Synopses & Reviews
The final title of Marc Aronson's trilogy centers on the late eighteenth century and shows how the belief in pure reason, which had brought Ralegh up on charges of atheism, now enabled Americans to give up their loyalty to the king of England and form their own nation. The two central figures will be Thomas Paine, British-born American Revolutionary leader and author of COMMON SENSE, and James Madison, architecht of the Constitution and fourth president of the United States. The book will cover a range of topics: the readiness of the new settlers to form their own government as evidenced by their acceptance of the principles set forth in COMMON SENSE, a best-selling pamphlet that preached revolution; Madison's tirless research on the history of government, which led to the establishment of our current three-part system of checks and balances; the private mythic world of William Blake, which forms the literary "voice" of this third volume much as Shakespeare does in the first and Milton in the second (his model for PARADISE LOST was Cromwell). Although A NEW ORDER will end with the American Revolution, it will also point out how the long themes presented in the first two volumes are all still part of our current history. The author's stated purpose is to give young readers a "multi-layered portrait of our nation as it came to be while discovering the themes, images, and fascinating personality types that run through our entire history."
Review
'\"Refreshing...provides provocative fodder for classroom discussion...History was never so much fun.\" -VOYA'
Review
'\"fascinating, insightful...startling global connections...This outstanding work is highly compelling reading and belongs in every library.\" SLJ, starred'
Review
'\"Aronson offers a timely and relevant interpretation of this chapter of history, its contradictions, and its compromises.\" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'
Review
'\"For serious students curious about who and what we are as a nation.\" BOOKLIST'
Review
'\"Engaging history...lively prose...[Readers] will come away with a better idea...of events in our history.\" HORN BOOK'
Review
"Superb...a strong choice for history classrooms and a must for all libraries." KIRKUS, starred Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"fascinating, insightful...startling global connections...This outstanding work is highly compelling reading and belongs in every library." SLJ, starred School Library Journal, Starred
"Aronson offers a timely and relevant interpretation of this chapter of history, its contradictions, and its compromises." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Publishers Weekly
"For serious students curious about who and what we are as a nation." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"Unquestionably significant...Readers gain a better understanding of [events]...that spurred the colonies toward independence." BCCB Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Engaging history...lively prose...[Readers] will come away with a better idea...of events in our history." HORN BOOK Horn Book
"An account that will strike not only children but most adults as in many ways original." NY TIMES BOOK REVIEW The New York Times Book Review
"Refreshing...provides provocative fodder for classroom discussion...History was never so much fun." -VOYA VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
"This engaging history...[concludes] Aronson's dramatic and thought-provoking trilogy" HORN BOOK GUIDE, Pointer Horn Book Guide, Pointer
Synopsis
This extensively researched and groundbreaking account by Sibert medalist Marc Aronson centers on events in the mid-18th century that enabled Americans to give up their loyalty to England and form their own nation. Shedding new light on familiar aspects of American history, such as the Boston Tea Party, and ending with the aftermath of the American Revolution, Aronson approaches the events that shaped our country from a fresh angle and connects them to issues that still exist in modern times. Also developed throughout is the pioneering idea that the struggle for American independence was actually part of a larger conflict that spanned the globe, reaching across Europe to India.
Packed with dramatic events, battles, and memorable figures such as George Washington and Tom Paine in America and Robert Clive in India, this insightful narrative provides a multi-layered portrait of how our nation came to be, while discovering anew the themes, images, and fascinating personalities that run through our entire history. Cast of characters, maps, endnotes and bibliography, Internet resources, timeline, index.
About the Author
Marc Aronson is the award-winning author of a wide variety of nonfiction works for younger readers, including Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado, which received the first Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. He edits and publishes young adult fiction in a special arrangement with Candlewick and lives with his wife and two sons in Maplewood, New Jersey. For more information visit www.marcaronson.com.