The Hero of Ticonderoga [Hardcover]

Gail Gauthier (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Gail Gauthier "does not skimp on any chance for humor" (SLJ), especially the deadpan, irreverent kind. Meet her first female protagonist in a classroom comedy filled with truth.

School isn't a strong point for Therese LeClerc. She doesn't get invited to the parties she'd like to go to, and she isn't happy about the way she looks. As for her family, well, Therese's fondest hope is that she has been kidnapped by these people who claim to be her parents. When she is stuck doing an oral report on Ethan Allen (leader of the American victory of Fort Ticonderoga in the Revolutionary War), she's convinced he's just a boring, old, dead guy. But after giving the report several different times (until she gets it right), not only does she know more about the outrageous Ethan Allen than she could possibly want, she knows that heroes can take many different forms.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Ethan Allen, the subject of her oral school report, the narrator of Gauthier's (A Year with Butch and Spike) amusing and affecting novel, set in 1966 Vermont, is sassy, shrewd and outspoken. Tessy's voice crackles with razor-sharp insight and comedic one-liners from the very start, as she tries to decide where to begin her story. When her humorless sixth-grade teacher takes a leave of absence, the substitute scraps the longstanding plan to award the most coveted oral report subject Ethan Allen to the best student in class and instead picks a name randomly. A mediocre student at best, Tessy unwittingly lands the plum assignment. After an initial presentation in which she reports on only several saucy anecdotes from Allen's life, she delivers in installments a detailed chronicle of the life of this pugnacious Revolutionary leader who was instrumental in the founding of Vermont. In between these diverting passages, which balance Tessy's refreshingly quirky interpretation of history with Allen's own words, the girl grapples with some credible issues, among them her embarrassment by her simple, big-hearted parents, who are farmers of French Canadian descent, and her relationship with a stuffy, wealthy classmate. Gauthier sustains her tale's rapid pace and surefire humor throughout, while delivering a history lesson that readers will absorb effortlessly. Ages 10-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-A nonconformist substitute refuses to follow the rules of the rigid teacher he is temporarily replacing and gives a reluctant underdog a chance to play an important role in the classroom. Therese, a sixth-grade "C" student and nonmember of the "elite" clique, wins a drawing to do the "Ethan Allen" oral report, an honor that had always been given to the smartest student in the class. She delivers this report over several days-including a segment told during a class trip to Ft. Ticonderoga. She draws in her classmates (as well as readers) with her storytelling abilities and her wit. In addition to giving a lot of information about an American hero, the author addresses important issues with humor and sensitivity: school and community prejudices, alienation, and peer acceptance. This story takes place in rural Vermont in 1966, but the dynamics are contemporary and universal.-Sharon McNeil, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (March 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399235590
• ISBN-13: 978-0399235597
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,030,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Gauthier is the author of eight children's books, including "The Hero of Ticonderoga," an ALA Notable Book, and the two volumes of the "Hannah and Brandon Stories" series, "A Girl, a Boy, and a Monster Cat," and "A Girl, a Boy, and Three Robbers," which were both selected as Junior Library Guild offerings. Her books have been nominated for readers' choice awards in six states, and published in foreign editions in Italy, Germany, France, and Japan. She has spoken in schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont, as well as at professional conferences. She maintains the weblog "Original Content," where she writes about children's literature and writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book, December 11, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Hero of Ticonderoga (Hardcover)

I thought that The Hero of Ticonderoga is a great book. The author of this terrific story is Gail Gauthier. My favorite part is when Theresa first did the oral report on who the hero of Ticonderoga was and she had to learn all about him. She has all the information that is not needed. She ends up having to do the report over and over again. Each time she gets more information. The oral report is supposed to be given to the person that scores the highest on a test. Then the teacher has to leave, so a substitute comes in and picks a name out of a hat. It is Theresa's name. That is how all the trouble starts. If you want to find out more, read The Hero of Ticonderoga.

4.0 out of 5 stars Ticonderoga, December 21, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Hero of Ticonderoga (Paperback)

Have you had to redone, redue, redo something over and over again? You're at the end, but go back to the start? If you have, then you know just how the main character in The Hero of Ticonderoga feels.
Therese is a 5th grade girl from Vermont and her teacher has to leave for two months, and gives instructions for the sub to announce an oral report assignment the class has to do on Vermont. One lucky student gets to have the privilege of doing their project on Vermont's Revolutionary hero, Ethan Allen. As you may have thought, Therese gets picked to do the "fabulous" project. She doesn't want to do the project like someone doesn't want a wet donkey in a fourth of July parade. But now has to do it in front of the class. She doesn't get to do it just once, but 4 times. Now that's ridiculous!
Therese at the end realizes that she is more than just a good oral reporter, but a good actor! She also finds friends who she thought could never be. And enemies she thought were her friends, but stabbed her in the back like a little kid spits out spinach.
You might think that this book is a girlie book, but it's about someone finding out who they really while going through friendship obstacles, mean teachers, and family.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ticonderoga, December 14, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Hero of Ticonderoga (Paperback)

Presenting an oral report can be an adventure! Ticonderoga tells about a girl in school who gives an oral report of Ethan Allen, the first leader of Vermont's Green Mountain. This book is packed with historical events that will amaze you!
A girl named Theresee isn't happy about the way she looks and her life. Theresee never got invited to parties, and she never liked her parents. One day when she went to school she had to do a report about a leader called Ethan Allen. When her substitute teacher Mr. Santanggelo told her to do the report, all of her classmates gathered around her desk as if they wanted to trade with her. They wanted to trade because they thought her person would be easier to research. It turned out, it was hard to find a lot of information on Ethan Allen, but Theresee didn't give up. She learned a lot of facts about Ethan Allen and became a shining star in her class. She finally felt good about herself.
This book thought me a lot about history. I never knew anything about Ethan Allen before this book. This book is a good book for an older student or an adult who likes history.