PART ONE: THE DESCRIPTION
Alarm! Alarr---umm!
It's the warning of the Minute Man riding at top speed down the dirt road next to the home of Elijah, a young man with no former intention of joining the War of Independence. But when his father, an aging member of the Minute-Men moves to join the fight, Elijah takes on the responsibility for him and hurries to Concord with the other militia men, three among them being his young friends, Dodifer, Esek and Nicholas, who are there under similar circumstances.
Swept from one deadly fight to another, Elijah and his friends find themselves scattered across the Thirteen Colonies and fighting on nearly every front of the war for American Independence.
From Bunker Hill to Saratoga to Yorktown, this accurate account of the American Revolution captures in vivid detail the men, women, strategies and courage that echo over two hundred years later in a world changed by them forever.
PART TWO: THE REVIEW
Did I want to read another book on the American Revolution? No. I was thirteen and tired of reading about Paul Revere and George Washington. But did I and do I enjoy reading this book? Heck yes!
The story begins on the day of the Battle of Concord, just after the massacre at Lexington, with a teenaged boy named Elijah who volunteers to take his aging father's place alongside the Minute-Men, and is quickly swept into a full out war with Great Britain that will challenge he and his friends, Esek, Dodifer and Nicholas to their limits.
The book focuses mainly on the battles and the war itself, spending minimal time with the characters and at some times departing from the characters altogether to explain an important battle that is affecting the course of the war elsewhere. However, I was still hooked enough by the colorful, exciting storytelling that even at thirteen I blazed through it and now read it every year on July 4th to get my 'Patriot' on. The book is very historically accurate and explains some battles and events that I still have never read explained elsewhere, such as the Battle of White Plains or the horrible massacre at Fort Griswold, which is the biggest example of violence in the book.
Despite that, though, if you're like me and love the history of America and the Revolutionary War, you will love this book and learn a lot from it. And maybe you'll even be inspired to read more about the war, like I was.
Charles Carleton Coffin explains the battles vividly and goes into detail about the strategic moves, positions and decisions that shaped the course of the war, but doesn't write it in a bland textbook form.
The characters, Elijah, Esek, Nicholas and Dodifer are not extremely well developed--no more than they have to be, as they are just simple country boys who give heartfelt farewells to their families and enter the war, in it to win it.
So again, if you're like me, and don't mind picking up your musket and charging bayonets for liberty, read it. You will not be disappointed.
PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT
There is at least one instance of cursing (Disperse, ye ---- Rebels), and the book is almost exclusively about the battles, highlighting brutal war violence (Not described gruesomely) throughout the duration. It retells the entire process of Benedict Arnold's betrayal, too, though I found that very interesting. Other than that, the book is flawless.
PART FOUR: RATING AND CONCLUSION
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle. Five stars, all a-twinkling. Despite the occasional departing from the characters, I love this book and highly recommend it for its educational value and fun retelling. I would suggest it for early-late teens and up.
So there you have it, The Boys of '76, written by Charles Carleton Coffin.
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Peace.
Matt~
