LCE 6th Grade Book Review

Book Review by: Joey L.
Date Reviewed: March 2006
Title: Johnny Tremain
Author: Esther Forbes
Published: 1943
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Newberry Award
Student Rating: 1 (1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest)

Main Conflict:
The main conflict of this book is that the main character, Johnny, cannot find proper work because of a metal work injury, which fused his thumb to his index finger. Johnny then becomes involved in the American Revolution against the British.

Setting: The setting is in the beautiful city of Boston, Massachusetts, with its many bays and shops. The story takes place in the year 1774.

Main Characters:
(1) Johnny Tremain is the central character in the book. He is the protagonist.
(2) Rab Silsbee becomes Johnny’s friend and helps him throughout the story.

Are the characters believable and interesting?
The characters in this fabulous book are very believable because it shows a portrait of what life was like in Boston at the time. They refer to many historical events such as the Battle of Lexington. Also, the author expresses their emotions throughout the entire book.

Direct Quotation from the book:
“True, Rab had died. Hundreds would die, but not the thing they died for. A man can stand up....” This is a quote on page 256 from Johnny.

Good reason to read the book:
The book expresses colonial life in Boston. It also shows the emotional trauma that Johnny experiences and the emotional trauma around a war time period. Johnny’s perspective is odd but, when I read the book, I felt that Johnny was an extension of myself and many people might feel the same.

Any reasons not to read the book?
I would suggest this book to all but only those who have a sophisticated vocabulary.

Did you like this book or not?
I loved this book. The author wrote the book extremely well. The author created an interesting set of characters that kept my attention throughout the book. It also had to do with love, pride, respect, and fear. These things are important to me, which is why I really enjoyed this book.