Tuesday, August 4, 2015

No acknowledgement was given to certain brave men and women who were responsible for alterting George Washington to the plots surrounding him in the struggle for independence.  The acts of bravery by these men and women  include exposing a British counterfeiting scheme, smuggling a British naval codebook to Yorktown, and preventing Benedict Arnold from carrying out one of the greatest acts of treachery...his plan to surrender West Point to the British.  These events are mentioned in history but none of them were attributed to any one group or person because the people involved served under the condition of silence, never to be revealed.  Washington kept his promises to them.  Some have been revealed as letters, diaries, etc. were discovered years later by a dedicated researcher determined to give these brave souls a place of honor.  Foremost are George Washington's secret six who helped the Americans to victory; this book lays out the groundwork and honors their sacrifices.  This is a great read for middle school students and above.

Reviews:

The Washington Times: Book Review
The New York Journal of Books: Review of Secret Six
Good Reads: review
BackFive: review and summary
Video Review: You Tube with author

Book Guide:

Book Rags: study guide with questions, vocabulary and more!
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Monday, January 26, 2015

Deep Down Dark

This is a true story of the 33 men who were buried in Chile, South America while working in a mine.  Recall this story made national news.  Experts from around the globe came to help including scientists from NASA once the news got out.  This realistic story begins with the backgrounds of all the major characters, their country, the mining industry in Chile and the incredible geography of the mountain involved.  Everything is realistically and truthfully told from many view points.  Although thoughtfully told by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Hector Tobar, the maturity level of this book is at the young adult level, 8th grade and up.  I could not put this book down once started.  It is a gripping story of survival and the incredible courage of 33 men who were forged into a team despite differences and problems.  

Reviews and guides:
Study Guide: high school level
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