Friday, April 1, 2011

Sheinkin, Steve. The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Sheinkin, Steve. The Notorious Benedict Arnold
Roaring Brook Press see macmillan children's pub 2010 338p 19.99 978-1-59643-486-8 ms/hs VG


Benedict Arnold’s is written about in this easy to read book that highlights his accomplishments and his most shameful event that made him a traitor to the country. The author has written and researched a very readable book about a famous villain in American history. He shows the triumphs and downfalls of Arnold. The background that is provided with the text allows the readers to better understand the social and political situations of the time period. Additional information is found in the Source notes in the back of the book.
I must admit that Benedict Arnold was not someone whom I knew a lot about before reading this book. However, the author really brought Arnold to be a believable person for the reader. It helped the reader understand why Arnold acted as he did and why the political and military implications were so drastic.
I also think it was great that you followed the path of Arnold to Quebec because your descriptions were further enhanced by your travels.
This is a great read that should be in any middle school that touches on this period in American history. Historical McNeil, Linda

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Linda this book reminded me of a book that I read with my son (at his request) when he was in 9th grade.
It is called, The Color of Water, written by James McBride. It is the story of a black man, who along with his siblings, was raised by a single, white Jewish mother. It deals with society's not so kind attitude toward his situation. Not only learning about that, I learned about what an incredible woman his mother was.
Several years ago, DHS had James McBride speak to students and parents about his book and life story.
I will never forget his experiences, but also never forget how thrilled I was that my son wanted to share a great story with me. Cindy Ziegler