Module 11 - Lafayette and the American Revolution by:

Summary:
Lafayette and The American Revolution takes readers through Lafayette's life leading up to, during and following his involvement in The American Revolution. From an intriguing beginning about a stranger staying in a farmer's cottage, a 32 day hike up the eastern coast of America, a relationship with George Washington, to an honorable tribute made during World War I; both a biography and a history lesson.

Bibliographic Citation:
Freedman, R. (2010). Lafayette and the American revolution. New York, NY: Holiday House.

My Impression:
A lover of history, especially American history, this book was easy for me to get into. I could see it being hard for younger readers to stay interested in though, because of the length of the text sections and the book itself. The images, illustrations, etc. add to the book as a whole and for an interested reader really complete the information found within the book. Along with the information in the text Freedman includes a time line of Lafayette's life and an array of resources. I definitely believe this is high quality non-fiction and look forward to reading more of Freedman's work.

Reviews:
Married at sixteen, a father at eighteen, and certainly one of the wealthiest men in eighteenth-century France, the Marquis de Lafayette could easily have settled into the privileged life of the nobility. With little taste for taxing manners and protocols, he scuttled his own opportunities at court and attuned his dreams to emulating the military distinction of his forebears. Smitten with the ideals of American colonists fighting for independence, he defied family, king, and official French neutrality and bargained for a commission in the Continental Army. Congress may have initially regarded him as little more than a promising connection to a future alliance, but the untested Lafayette quickly proved himself a wily strategist and able commander (to say nothing of a generous donor to the cause), and his engagement at the decisive battle at Yorktown would be considered critical to the outcome of the Revolution. Freedman capitalizes on the inherent interest of a man who launched a heroic career while still in his teens, and the young general’s story is told in fluent, polished prose. While more information on the complexity of his subsequent years during the French Revolution would have broadened the context of his career, the focus of this title is Lafayette’s contribution to the American independence, and it’s effectively explored. With its attractive, heavily illustrated layout, timeline, source notes, bibliography, and index, this invaluable addition to the collection of Revolutionary War material should serve report writers and engross middle-school fans of military history Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2010, Holiday House, 88p.; Reviewed from galleys, $24.95. Grades 5-8.
Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 2010 (Vol. 64, No. 3))

How to use this book in your library:
All students learn about the Revolutionary War, but not all students understand how many individuals from all over the world had a role in it. I would create a book trailer for this book- anything about war can be very exciting! Share that trailer with teachers to share when they are going to be studying this period in our country's history and then work with teachers to establish when it would be appropriate to read this book aloud with their classroom.