Chronicle Of America: American Revolution, 1700-1800 [Hardcover]

Joy Masoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Chronicle of America

Re-creates the American colonies before, during, and after the American Revolution by describing in words and pictures various aspects of the colonists' lives, including work, food, clothing, shelter, religion, the events leading to the war, and life as a soldier.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-In a conversational style, Masoff hits the highlights of the period, focusing on life in the Colonies, the factors that led up to the American Revolution, and the war itself. Much effort is made to include the points of view of African slaves, free blacks, and Native Americans, both men and women. Throughout the text, tidbits that young people will find interesting appear in boxes titled "Surprising History." A recipe for Apple Tansey and instructions for a game called Nine Man Morris are also included. Abundant color photographs and a lively format give the book an inviting look. However, the Marquis de Lafayette is not mentioned, and other European generals such as Rochambeau and von Steuben appear without explanation. As an introduction to the topic, this book is successful. Its kid-friendly approach makes it appropriate for casual readers or young report writers. However, older students working on homework assignments will need more in-depth resources such as Joy Hakim's A History of Us, Book 3: From Colonies to Country 1710-1791 (Oxford, 1999) or Russell Adams's The Revolutionaries (Time-Life, 1996).
Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

This title in the "Chronicles of America" series (Colonial Times, 1600-1700, see below), provides an introduction to everyday life in the 18th century, and then describes the events leading up to, during, and after the Revolutionary War. It's a lot to tackle in 48 pages, half taken up with photographs from "America's Living History Museums." The title has browser appeal, but too little substance and overgeneralization may mislead young readers. For example: "Most people in America gathered together to pray at least once a week." Or: "Even if folks had come from Germany or Holland, they quickly became English citizens of the Americas." The tone sometimes trivializes the topic, for example: Pirates are described as "the naughtiest men." And under the heading "Ouch!" the author states: "Some unlucky prisoners even had their ears nailed to the planks." Most topics are treated in a two-page layout, with four to six full-color photographs and a very brief text. A typical spread entitled "There's No Place Like Home" describes homes in the Northern and Southern colonies and provides a photograph of Mount Vernon, an interior of a bedroom from Colonial Williamsburg, a brick row house, a Hudson Valley stone farm house, and a man mixing clay for bricks with his feet. The text states: "In the early 1700s, most houses were simply one big room." None of the dwellings shown are one room. The dwellings in the photographs span the century, but since the reader is not given dates, the text is at odds with the visual images. Other text labeled "surprising facts," explains: "The plaster at Mount Vernon includes both hog and cattle hair." That's neither surprising nor important. A blue box called "Brickmaking Made Easy" explains how bricks are made. With so little space the author should focus on more important topics. Many of the issues leading up to the Revolutionary War are introduced, for example the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and Townsend Acts. Loyalists get very brief treatment, and battles are narrated with the fervor and flavor of a hockey sportscast. There are no maps or time lines to aid the reader. The author concludes with information on historic restorations to visit, books for further reading, Web sites of interest, photo credits, and an index. Too slight and problematic for purchase. (Nonfiction. 10-12) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Reference (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439051096
• ISBN-13: 978-0439051095
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,296,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now History is Fun, August 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chronicle Of America: American Revolution, 1700-1800 (Hardcover)

I am a middle school student who never enjoyed history- that is, until I read this excellant book by Joy Masoff. I completely disagree with the Kirkus review. I believe that the many pictures made this book exciting and easy to understand. While reading my history text at school my mind usually drifts away on to other subjects. When reading this book on the American Revolution I was able to stay focused and get a deeper understanding of life in this time period. I cannot suggest a better book for anybody wanting to learn about the American Revolution. This book was fun and enjoyable and never had me wanting to put it down.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a fifth grade teacher, October 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chronicle Of America: American Revolution, 1700-1800 (Hardcover)

History sometimes seems to put my students to sleep, so I was very pleased to discover this book and its companion volume, Colonial Times. I was inspired by some of the projects and ended up having my very own Living History day. My students were fascinated, and it made for an involving, educational day--one that was never, ever boring! The children love the pictures!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different look at life during the American Revolution, January 28, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chronicle Of America: American Revolution, 1700-1800 (Hardcover)

Joy Masoff's "American Revolution, 1700-1800" from the Chronicle of America series is a supplemental volume that looks at this century of American history from a practical perspective. The reason for this is that the book is entirely illustrated with contemporary photographs from America's living history museums, so there are lots of pictures of reenactors and reenactments. Therefore it is concerned with questions like what colonial kids did for fun, how doctors treated their patients (leeches), and how everybody got from the springhouse to the outhouse.

Ultimately this book is more about seeing what American was like in the years before, during, and after the American Revolution than anything else. The chapters are arranged topically rather than chronologically and are devoted to topics like what people wore, what they ate (with a recipe for Apple Tansey), how criminals were punished, and what it was like to be a colonial soldier. The result is not a substitute for an American history textbook but a nice supplemental volume that teachers can use for images and details that provide greater depth on details of actual interest to younger students (what recess was like in the 18th century). This book is designed to tie in with middle-grade curriculum and it is perfectly suited to that task.