Saving the Liberty Bell [Hardcover]

Megan McDonald (Author), Marsha Gray Carrington (Illustrator)

Book Description

Some tall tales are actually true. This is a grand one, told with rightful pride by a boy who was there in the city of Philadelphia in 1777 and was lucky enough to play a role in the American Revolution.

John Jacob Mickley, eleven years old, and his father were in the city when the Great Bell began ringing Brong! Brong! BRONG! from atop the State House to warn the citizens: "Redcoats! The Redcoats are coming!"

And come the British did -- with their muskets and their cannons and their will to keep the colonies for their king. Looting they came and stealing any metal they could get their hands on to melt down for the making of more weapons. And the prize above all? The Great Bell itself -- metal for many a cannon!

But the clever Pensylvanians (yes, the word was spelled like that then) had other plans for keeping the Bell safe from the British.

Megan McDonald has aptly caught John Jacob's excited retelling of the story, and Marsha Gray Carrington has relished every wild and wooly moment of it in her pictures -- both funny and carefully researched.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blending bits of history and long-accepted lore into a snappy story, McDonald (Is This a House for a Hermit Crab?; the Judy Moody series) entertains readers with her imagining of the Liberty Bell's whereabouts during the American Revolution. Young John Jacob Mickley is ready to burst with excitement as he regales his younger siblings with a tale of the fateful trip he took to Philadelphia with their father. As Mickley père and fils arrived in the city of brotherly love, warning came of the encroachment of British Redcoats led by General Howe. The rush was on to hide any sources of metal—including all the church bells in town and "the Great Bell" atop the State House (later known as the Liberty Bell). The 11-year-old and his dad, along with their wagon and horses, were pressed into duty, surreptitiously spiriting away the 2,000-plus-pound bell to a hiding place in their hometown of Northampton. McDonald's vivacious text brims with details, while keeping a brisk pace. A historical note fills in additional elements. With a keen eye, Carrington (Jake Johnson: The Story of a Mule) captures the bucolic countryside as well as prim city townhouses of 18th-century Philadelphia in her acrylic paintings. Her energetic portraits of a fretful John Jacob and his father carting the cleverly (and colorfully) concealed bell let youngsters in on the secret while also keeping them on the edge of their seats. Ages 5-8. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-John Jacob Mickley, 11, tells his siblings about his role in hiding the Liberty Bell from the British. He describes how he and his father travel to Philadelphia to sell their farm goods. The Great Bell is ringing out its warning from the State House that the Redcoats are on their way, and everyone knows they will be looking for metal to turn into weapons. Colonel Benjamin Flower approaches the Mickleys and asks them to help spirit the Great Bell away for safekeeping. The father-son team must hide it under stinky stable straw, potato sacks, and even a woman's hoop skirt. John is certain they will run into Redcoats during the journey. And, on the third night, soldiers do find them. Fortunately, they are from General Washington's army, and they escort the wagon toward safety. A mere four miles from home, the wagon breaks down, but, with help from the locals, the bell is moved to safety and hidden beneath the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in present-day Allentown, PA. McDonald has nicely personalized an event from American history and presented it in a form reminiscent of tall tales. Carrington's acrylic paintings complement the tone of the text with their humorous, cartoonlike style. An author's note sorts out fact from fiction. A fun way to introduce the Revolutionary War.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689851677
• ISBN-13: 978-0689851674
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #687,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

10. The first book I ever wrote was about a hermit crab, inspired by a pet I once owned.

9. My favorite color is purple.

8. I love to read mysteries. When I was Judy's age, I read all 56 classic Nancy Drew books . . . in order! Jeepers!

7. I used to collect scabs so I could examine them under the microscope that I got for my 8th birthday.

6. My four sisters and I often made up our own language, which included the words "Hoidi Boidi", "oogey", "retzel crummypuss" and "poony-poony".

5. My favorite TV show is JEOPARDY!

4. To research my Sisters Club book, THE RULE OF THREE, I toured San Francisco in search of the ultimate cupcake. The winner: Sleepless in San Francisco. Think chocolate + coffee.

3. When I was a kid, I fell down a hill from chasing the ice-cream truck and had to get stitches.

2. When I was a librarian, I used to tell stories in sign language. That's how I got the expression "same-same" for Judy.

1. I share a birthday (February 28) with a famous princess, race car driver and gangster, a Rolling Stone, a French tightrope walker, and a winning racehorse named Smarty Jones.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liberty Bell Genious!, November 24, 2007

By 

M. Brooke (Traverse City, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Saving the Liberty Bell (Hardcover)

This is an amazing book. I love the storyline. I love that the storyline is true to history. When you look at the back of the book there is an explanation of how the characters in the book fit into the storyline of the historical perspective.

I've used this book for lesson plans in a third grade classroom. It works really well and the students love learning history and hearing a story at the same time. Best book I've seen for the Liberty Bell.

5.0 out of 5 stars Saving the Liberty Bell, April 12, 2011

By 

Helen Annette - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Saving the Liberty Bell (Hardcover)

I was especially interested in Saving the Liberty Bell, as my maiden name is Blumer and the Rev. Abraham Blumer, my forefather & pastor of the Zion Reform Church in Allentown PA was the minister who hid the bell in his church. I bought several of the books, one for my granddaughter in North Carolina to donate to her elementary school library (she got some press recognition for donating the book) and other copies for my grandchildren here in Nebraska. I was especially pleased to see that the Rev. Abraham Blumer's name appeared in the book, to tie it to my family.

Thank you,
Helen Annette Moeller

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical book for those living in PA, August 29, 2010

By 

PA Mom "PA Bookworm" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Saving the Liberty Bell (Hardcover)

The boy in this book is my great-great-great-great grandfather. So glad to see a true historical and entertaining book. I've gotten this one for my relatives, even older ones, and they all enjoyed it. The story is also listed in our geneaology book.