Customer Reviews

My Name Is America: The Journal Of William Thomas Emerson, A Revolutionary War Patriot

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book was a good book.Even though I hate reading I still read it.This book is mainly about a boy named William Thomas Emerson.His parents die and he runs away to Boston.He gets a family at a motel and becomes a messager to find things out about the war.The only problem I thought with this book was they didn't tell about the war.This book told about what happened in the beginning,but at the end when everyone chose to leave Boston from the war Will stayed and that was it.This book had good titles for things,Interesting hook,and had a nice change of seasons and time.Overall I'd give this book an 8/10.

I read this book to my 6 year old who is interested in the Revolutionary war. It was hard to find a book to tell about this period of time that was fitting for a 6 year old child. He was on the edge of his seat though most of the story and begged me to read "just one more page"

It is written in journal form so you learn about the people he meets and everything that happens first hand. At the end it tells you what happened to each person from the story...the part my son found most interesting.

I used this book for a literature circle group. Before reading you need to do a lot of background building about the conflicts between the British and the colonist that lead up to the revolutionary war. Lots of unfamiliar vocabulary. Good for very experienced readers. Less experienced readers will need more support. Very enjoyable reading and the students are learning a lot about the revolutionary war and colonial era

The book was so exciting.I loved when he hid in the wall.When the people talked the first few times they were testing him.Then he was sent on a misson.SORRY CAN'T TELL YOU THE REST!!!!!

Can you imagine being a 14 year old boy and a orphan during the revolutionary war patriot in Boston, Massachusetts, 1774?
I'd like to introduce the Journal of William Thomas Emerson. By Barry DenenBerg a historical fiction.
William runs away so he can get away from the war, and Mrs. Thomason is the person who gives him work as a servant. Paying bills, doing chores, paying taxes. Things boys his age can't do. Usually things 14 year old boys cant do cause there to busy having fun. The setting of this book is in Boston Massachusetts summer of 1774. The setting of the book stays the same except for the year and the season. William is a spy and a run away kid. Mrs. Thomason helps William by giving him work and taking him in. Mr. Wilson brings William to Mrs. Thomason at the begging of the book.
What I liked about this book was that William is only 14, and can do all this stuff. I can't imagine being 14, and already doing all this. Can you? That would be hard. Don't you think?
What I didn't like is that it was confusing and hard to understand. Because, it was set back in 1774. During the Revolutionary War Patriot. The words were hard to say.
I think this book is realistic because, a boy could do bills, and runaway like he did. There was a Revolutionary War, so it's most likely realistic.
Here is two quotes from this book "one of the Fitch sisters is blind I think they should get the same treatment that Mr.Carslie did." This quote is important because, it shows you how they don't like the Fitch sisters. another quote is "Mr.Marsh is a drinking man; he can beat you till your black and blue!" This quote is important because, it shows you how it was back then.
I would recommend this book to other people. It's realistic and interesting. I would especially recommend this book to people who like to read journals about other peoples lives.
That was my book review hope you like it and please read this book.

-Firstly, It was the "American War for Independence" not a "Revolution" because we were fighting to keep our Independence and not to simply overthrow our whole society.

-Secondly, the book has nothing to do with the "American War For Independence".

It starts with the taxation of tea in the colonies and abruptly ends with the shots on Lexington Common. The very beginning of the War! It simply sums up the whole war in a paragraph at the end by saying which characters in the book died at bunker hill then saying the war 'continued' for another few years before we won our independence.
This book mainly focuses on the discontent in the colonies before the war, with a terribly slanted propaganda against the British. The British soldiers in the book are portrayed as arrogant, evil, disgusting, lowlife, prisoners that were shoveled out of London Tower to kill and menace the American colonies, which of course they were not. They were normal men caught between the parliament of England and the resentment of Americans for that parliament. Tarring and Feathering a human person is in no way being a 'Patriot' and gives other valiant men who actually fought for this nation a bad rap. Unfortunately this book idolizes such behavior as Tarring, feathering, killing, and blatant robbery as good traits. Other books in this series are much better and it gives a bad taste that they mangled the history to such an extent that it is no longer correct in the least.

In short: It is a sad reality that this book is not historically correct, nor true to its name, nor very pleasant to read with its slanted and pointless story.

A fourth grade teacher used this book in her class for guided reading/literature circle, based on the age range listed. As a special educator in the classroom, I quickly became concerned for the vast majority of the class who did not grasp 80% of the book. The author requires the reader to draw many inferences, a difficult task for nine to ten-year olds. There is a great deal of historical period vocabulary and prior knowledge of the Revolutionary War and colonialism that needs to be pre-taught for anyone under sixth grade to comprehend, especially as the curriculum standards don't introduce the American Revolution until fifth grade.

In addition, there are pages of illustrations of handbills in Colonial English. If you plan to use this novel in a class lower than seventh grade, you had better create study guides!

The Journal of William Thomas Emerson is a story of a 12-year-old orphan boy. He makes friends in Boston, Massachusetts after his family died in a tragic fire. He learns of the horrors of the war, that he never thought was true. He loses a friend or two in the struggle for American freedom and finds that he, himself is a patriot awaiting for liberty. He puts his life in danger to help a group of patriots find the American cause. When his friend Henry is in danger, he is a true friend and finds the one thing that is necessary for him to say goodbye. This historical fiction book is a great book, and I recommend that you buy it.

Every kid should read this book. It's a quick read, but a good one

A while back I wrote a review thinking this book would bebad. But this is the first good book by Barry Demberg that I reallyliked. Keep up the good work!