Loved the story but there are three reasons I couldn't give it five stars.
1. The entries all had titles instead of dates. It only ever said the season and year.
2. In general I am not a fan of the author's epilogues.
3. Historical note wasn't completely accurate.my-name-is-america3 s Brooke274 7

After reading "The Winter of Red Snow", I decided to read more Dear America books about the Revolutionary War. I usually love Barry Denenberg's books, but the book seems more about William than about the Revolutionary War. Also, the ending is hypocritical. On the bright side, I can understand both sides of the motive of that war.1 Tori650

This one was pretty dark. Yeah, war isn't a light subject, but Will slicing open the British soldier's face and leaving him to die was something I'd expect in an adult account.

Will also wasn't very able. There was no understanding of the other side, and having just read the Dear America diary of a girl who was part of a Loyalist/Tory family, it didn't bring my opinion of him any higher. Patriot he may be but did he have to delight at the tarring and feathering of a man, and the burning down of his home? There was also a point in which he threw a rotton egg at a prisoner's face. I really didn't him.

Also, this started with Will losing his whole family to...a lightning strike? That was bizarre.

Oh, and having Will marry Becca, who not only had the same name as his dead sister, but who he also helped raised since she was under two years old was really creepy.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2020-books dear-america-et-al1 Amy83 4


This is written by Tommy, age 8.

I read this book for school. It has information about what it was before the Revolutionary War. My favorite part of the book is when Will (the main character) spies. People who history and people who do not need a lot of action in their books would this book. 1 Connor S.5

Barry Denenberg’s purpose of writing The Journal of William Thomas Emerson is to show what the experiences leading up to the Revolutionary war were through a young Boston colonists perspective. Throughout the story, William Thomas Emerson a young man who was taken in by Mrs.Thompson and Mr.Wilson after his family tragically dies in. He does lots of chores around the tavern Mrs.Thompson owns and brings ink and candles to Mr.Wilson who is a profound writer who writes anti British articles for the newspaper. After gaining Mr. Wilson’s trust William starts to run missions for Mr. Wilson and his rebellious group of revolutionaries. During the story, Denenberg uses Williams diary entries and dialouge with other colonist to show the hatred most of the people of Boston have for the British soldiers who they call “Lobster Backs” and people who are still loyal to the crown. An example of this is when he describes how colonist put glass under Mr. Palmers (a loyalist) saddle so he was thrown off and he died as a result of the injury. This is shown when William says “However, in the summer of 1778 he went for a ride and, it is believed, someone placed glass shards under his saddle. As a result,he was thrown by his horse and seriously injured. He never recovered and died”(Denenberg 133). Also, William changed throughout the story by becoming more courageous and taking part in more dangerous missions. An example of William being courageous when in a fight with a much larger British soldier is “In one swift motion, I pulled my knife out of my boot, and before the rascal realized what was happening to him, I slit his nostril nearly in two, straight up his nose, to his eyes, and half off his ugly British face”(Denenberg 125). Finally, I gave this book three stars because I think this book could have been much better if Wiiliam’s experiences of when they were forced to house British soldiers and after most of the colonist left Boston were included Jennifer104

3.5 - Overall, a very good resource for students studying the American Revolutionary War, but for one glaring error in the Historical Note. Denenberg writes: "Under the command of Major General William Howe, the British [attacked]. England, expecting an easy victory, was surprised by the bravery and tenacity of the American soldiers. General Howe ordered his men not to fire until they could 'see the whites of their eyes!'"

As anyone who has ever watched School House Rock on a sleepy Saturday morning in the early eighties could tell you ("The Shot Heard 'Round the World"), it was one of the leaders of the PATRIOT forces (either Colonel Samuel Prescott or Colonel Israel Putnam, depending on your source) who allegedly issued this famous order to the Patriot troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill. As the story goes, the Patriot troops were running low on ammunition, and they needed every shot to count. Hence the famous order to: "Hold your fire 'til you see the whites of their eyes!"

Although some historians now doubt that any such command was ever actually given (i.e., that this is all a bit of American folklore made up after the fact to make the story of the Battle of Bunker Hill seem more exciting and heroic), IF this really happened, I have always understood that this was an order given by a Patriot officer rallying Patriot troops. John D DeWeeseAuthor 1 book1 follower

My son picked this book die to his love of Hamilton. Needless to say, it was a lot less entertaining. On the plus side, it’s well researched and includes some great details about what life was in Boston during the Revolutionary War. However, because the book is written in “diary” style it jumps all over the place. In one chapter, the main character spies on the British for the patriots, but in the next he’s trimming candlesticks. Big events the Boston Tea Party or Bunker Hill are mentioned in passing, and there’s no real payoff at the end. I might recommend it for 8th graders as a way to prepare them to read actual historic accounts, but it’s a rather dull read for younger folks.

