Printer's Apprentice, The

In the New York of 1734, ten-year-old printer's apprentice Gus Croft watches the trial of printer Peter Zenger and wonders if the governor should be able to jail printers who publish unwelcome information. By the author of The Dragon Never Sleeps.

Grade 5-7-The time is 1735, and the place is New York City. Ten-year-old Gus Croft, an apprentice to printer William Bradford, must face major truths about the relationship between the press and the colonial government. John Peter Zenger, who in his earlier years apprenticed under Bradford, is arrested for printing criticisms that offend the governor, and Gus, an intelligent lad, dismisses his personal loyalty to Master Bradford and begins to understand and question the circumstances of Zenger's arrest. Though young and inexperienced, the boy embarks on a journey to Philadelphia to deliver a message to Andrew Hamilton, the lawyer who eventually defends Zenger. Krensky presents an authentic flavor of the historical period without cluttering the easy-to-read text with too much detail. In an afterword, he clearly distinguishes fact from fiction, but, by weaving the fictional character of Gus into the lives of real historical figures, the author relates a story that might otherwise be lost to young readers. A mild flaw in the book is the black-and-white drawings that are too comical for the subject matter. A good introduction to the principles of the First Amendment.
Pat Scales, Greenville Middle School, SC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.