I have to say that this book was very easy to read. I felt at times as if I was having a conversation with the author. The language was easy to follow. I liked how some things would be explained off to the side. I get distracted easily though so sometimes I caught myself getting side tracked from the story. I loved the use of pictures and diagrams. Being a visual learner, I need that extra support to picture the story as I'm reading it.
As I was reading, I liked that we were being taught about different aspects and viewpoints. For example, when Hakim would discuss the women and their roles. Then she went into how the blacks were represented. I liked how it just wasn't one viewpoint throughout this entire book. We weren't just walked through how the loyalists felt or how the patriots saw things.
I also liked how we were introduced to so many people that were involved in the history of our country. There were names that I have never heard of before. I liked how the book went beyond George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. I found it interested how the feelings and fears of the signers were made known. I didn't realize that they feared for their lives after signing the Declaration of Independence. Also, how John Adams felt that women should have been given more roles in history than what they did.
I think students would enjoy reading a book like this versus one that just stated facts. I feel it gives another side to history that is part of the unknown. Now can we be really sure that's exactly how our founding fathers felt? Probably not. I did enjoy reading this type of history book. To me, it seemed more likely that students would follow along in a format such as this one. It was also easier to pick up and put down without the feeling that I was lost or had to review what I had previously read. That's important for time factors.
Overall, I really liked this type of story. I liked to be entertained when I'm reading. I look at history as very educational but as entertainment as well.
