Patriots, Redcoats & Spies {a BookLook Blogger review}

We are about to start studying American history again (it has been a few years!) so I jumped at the chance to check out a new book, Patriots, Redcoats & Spies, by Robert J. Skead and Robert A. Skead.

The plan was for me to read a couple of chapters aloud, and then see if the 9- and 10-year-olds would pick it up to finish it.

Plans change.  But first, here is what the publisher had to say:

When Revolutionary War Patriot Lamberton Clark is shot by British soldiers while on a mission for the Continental Army, he has only two hopes of getting the secret message he’s carrying to General George Washington: his 14-year-old twin boys John and Ambrose. Upon discovering that their father is a spy in the Culper Spy Ring, the boys accept their mission without a clue about what they may be up against. They set off from Connecticut to New Jersey to find General Washington, but the road to the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army is full of obstacles; including the man who shot their father who is hot on their trail.

Right now, I'm staying with Dad, helping him (I hope) start to adjust to life without Mom.  My kids are 1,000 miles away.  So I read the book myself, just so I could get the review done and feel like I've accomplished something.

This may be targeting kids, but it really is a great story.  The 14-year-old twins are a whole lot of fun, and their interactions remind me of how my brothers and I behaved, and it reminds me of my kids.  Arguing, one-upping each other, disagreeing in general -- until something really matters and we absolutely have each others back.

One thing that was really fascinating was reading the information after the story, telling about real events.  The main Dad character -- Lamberton Clark -- really did fight in the Revolutionary War, the Culper Spy Ring was real, etc.

The story is action packed, and the chapters are fairly short, at roughly 8-9 pages each.  That should keep my elementary children interested and I can see them whipping through the book.  I will be watching for the next installment.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”