"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."--Groucho Marx

Thursday, January 12, 2012

April Morning by Howard Fast



Fast, H. (2011). April morning. New York, NY: Open Road.

The setting is April 19, 1775 and the main character is a young boy, stretched under the demanding thumb of his father, one of the town selectmen.  When news comes that the British are coming, the boy wants to participate, only to see his father shot.  The book follows the boy as he grows up in a single day, working to defeat the British.

This is an excellent choice for a history or English class since the protagonist is a teenaged boy, and all the emotions of the day are wrapped throughout the story.  The book is a little slow to start, and the vocabulary is higher level, but the story is definitely worth the effort.  Teens can feel the frustration of the boy as he strives to be a man, then stumbles into terrorizing territory when the British begin shooting.  I would recommend this for school, but for personal reading as well.  Fast captured the astonishment and shock of the colonists expertly.  Great reading. 

Received Galley from NetGalley.com


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