Freedman, Russell. Becoming Benjamin Franklin.

Freedman, Russell.  Becoming Benjamin Franklin.  Holiday House  2013  86p     ISBN 978-0-8234-2374-3   ms  Hardback  VG-BN      Biography

Upper-elementary and middle-school students who enjoy biographies or the Revolutionary time period will appreciate this new title by Russell Freedman.  Written in a story-like fashion, the book will give students a better understanding of who Ben Franklin was and how he became the figure we know today.  From young Franklin’s years as a runaway apprentice with his brother James to his job as a printer in Philadelphia, his life and his challenges are described, using personal quotations and other primary sources.  Students read of Franklin’s time in London and his return to Philadelphia, where his printing business supported him and made him wealthy, rich enough to retire at the young age of forty-two.  Even though his business made him a successful, wealthy individual, Franklin’s experiments with electricity are the thing that most people know about him.  The author includes information on his roles in politics, scientific invention, and  as a contributor to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.  Students who enjoy American history will thoroughly enjoy this new title, learning how Ben Franklin evolved from being an apprentice to being one of the most recognized individuals in America.

The title includes lists of primary sources, photographs, a timeline, source notes, and a bibliography.  For schools that use Accelerated Reader, an existing AR quiz (#157832) is available for students to take.  This book would make a fabulous addition to a middle-school collection for casual reading, biography assignments, and history projects.    

Summary: “A biography of Benjamin Franklin that follows him from his childhood in Boston, where he was the son of a poor soap and candle maker with seventeen children, to his death, describing how Franklin became a self-made man who died a renowned statesman, scientist, printer, author, and inventor.”   

Benjamin Franklin-Biography                                 --Charleen Forba-Mayer