Filled with action, glory and patriotism, Lee’s (Heroes of American Prosperity, 2014, etc.) YA novel features 13-year-old twins Alexander and Amanda Lee, born and raised on a farm in Virginia. Amanda is outgoing and self-assured, while Alexander is more reserved. Both yearn for adventure and an escape from the drudgery of farm life. After Alexander joins Washington’s Continental Army, Amanda schemes her way into the South Carolina militia by making an extended visit to her aunt Selah in Charleston. Both twins are expert marksmen and speak multiple languages. Amanda learns how to fight like a Cherokee from Francis Marion and how to ride and fight on horseback, from Casimir Pulaski; she also serves directly under John Paul Jones, meets Franklin in France and is in the forefront of the charge at Yorktown, Virginia. For his part, Alexander crosses the Delaware with Washington, is the chief negotiator for Anthony Wayne when unpaid troops threaten to desert, serves as translator for Valley Forge drillmaster Wilhelm von Steuben and is also a key figure at the battle of Yorktown. Both teens are fearless warriors. Brimming with excitement while effectively teaching history and some of the reasons and strategies behind the Revolution, this book will undoubtedly appeal to young readers. Lee has a real talent for capturing the young mind and conveying complex ideas in terms young readers will understand. Though the superhero youngsters are well-portrayed, a simplistic, childlike and often over-the-top outlook pervades the narrative, particularly with regard to war: “It would be a lovely battle at Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina.”
Swashbuckling tales for young readers that could bring smiles for older readers, too.