Revolutionary Rogues
John André and Benedict Arnold
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
NCSS/CBC Notable Trade Social Studies Book
Kansas Reading Circle Choice
Bank Street College Best Book
Tappantown Historical Society’s Achievement Award
Young fans of the Broadway smash "Hamilton" will enjoy this riveting nonfiction picture book that unfolds like a play, telling a story from American history.
Gravely injured and with little chance for more military honors, Major General Benedict Arnold seeks reward and recognition another way. He contacts Major John André, the new head of British intelligence and another man determined to prove himself. Arnold and André strike a deal and use Arnold’s intelligence to take over West Point, the strategic American fort. The plan ultimately fails, leading to André’s capture and death and Arnold’s loss of reward and glory. Author Selene Castrovilla and illustrator John O’Brien brilliantly capture the tensions and high drama of these two revolutionary rogues by highlighting their similarities and differences and demonstrating how they brought about their own tragic ends. This title also includes an afterword, timelines of the lives of both men, an extensive bibliography, and a list of key places to visit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
O'Brien joins Castrovilla for this companion to Revolutionary Friends, which focused on George Washington and Lafayette. This time, she explores the relationship between a less reputable Revolutionary duo: British major John Andr and West Point commander Benedict Arnold, who conspired to surrender the fort to the British. The third-person narration switches between the men, frequently imagining their thoughts and nervousness ("John forced himself to think past all this danger and suspense to the taking of West Point!"), as well as their anger and hopelessness as their plan failed. As in his books about Jefferson and Franklin, O'Brien's squirrely ink lines and watercolor washes bring a certain playfulness to the 18th-century setting, despite the dire subject and high stakes. A grim account of two men done in by quests for personal glory. Ages 9 11.
