This is the first book I've found about the Revolutionary War that delved deeply enough into the cultural and political roots of Independence. While I don't have a full 4 year degree, I often read college level books just for fun. I found that this book was written so well that I think it would be readable to a 9-12 year old, yet it was a good read for me. Every few pages the author would call out words to further explain and I would be reminded the age level of the book.
Many items were called out in sidebars in the book. It is chock full of meaty, meaningful sidebars, maps, and graphics. These items aren't filler like in some books. Just as important, I felt I was getting a fair, unbiased portrayal of the facts and history. At my age and political temperament that is a unique and refreshing change.
I have not read very much about the Revolutionary War and the surrounding Independence movement. Since high school so many years ago, I have only read 2 or 3 of them. The last one I read about a month ago was "Patriots: Men Who Started the American Revolution" by AJ Langguth. The title implied that it delved much more into the roots of the movement than it really did. Ms Hakim's book did a much better job at this. Probably much more than half the book discussed the events prior to and after the war. The other book was better at discussing the warfighting... but I don't think 9-12 year olds need that much indepth knowledge of that.
I hope this review was coherent. It is the first one Ive ever done. I was just so thrilled with this book. I highly recommend it.