My Name Is America: The Journal Of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy - Hardcover

Rinaldi, Ann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590510789 ISBN 13: 9780590510783

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2000

Synopsis

As an orphan, young Jonathan looks forward to starting life anew and so journeys across the sea on the Mayflower to look for his great opportunity in the new world.

About this title

Review:

In 1620, an indentured servant named Jasper Jonathan Pierce sets sail with his master and 100 others on the Mayflower, seeking adventure, freedom from the rules of King James's church, and a new way of life in America.

While many people are familiar with the history of the Pilgrims, popular historical novelist Ann Rinaldi (The Last Silk Dress and A Break With Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials) delves far deeper into the day-to-day life of these brave pioneers. Beleaguered by internal strife and sickness, the passengers and crew of the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth ill-equipped to last the winter. With the help of several Indians who befriended the settlers, many survived, although a number of them died. Viewed through the eyes of 14-year-old Jasper, who records the events of his first 15 months in America in his journal, the Pilgrims' experiences take on a fresh, current feel. Although Jasper is a fictional character, the other characters in the story were real people, and the events are soundly based on factual accounts. Encounters with Pilgrim bullies, the suicide of one woman, and blow-by-blow details of the hardships endured make this an exciting, intelligent addition to the excellent My Name Is America series. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-8-This offering follows the series' design of a diary format that features fictional characters in a historical setting. In this case, a 14-year-old indentured servant records his experiences aboard the Mayflower and his first year in the New World. Based on research and Rinaldi's own interpretations, this title puts flesh and blood on such historical characters as Governor Bradford, John Alden, Priscilla Mullens, and Miles Standish. The hardships the Pilgrims survived on both ship and land are realistically portrayed. This title will be a good companion to Kathryn Lasky's A Journey to the New World (Scholastic, 1996), which covers much of the same material from a girl's point of view. A section of historical notes and drawings is included.
Eunice Weech, M. L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0590510789
• ISBN 13: 9780590510783
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 156