Customer Reviews

Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold (Unforgettable Americans)

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

 

 

This book about Benedict Arnold told of his heroic deeds as well as his betrayal of our country. The book shows how Benedict Arnold's need to prove that he was courageous, and his desire to be a great hero and receive recognition, led to his downfall. It is a well written book which provided both historical information and entertainment.

This book was great! It tells all about Benidict Arnold. He is a VERY interesting boy. If you really like reading about Revolutionary Heros, then this is a good book to read. Of course you might not be able to call him a hero when you find out what happens at the end. This book tells all about Benidict, before, after, and during the war. Even if you don't like reading non-fiction, you will now. For instance, did you know that Benidict was obsessed with shoes? Or that he killed his own horse because he didn't want to give it to the British? Or that the woman he married was involved in a terrible scandal? Well, if this sound intriguing... READ IT!!!

This is a fun book that should help your youngster develop an interest in American History. It is easy to read an has great illustratiions. You will not be disappointed with this purchase. Look for others by the same author.

While most definitely not the first author to do it, Fritz ends up giving a rather twisted account of Arnold's childhood. No doubt, this is because all authors before her have done the same, spreading vicious rumors about the young Arnold, started only in light of his treason. His personality, as described by Fritz, is quite frankly ridiculous. She is unwilling to admit that Arnold did anything good. While he was a skilled businessman and merchant, this book would give you a different impression. In addition, she does not want to admit that Arnold was a brilliant commander and soldier. One example of this is at the Battle of Valcour Island. where she criticizes Arnold's decision of placing his troops at Valcour Island. This was actually a strategic move on Arnold's part. The book notes that "the wind was against the British and only seventeen of their gunboats were able to row into the narrow channel." This was part of the reason he chose the position. He planned for the British to sail right past his fleet (which they did) and then have to turn back to engage the Americans, buying them time to make preparations. It was also chosen BECAUSE it was a narrow channel, so that all of the ships from the larger British fleet couldn't participate in the battle.

I would recommend The Real Benedict Arnold, by Jim Murphy instead.

I'm 11 years old and love everything to do with the American Revolution. Unlike the other kids reviews I did not find this book confusing at all. This book is a very good kid's book on Benedict Arnold and tells a lot about his life, his heroism on the American side and his defection to the British. Jean Fritz has the dates and events in order and describes the events in great detail. I recommend this book and if you like revolutionary war heroes then I strongly recommend this book.

I read this book to my boys ages 11, 9, 7 & 5. It was one of the least exciting books we have read. It covers some good information but is fairly dry. The use of profanity in a book that is supposed to be aimed at 9-12 year olds was also surprising.

I found this book to be informative and interesting. Many books on Benedict Arnold only tell of his treachery and not of his heroism. I enjoyed this book mostly for the information it offered on the subject of Arnold as a Patriot. I also enjoyed this book because of the reliable facts found throughout. I recomend this book for all ages.

I read this book for a school assignment. It was a very interesting book, filled with understandable facts. In general, I think this book would have been better if Jean Fritz had shared more about Benedict Arnolds childhood/teens and how that really affected his life choices. It would have also made the book better if the author really delved into the question: Why did Arnold become a traitor?

In the end, I rate this book a 3 because of the amount of research it must have taken and the historical facts that are easy to understand and remember.

Traitor had good information, but the way it was put together was confusing.
Like, there would be one important fact and then about thirty pages of deitail and then another big fact. The first big fact would have been so far back that you wouldn't remember it and then you don't understand the story. I would NOT suggest reading it. Seriously.

I think this book was too confusing to read, but it had a lot of good information about Benedict Arnold. The book was too confusing because the events in the book changed a lot and it was hard for me to remember the names and the time. Since I haven't learned much about the history of America I find this book boring. I'm not an American, so I only learned part of its history. The author's writing is like she is telling a story about Benedict Arnold, so she didn't really say that Benedict Arnold was a bad guy or anything like that. One good part about this book is that it tells the events in order like from when Benedict was a child to when he died. So that wasn't too confusing. I know some books that had all the events mixed up. If you like books about history and heroes in the past then I suggest you read this book. I suggest you read this book because Jean Fritz is a pretty good writer, and she wrote many good books.