Ready for a vacation? In this new series the year is 2164 and Time Corp. has found a way to travel in time and offers various vacation packages to witness history first hand. In today's book we are traveling to colonial times as the American Revolution is beginning. The book is titled The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution: A Handbook for Time Travelers by Jonathan W. Stokes and illustrated by David Sossella.
Like a middle-grade Magic School Bus, the Thrifty Guides take readers on funny and informative trips to the greatest moments in history!
The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution: A Handbook for Time Travelers is a snappy, informative travel guide that comes in the package with your time machine purchase in the year 2163. It contains information vital to the sensible time traveler:
- Where can I find a decent hotel room in colonial New England? Are credit cards accepted?
- How can I join the Boston Tea Party without winding up in a British prison?
- What do I do if I'm being shot at by a cannon?
Designed as a parody of Fodor's, complete with humorous maps, reviews of places to stay and top attractions (Don't miss Paul Revere's midnight ride!), and tips on who to have lunch with (Alexander Hamilton, naturally). If you had a time travel machine and could take a vacation anywhere in history, this is the only guidebook you would need.
This book is extremely humorous and factual. It describes everything from the Boston Tea Party through the beginning of the United States of America. There are jokes throughout it about history and Time Corp. and its extremely wealthy and greedy founder. It gives details about the various strategies that were used for the war including how the British planned to take Bunker Hill -- oh and how the Americans were actually on Breed's Hill, so the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breed's Hill (a hill near Bunker Hill).
Throughout the book there are asides with information like what to do if you are hit with a musket ball or people to have lunch with and information like how the Native Americans dealt with the war--some joined the Americans and others joined the British. It delves a bit further in some areas and just touches on a few basics. It is a fun book and I can see the middle grades (upper elementary) enjoying this fun way to learn a bit of history.
