Customer Reviews

Road to Revolution! (Cartoon Chronicles of America)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION! (THE CARTOON CHRONICLES OF AMERICA) is a wonderful comic book/graphic novel that gets kids engaged and interested in reading about the Revolutionary War.

It does this by introducing two fictional main characters that young readers can identify with, a street orphan named Nick and the daughter of a tavern owner named Penny, who become friends and mini-detectives as they spy on the British and pass info on to the secessionists who wanted independence from Britain.

The comic's panels are drawn with cute illustrations (although graphic at times showing injuries and death on the battle field), and uses simple language for kids to understand. In fact, I think THE ROAD TO... would be helpful for those studying or learning English, too.

An informative prologue is provided in the beginning that lists some of the important events (i.e. Boston Tea Party etc.) that led up to the Revolutionary War, again in very simple, succinct language.

The comic book's story is interesting and weaves the fictional characters into historical facts and people including the battle of Lexington and Concord--known for Paul Revere's famous ride--and the first major battle on Bunker Hill.

An epilogue is included at the end where each chapter is reviewed, separating fact from fiction.

I enjoyed the book but the story ends in 1776. I would have liked to see more adventures with Nick and Penny up to 1781 when the fighting actually stopped. But otherwise it's a fun read and you learn a little about history in the process.

As soon as this book arrived, my comic-loving 7 year old boy snatched it up and didn't put it down for four days.

His younger siblings, our 5 year old son, and 4 year old daughter both begged him to read to them. He did so, and asked tons of questions along the way. Thus began their love of history (something I was not born with!)

I'm thrilled with this book and look forward to purchasing other works by this author. What a fantastic way to make history come alive.

Sra. Gose
Mother of Five, Author, Teacher
Flip Flop Spanish Series

Just perfect for my 3rd grade son who recently discussed topics on US history at their school. The topic of the book was during the British colonization, Bunker Hill, Tea Party; the important historical characters like Paul Revere, George Washington, Samuel Adams, Joseph Warren, Benjamin Church, and others. It was presented through the eyes of two fictional young characters. Great way to relate with younger readers. At the end of the book, a clarification was presented to avoid confusion with the real facts. I like the simple graphical illustration. Additional humor enhances the fun and entertainment aspect. The length of the book is just perfect for 2 days of light reading. A Fun and educational read. I don't mind reading more books that deals with history in this fashion.

I allowed my 5th grade son to read this first so that I could question him regarding the historical content of the book. I wanted to know if the facts would get lost in the cartoon approach. When I questioned him about certain facts that were new to me he backed them up by showing me the chapter notes in the "Epilogue".

The two historical figures that caught his attention were Dr. Joseph Warren and Dr. Benjamin Church. As a result of my questioning I realized that the book only gave the basic roles of both men. But we used the book as a jumping board and ultimately studied the lives of both men.

When I read the book myself I began to appreciate the way the conflicts & dilemmas facing the Bostonians (and colonists in general) were laid out. The cartoon format really lends itself to doing this in a quick & concise way. Thus the book is not meant to give extreme detail, but basic details that will spark interest in the Revolution & give a foundation upon which to build.

The humor "Road to Revolution" incorporate makes it perfect for boys, but girls will enjoy it also. My son was laughing aloud while reading the book. I didn't find it as humorous, but I am not in the target age group.

Notes to parents and teachers of younger children who may read the book:

* Nick is a pick-pocket and lives a rather rough life and Penny works serving drinks in her dad's tavern. At one point they find themselves in a wine cellar and Nick uncorks a bottle of Madeira and chugs down a bit. Notes in the back of the book explain that the water supply and even milk were not safe to drink, so even children drank alcohol.

*A "Teacher's Guide" is included in the back of the book.

The sad fact is that we live in a nation with students who have been heard to ask questions such as these:

* Did the British fight the English in the American Revolution?
* Why did the King appoint Patrick Henry to be the President if he was such a trouble maker?
* Was Abraham Lincoln a Patriot or a Loyalist?
* Which came first -- the American Revolution or the Civil War?
* How did they do the Declaration of Independence if nobody knew how to write back then?

With those extreme examples in mind, I wholeheartedly recommend The Road to Revolution. It's good information entertainingly presented, and would be appreciated by adults as well as kids.

Teens Nick and Penny find themselves enmeshed with the Sons of Liberty and the American Revolution. This graphic novel/ comic book should appeal to young people who have a preference for visual learning.

The interactions seems bit forced at times, and Nick is even given credit for showing the lanterns at the Old North Church. "One if by land, two if by sea". I also am not crazy about their modern day expressions, but I am willing to overlook that because they did do a good job of making the American Revolution accessible and including lots of accurate historical details, such as the fact that the Battle of Bunker Hill was actully fought on nearby Breed's Hill. The main characters are memorable, as are the real people that are portrayed.

