Awards/Selection Lists:
- Richie's Picks
- ALA Children's Notable Book
- ALA Best Book for Young Adults
- Association of Booksellers for Children Fall Favorite 2003
- Book Links Best Book 2003
- Booklist Top ten Biography for Youth, 2003
- CCBC Choices 2004
- Children's Literature Choice 2004
- Great Lakes' Great Books Nominee 2005
- James Madison Award Honor Book
- Jefferson Cup Honor Book (Virginia Library Association) 2004
- Junior Library Guild Selection
- Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2004-2005
- NCSS-CBC Notable Social StudiesTrade Book 2004
- New York Public Library Best Book for Reading and Sharing, 2003
- New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age, 2004
- Parents Choice Gold Award Winner
- Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2003
- Riverbank Review Children's Book of Distinction 2004
- School Library Journal Best Book of 2003
- Washington D.C. Capitol Choices Book 2003
Brief Summary:One of the founding fathers of the nation, Benjamin Franklin is well known, and his accomplishments well documented. Laid out in chronological order, Fleming leaves no stone unturned to reveal Franklin's tenacity, ingenuity, curiosity and his utmost desire to do right by his country, his children, and those he served, by improving, doing, pushing the envelope and not being afraid to offend those in power by being honest, just and proud.
Along with his innovations in his electrical experiments, instituting state schools, libraries, fire brigades, becoming first Postmaster General, being a member of the Continental Congress, helping write the Declaration of Independence, he was a skilled diplomat, a lover, a writer, a man who believed less in organized religion and more in the spirituality of doing the right thing and being chased by the consequences throughout subsequent life-times. He was a complex and interesting character whose humanitarian efforts are often outweighed by the extravagances of his later diplomatic years in France, in part due to the outrage of John Adams wife. Nevertheless, he remains, one of America's most spectacular historical figures, with much more to tell.
Along with his innovations in his electrical experiments, instituting state schools, libraries, fire brigades, becoming first Postmaster General, being a member of the Continental Congress, helping write the Declaration of Independence, he was a skilled diplomat, a lover, a writer, a man who believed less in organized religion and more in the spirituality of doing the right thing and being chased by the consequences throughout subsequent life-times. He was a complex and interesting character whose humanitarian efforts are often outweighed by the extravagances of his later diplomatic years in France, in part due to the outrage of John Adams wife. Nevertheless, he remains, one of America's most spectacular historical figures, with much more to tell.
Personal Reaction: I won't lie, I had a hard time getting through this book. I am very interested in the content, and there is SO much information that I had not previously read on Franklin. You really get a sense of his desire to help his fellow man, of his humility, and his curiosity through Fleming, but it is a bit overwhelming being crammed in small print into 119 pages. Also, while there are many illustrations, everything is in black and white and made to look like an old fashioned newspaper page, which I understand the desire for. However, it makes it difficult to stay focused on the content as there is no color to relieve the eye and offer excitement and a way to really connect with Ben's character.
Front/Back Matter:Title page, copyright page, table of contents, foreword, chronology, content, bibliography, picture sources, additional resources (one page for books, another for websites), index.
Content Evaluation: Very well informed and well documented, the content is extremely fact heavy. I would have liked to have seen a more personal narration, some way to connect and empathize with Ben, rather than just being told about his life. The use of color and a different format might lead to a better review of this book. I think I will attempt to re-read it for leisure, to re-assess if my perceived time constraint caused me to be less entertained by this book. However, its relative dryness is one of the things I dread most. Hundreds of tiny stories inserted into different frames on the page also make it difficult to keep the chronology straight. Still, as I said, I'm willing to give it a second chance.
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