Monday 8 January 2018

Traitor - The case of Benedict Arnold

Traitor - The Case of Benedict Arnold
Author: Jean Fritz
ISBN: 978-0-698-11553-8

Traitor: the Case of Benedict Arnold

Hi Everyone,

I have had a fantastic Christmas break and holiday!  I have biked, walked, and read my way through the last 10 days and it was just brilliant.  So, there will be a few updates coming your way as I take in all that I have been reading.

I finished this just before I headed away on my summer break.  It is part of the Sonlight Curriculum program which I am always impressed with.  So when I picked this one from the list awaiting my reading, I was a little sceptical.  

What was that come, did I over come my scepticism?

Actually, by the end I did.  It started off good and my boy quickly wanted more.  I got half way through and got a little stuck on the length of history; my son didn't he was still enjoying it.  Well, some people's history is not short😃 and it doesn't read like Benedict Arnold left his mark on history over night.  In fact it reads like quite the opposite.  He wanted fame and acknowledgement but never got it to the degree that he demanded.  There was actually a few places that I agree with him, he was short changed a little.  That was until he crossed over and went to the side of treason instead.

It was actually quite good to read this side of history.

What I do like most about the Sonlight Curriculum is that they base learning around 'living books', that is novels not text books.  This is where I struggle a little with Jean Fritz writing, this book included.  From time to time I felt like I was reading a text book.  But... It did just remain on the novel side.  Jean Fritz seems to writes in depth history novels for kids/young adults, and I have to give credit to the author because although it did seem a little text booky, my son loved it!  Jean Fritz writes for kids/young adults, and accomplishes good results with that audience, this book included (in our house anyway).


Description: 

Benedict Arnold always carried things too far.  As a boy he did crazy thing like climbing atop a burning roof and picking a fight with the town constable.  As a soldier, her was even more reckless.  He was obsessed with being a leader and the hero in every battle, and he never wanted to surrender.  He even killed his own horse once rather than give it to the enemy.

Where did the extremism lead Arnold?  To treason.


This was available from: Amazon


Happy reading

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