Declaring Independence: Life During The American Revolution (People's History)
Grade 5-8–The focus of this series is to convey past events via firsthand accounts, contemporary writings, and official documents. Miller does a good job of chronicling the history, presenting the information in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner. The index is thorough and user-friendly. An annotated list of further reading and Web sites are age-appropriate and extensive. The sepia-toned engravings and reproductions are plentiful but tend to be small and occasionally dark. The author provides a significant amount of documentation. Russell Freedman'sGive Me Liberty: The Story of the Declaration of Independence(Holiday House, 2000), which has an informative time line and more aesthetically appealing illustrations, is a better first purchase, but Miller's title is a solid addition.–Jamie Jennings, Wood Middle School, San Antonio, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.