The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-but-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony: Barbary Pirates, the Mayflower, the First ... Much, Much More (Cheryl Harness Histories)
Grade 5–8—Harness combines a breezy tone with exhaustively researched texts to produce not only exemplary life stories, but also snapshots of the periods. As the author makes amply clear, Standish was a hotheaded but effective secretary of defense for the struggling Plymouth Colony. His willingness to make a show of force and to invest both time and effort (his own and others') into constructing fortresses probably saved the fledgling colony from untimely destruction. The steps Whitman took to become a missionary, her historic journey to Oregon country, her years at the Waiilatpu Mission, and her tragic death at age 39 are all covered. The narrative is much enhanced by the frequent use of excerpts from her letters home. In each book, a running time line lists significant events taking place in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The texts incorporate information on the state of technology and how that impacted the journeys each individual made, the force and impact of religious beliefs and worldviews, and significant societal beliefs and mores. Black-and-white line illustrations extend the texts beautifully, as do the maps. The bibliographies and indexes are excellent. While readers may not pick these titles up on their own, Harness's style (though a bit arch in tone at times) will hold their interest. Much preferable to most standard series titles, such as Louis Sabin'sNarcissa Whitman: Brave Pioneer(Troll, 1997), these books have a place in most school collections.—Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.