The journal of William Thomas Emerson

The ALAN Review - Chris Crowe

A part of the "My Name is America" series, this is the "journal" of a 12-year-old orphan who has run away to Boston in 1774 to escape the overbearing family that took him in when his parents died. While in Boston, Will finds a job in a tavern/boarding house where American patriots meet clandestinely to plot against the occupying British. Will soon gains their confidence and accepts small assignments to gather intelligence about British strategies. His journal ends in the spring of 1775, shortly before the Battle of Bunker Hill. This fictional journal is sprinkled generously with specific historical detail which when combined with Will's first-person account of events in Boston will give young readers a sense of "being there" in a part of American history. Will's voice remains consistent throughout the story, reporting the feelings and observation from the perspective of a 12-year-old. Will's journal is followed by an epilogue, a helpful historical note, and seven pages of engravings that illustrate historical events or items referred to in Will's journal. Students who enjoyed Catherine Called Birdy or other books in the "My Name is America" series are sure to like this one.

Children's Literature - Judy Katsh

This diary-formatted novel, like many other books in the "Dear America" series; puts the story back into history. Told from the point of view of young orphan, William Thomas Emerson, the Revolutionary War is about people, their feelings, and the events that happen around them. Gone are the images of ever-ready minutemen and their united-for-the-cause family, friends, neighbors, and leaders. The story, as told here in short journal entries, is about fear and confrontation, loyalty and uncertainty among colonists, Redcoats, patriots, and government leaders alike. It is the story of a group of real people (even if in this case they happen to be fictional) who, though caught up in extraordinary events, are no more brave nor unfeeling than the readers themselves. Real history, like the story of William Thomas Emerson, is the story of what happened to real people with real families and real hopes and real fears. What better way to teach history to young readers in the hopes that they can learn from it rather than being doomed to repeat it?

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-This first-person account of a 12-year-old boy makes the world of Boston in 1774 come alive. William Thomas Emerson, an orphan, has found work with the kind proprietor of a tavern. In his journal, the boy describes the practical and moral difficulties that citizens of that city encountered on the eve of the Revolution. He writes of food shortages, patriots, traitors, and deserters, and describes daily life, public punishment, and medical treatments. Denenberg engages readers with a bit of intrigue, but it is the integrity and humanity of ordinary people that make this book inspirational. An epilogue summarizes the lives of the characters introduced and includes historical reproductions and a brief account of the actual events that followed the year covered in the journal. Quality historical fiction that should attract a wide audience.-Ann M. Burlingame, North Regional Library, Raleigh, NC Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.