My Name Is America: The Journal Of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy [Hardcover]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: My Name Is America

A young orphan journeys on the Mayflower to a new land full of adventure and mystery. When the crew arrives at Plymouth, they find a countryside of magnificent beauty, but also a life of harsh struggle. Jonathan strikes out on his own and forms a powerful friendship with the feared Nauset tribe.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 1620, an indentured servant named Jasper Jonathan Pierce sets sail with his master and 100 others on the Mayflower, seeking adventure, freedom from the rules of King James's church, and a new way of life in America.

While many people are familiar with the history of the Pilgrims, popular historical novelist Ann Rinaldi (The Last Silk Dress and A Break With Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials) delves far deeper into the day-to-day life of these brave pioneers. Beleaguered by internal strife and sickness, the passengers and crew of the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth ill-equipped to last the winter. With the help of several Indians who befriended the settlers, many survived, although a number of them died. Viewed through the eyes of 14-year-old Jasper, who records the events of his first 15 months in America in his journal, the Pilgrims' experiences take on a fresh, current feel. Although Jasper is a fictional character, the other characters in the story were real people, and the events are soundly based on factual accounts. Encounters with Pilgrim bullies, the suicide of one woman, and blow-by-blow details of the hardships endured make this an exciting, intelligent addition to the excellent My Name Is America series. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-This offering follows the series' design of a diary format that features fictional characters in a historical setting. In this case, a 14-year-old indentured servant records his experiences aboard the Mayflower and his first year in the New World. Based on research and Rinaldi's own interpretations, this title puts flesh and blood on such historical characters as Governor Bradford, John Alden, Priscilla Mullens, and Miles Standish. The hardships the Pilgrims survived on both ship and land are realistically portrayed. This title will be a good companion to Kathryn Lasky's A Journey to the New World (Scholastic, 1996), which covers much of the same material from a girl's point of view. A section of historical notes and drawings is included.
Eunice Weech, M. L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; First Edition edition (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590510789
• ISBN-13: 978-0590510783
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent addition to the My Name is America series., July 31, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Name Is America: The Journal Of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy (Hardcover)

Orphaned when they were little, fourteen-year-old Jasper and his younger brother, Tom, scavanged on the streets of London, until they were fortunate enough to find positions as indentured servants. But when Jasper's master decides to travel to America on the Mayflower and Tom's does not, the brothers are separated. On the long, tedious, and difficult journey to the New World, and during the dangerous and tragedy-filled first months in the New World, Jasper takes comfort in writing in a journal that he plans to send back to his brother. And during that time, Jasper comes to think of Plymouth Colony as his home. I highly recommend this addition to the My Name is America series. Ann Rinaldi has created a fictional hero and brought him to life, along with some real life people that sailed on the Mayflower. She described the New World as a young person might have really seen it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Learning Experience, June 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Is America: The Journal Of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy (Hardcover)

I thought that this was a really good book, but not quite five star material. I learned a lot of stuff that teachers never really mention in school about the pilgrims. The only down side I found about this book was that it tended to drag at times. All in all, I really liked it. It teaches you a lot about history, and if you really like that kind of stuff, you'll like this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If You like Pilgrims Read this book!, May 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Name Is America: The Journal Of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy (Hardcover)

The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce
By Ann Rinaldi
Do you ever think you would go back in time and see what it was like to be a Pilgrim? The book talks about the Pilgrims traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. It tells about their troubles. The Pilgrims ran out of food, some people had died of bad sicknesses.

I like this book because you can picture all of the characters. You can also picture the Pilgrim's village because the author paints pictures with words.

The Pilgrims get to the new land but then how does everything go? Find out.