understand.

Jean Fritz writes historical fiction books for children ages 9-12. The stories help children understand history in a way social studies textbooks cannot. She found interesting facts and used helpful realistic illustrations. She was born in 1915 in China and felt misplaced there as an American. She developed a keen interest in the culture and history of America.

In the book Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? there is a child in many of the illustrations that children will notice. Students would have some fun finding which pictures include a child and which do not. It is as if the child in the drawings is looking at what the child reading the book would be looking at. The illustrator, Trina Schart Hyman, drew detailed and clever pictures to help children relate to history.

The story is about John Adams (who became a President of the United States) arguing and trying to convince his cousin, Sam Adams, into learning to ride a horse. He finally wins the argument and Sam Adams becomes convinced he needs to ride a horse, not for dozens of common-sense reasons, but because he wants to have a statue of himself one day. Of course, a statue of a statesman would include a horse!

Kind of fun, but, oddly, Jean Fritz did not choose to be humorous. The illustrations are good. There is a whole two page spread in which Leonardo contemplates other famous equestrian statues. I believe every statue is real; I was annoyed that I could not identify them.½

Reading Level: 2nd-7th grades
Awards: Boston Globe- Horn Book Award honor (1974)