This was a very informative read and I wish I'd have had this type of learning tool as a child. Once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. It's the pre-Revolution to Revolution semi-fictional (the historic points were pretty correct as far as I could tell) account from the viewpoint of two children (Nick and Penny) living in Boston (under very different living circumstances) beginning in the time just prior to the Revolution. It's like a graphic novel/comic book - not exactly American Splendor - but very good. And the authors provided a bit of humor in a few places in the text but this was my favorite example:

A British wagon is stuck in the mud and the British Soldiers need help from unemployed dock workers:

British Soldier: You loafers get over here and give us a hand!

Dock Worker 1: You close our port so we can't work and then you want our help?

Dock Worker 2: You lazy lobsterbacks can do your own !@#$% work!

Dock Worker 3: And your mothers are ugly, too!


Come on - that's classic. I really really enjoyed this read and I re-learned a few things as well (elementary school was a pretty long time ago for me). I liked the fact that this had visual aids like a wartime cartoon version of a map of Boston and a brief history preceding the graphic novel portion. Once you're done reading that, there's an epilogue that explains which aspects were fact and and which were fiction. My copy also had a teaching guide that was pretty interesting and inventive but I don't know if all versions will have that.

Very nice. Thoroughly enjoyed. A lot of kids will learn important facts about the history of our country and not even realize it.

Road to Revolution!: the cartoon chronicles of America is a fun read for ages 8 to 12 that is about the start of the American Revolution. Two fictionalized characters created for the book, Nick and Penny, are the main characters in this cartoon that discusses life in Boston, MA during the time when the colonists rebel against Britain. The Prologue to the story, and the main characters (which include the real life figures Tories, Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, and Minute Men among others)are essential in discussing the real story of the path to war. They are brought to life by the artwork, in vivid color, and are interwoven in Nick and Penny,the fictionalized characters lives. The format of this book should make history interesting to young people.

As a test, I decided to read this book to my seven and five year old sons, to see if they would enjoy it. Both boys liked the story-particularly the antics of Nick-and seemed to understand the basic historical information. At times my boys found the fictional characters a little more interesting than the real life historic ones-but they are able to discuss what Tories are now, who Paul Revere was, and some information about why the fight for the freedom of the United States from Britain was started. My husband, who is a history buff, also looked through the book, and thought the facts were accurate and presented in a reader friendly matter.
If I were a teacher I would use this book to introduce young readers to American history. As a Mother, I plan to continue to use this book to help my children understand our countries history.

"The Road To Revolution"
by Stan Mack & Susan Champlin
(Bloomsbury Books, 2009)
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I'm a big fan of cartoonist Stan Mack's work... Back when I used to crack open the "Village Voice," I would always search out his weekly feature, "Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies", and read it first. He has a great grasp of the intimate side of the comicbook cartoon medium... Here, Mack and co-author Susan Champlin extend that intimacy to a retelling of the roots of the American Revolution. The simmering discontent that led to war with England is seen through the eyes of two "common" people, a pair of colonists who watch the strife unfold, and wind up taking sides themselves. History is dusted off and given a human face, and the effect is quite nice. If maybe you have a kid who's enjoyed the American civics episodes of "Schoolhouse Rock," this slender book might be a good continuation of the brief outline given there. (This, or maybe the Federalist Papers -- take your pick!) Anyway, this is a great volume for a realitively simple introduction to American history -- it's informative, funny and human, ideal for bringing a titanic political and philosophical struggle down to a more human scale. Recommended. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

Like others I'm reviewing the advanced B&W copy, and I think the color version will be brighter and more appealing. The content however, I have no problem with at all. It's Boston in 1775 and Nick (a streetsmart orphan) and Penny (daughter of a Boston tavern owner) get thrown together by chance, and quickly bounce through the chapters of early American history, with a hop, skip and educational jump. It's fun, easy reading for the often electronically addicted tweens of today, and as much as I'm not a huge fan of comic strip style books as an education aid - it makes the history fun. Do that, and you make it interesting - at least for most kids. Some of the modern day vernacular looks a little weird in time when the book is set, but I don't mind a little artistic license. There's a nice Epilogue that explains what's fact, and what's fiction in each chapter, but it's a little bit skipped over, and I would have preferred some margin notes as you read, for real education. But that's a minor complaint. Overall 4 stars, the sketching is a bit cheap and cheerful (like a newspaper comic strip) and it's also quite quickly read through. But the book is a good read, and most youngsters will not only enjoy it, but may also actually learn something. 4 stars