Customer Reviews

Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation

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Fun & humorous book used to celebrate Constitution Day. Follow up with the reader's theater (available online) to make more interactive. 5th graders love to act it out!

This book is a playful comic book style introduction to the political process that resulted in the development of the Constitution of the United States. It adeptly explains how the state delegates met to discuss the problems created when thirteen separate state governments, each with their own rules and monetary system try to trade with one another. Representatives of five states agree to convene another meeting to discuss creating a form of federalized government to enable them to trade more easily. Dialog balloons enable the interjection of amusing fictionalized comments expressed during the process. Created within the framework of a class play with a multicultural cast enables a process that was actually taken on by 55 white men to seem more inclusive. Children wear costumes that identify their state by their abbreviations; it would have been helpful if the map of the states had included these abbreviations.

Thinking about introducing the Constitution in a classroom? This is the book for you! Students are captivated by title alone! "Unite or Die" ... sounds ominous, students want to know more! The book doesn't disappoint as you dive into the pages. It's a fun to read, book with illustrations that aptly support the "story". The premise, a school play about how our Framers came together to write the Constitution and what their concerns were that shaped that document. From this book, students are able to grasp the historical context and appreciate the significance of the Constitution in shaping America. It is simple in approach but strong in impact!

There's a readers' theater script available online at the author's website which further extends the value of this book in the classroom. It's a simple 4 page script incorporating 18 parts. Students find delight in this fresh approach! Watch students "get it" as they assume the various roles and re-enact the Convention! Bravo!

An additional praise ... the author has put together a story that embraces our multicultural population and demonstrates that our constitution is for "We the people!"

Love the book! (And the readers' theater that goes with it!) A treasure!

It's time for the big play at school! Everyone has learned their parts and people are lining up outside the Forest Lake Elementary School auditorium door preparing to go in to see "United or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation." The cast of thirteen has been posted on the bulletin board and you can even buy something at the bake sale before you go in. Thirteen students, each encased in a costume in the shape of the state they are representing, are ready for their curtain call.

The opening scene begins with the September 3, 1783 Treaty of Paris at the end of the American Revolution. The students, errrr, the states, have declared their freedom and now the hard work has just begun. The Articles of Confederation would no longer work and the states needed to unite in order to unify the country. Delegates from Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York sent delegates to Maryland to work out the particulars. George Washington, the commander in chief would lead this closed door convention. Could these fifty-five delegates actually come together, hammer out any number of details until they were . . . "United at last and ready to govern" themselves?

This book was very exuberant and the dynamic artwork was colorful, very busy and enticing. The characters had a very "Simpsonish" look about them. This book is what I've dubbed a hybrid book, a cross between a graphic novel and regular text. The history is relayed in a straightforward manner throughout the book while the cartoon-like characters relay other important bits of information in their cartoon bubbles. In the afterword there is a brief history of the Constitutional Convention, a simple map of the thirteen colonies and a comprehensive notes section with additional information relative to the text. One example would be "Who printed the money?" This is not an in depth historical text, but an excellent one for the reluctant reader or someone looking for a brief overview. Hey, is that Vincent Ang playing Virginia?