Joining the Boston Tea Party (Time-Traveling Twins)

Stanley, Diane

ISBN 10: 0060270683 ISBN 13: 9780060270681

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001

Synopsis

With the help of Grandma's magic hat, twins Liz and Lenny travel back in time to 1773 to get a firsthand look at life in colonial America and join the "Mohawks" as they dump tea into Boston Harbor to help begin the American Revolution.

About this title

About the Author:

Diane Stanley is the recipient of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, and the 2000 Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for the body of her work. "There is no one like Diane Stanley...for picture-book biography -- she brings to the genre an uncanny ability to clarify and compress dense and tricky historical matter, scrupulous attention to visual and verbal nuances, and a self-fulfilling faith in her readers' intelligence" (Publishers Weekly). Diane Stanley and her husband, Peter Vennema, have worked together on other books in Diane's award-winning biography series, including Shaka: King Of The Zulus, Bard Of Avon: The Story Of William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations.

Diane has also illustrated The Last Princess: The Story Of Princess Ka'iulani Of Hawaii, by Fay Stanley, and she has written and illustrated Michelangelo, Peter The Great, Joan Of Arc, Leonardo Da Vinci, Cleopatra and Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter. Her first novel, A Time Apart, was selected as one of 1999's Top 10 First Novels by ALA Booklist. Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema live in Houston, Texas.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-4-Stanley's irrepressible Time-Traveling Twins embark on a new adventure, along with their grandmother and her dog, Moose. With the help of their spirited grandma and her magic hat, they are all transported back to colonial Boston to visit some ancestors and, dressed as Mohawks, the youngsters join in the excitement of the Boston Tea Party. Along with creating the drama of the rebellion, the author takes on the challenge of explaining its political and economic underpinnings using dialogue balloons to provide a sense of immediacy. The device is truly tested when the twins' colonial relatives chat about taxation without representation and other British abuses. However, although complex concepts are compressed, they are clearly presented in generally accessible vocabulary. Using a lighthearted cartoon style and an upbeat palette, Berry energizes the visual narrative with kinetic compositions and eye-catching perspectives. Her characters inhabit cozy, period interiors and roam Boston's quaint streets and harbor district. A large, simply presented map of the colonies and a comparison of aspects of daily life "then" and "now" decorate the endpapers. In addition, an author's note tells how the Sons of Liberty set in motion a series of events that ended with the founding of our nation. Young readers will enjoy the time travel, the colorful details of colonial life, and, of course, the derring-do of the Tea Party, while older readers will appreciate access to a humorous and painlessly informative introduction to an important chapter in American history.
Carey Ayres, formerly at Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0060270683
• ISBN 13: 9780060270681
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Berry Holly