A last note: the book is pretty traditional in how it portrays women and PoCs. That is, women bravely keep the home fires burning while the men rush off to spy and fight and the one Black character has maybe two pages dedicated to him. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me but I get that it could be for others looking for a more modern tale. **the True Snow Queen**85 33

Barry Denenberg is very hit or miss. I’ve read many of his Dear America/Royal Diaries/My Name Is America books. It’s apparent that he s to be a bit more off the beaten path in his style ( the lack of entry dates, in this one). Sometimes his style is fantastic When Will This Cruel War Be Over? or One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping. Or dull, in So Far From Home or Elisabeth: The Princess Bride. And then you have the ones that fall flat, this one or Early Sunday Morning. Just when it’s getting good and you’re finally invested... you turn the page and it’s the epilogue :( Overall he’s pretty good, but I was disappointed this time. Too long warming up and cut the story too short. 3.5 starschildren-s-books dear-america-challenge fiction Emily808 4

It was weird how there were no dates ahead of the entires and instead they were told in groupings of very very short stories. But it was still supposed to be a journal.
Reading about this time period from the POV of a young boy instead of a girl was interesting too because they did different things in their day to day lives. This one being a young boy living in Boston. Also giving a different POV than some other books taking place in different locations. Life in the city of Boston was definitely unique and scary during the years leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Joyce319 2

Even though this story is fiction, there is a lot of historical information here. Plus maps and Prints of battle and the town that were directly involved in the beginning of the war. The photograph on the cover is an actual portrait of a child of that era, his name was Sir Joshua Reynolds's William Charles Colyear, Viscount Milsington ( 1747- 1824 ) Later Third Earl of Portmore. The photo shows him as a boy in 1759, Talk about a name !! Eric1 review

This book "Journal Of William Thomas Emerson - My Name is America" is a pretty good book. It does has some not so good parts as well, most books. I learned a lot from reading this book. Although it is a little bit hard to read since it is someone's journal from the 1700's. I read the whole the whole thing and am glad that I finished reading the book.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Lauren14

The book ends when the war begins, so it is a good way to show how the city of Boston was changing leading up to the Revolutionary War. My students weren't as engaged in this as they have been with the Dear America books, but they still enjoyed it. The content of this book didn't lend itself to provide many opportunities to teach the state standards, but it was still enjoyed by my class. Janis856 4

Book didn’t hang together that well. Tons of characters for a short book. An entry would be about somebody, and I couldn’t remember who they were. I’d do a kindle search & find they appear in no other entry of the journal, so there was a good reason I didn’t remember them. I found this to be very frustrating. Jenny Clark2,977 112

This was pretty good at showing how the Revolutionary War affected everyone in the colonies, even children. I d the rather unique layout, breaking up into subjects rather than by days. Well written, again rather simple, as are most in the series, since they are aimed at younger children. childrens diaries historic-fiction Aaron85

Once again, what one may expect from the series.dear-america-my-name-is-america Jia ?393 31

Way shorter than I thought it was going to be (or maybe I just read super fast :)) . But a really good book. Karalynn Tyler198 4

I enjoyed reading this aloud to my 8 year old son.2020-books Lacey Martin5

I did not really this book so I stopped reading it. Rebecca McDonald40

This was an easy & quick read. Felt historically accurate, even if not then the author did a great job making you think that. Kate Standiford164 8

At times dry, but overall it was able to keep my kid half attentive. Jess200

Read with Micah for a cycle 3 read aloud. It was not all that well-written and a bit hard to keep track of characters or to care about them. I wanted to stop after a few pages, but we finished it. Katie McAlear420 29

3.5/5 Kaycee100 2

The Journal of William Thomas Emerson gives the reader a picture of what life may have been around the Revolutionary War period I'm Boston. It is written from the view of a 12-13 year old boy who after losing his family comes to work in a tavern where some revolutionaries would meet. He eventually takes part in some missions for the group. This book is told I. The form of a diary or journal entries. It gives a good idea of what was happening at the time from the inspector of a relatively young boy, though he has several responsibilities that adults would have taken on. The book progressively moves through the increasing tensions in Boston and the increasing hostilities of the British and the colonists. One thing that I really thought was unique about the book is that it is an unabashed view from a patriot not being afraid to show his views on the punishments or hardships the soldiers or the Tories would go through. I think this helps to give readers a more accurate view of the atmosphere and thoughts of the time. Overall it was good but I would have d if the entries were marked with dates so that the timeline was a little easier to keep track of.

School Library Journal really complimented this book and especially d the quality of historical fiction that it gives. August196 2

While I've d the other books Barry Denenberg wrote for the Dear America/My Name is America series, this one, even on the second read, didn't impress me very much. There was a moment, about halfway through the book, when I had a moment of "Oh! Maybe I did this book last time I read it!" But I think it's much more ly that there's actually only one segment of about two or three pages in the entire book that I really enjoyed.

I appreciate that the book goes into the build-up to the Revolutionary War, which I feel is often overlooked in favor of just cutting straight to the action of 1776, but overall, the book really feels it's lacking some depth. I also couldn't figure out why the book - which is presented as a journal, and which Will himself (the main character) refers to at one point as a journal - is presented with chapter- headings and subtitles. Some of the My Story titles (the UK equivalent of Dear America) use a similar technique, especially for the books aimed at boys, but I don't think it's used as effectively here.historical revolutionary-war scholastic-diaries T225

A nice and fun way to teach history and enjoy It. it explores the world of a fictional boy named William. A fun way to learn about the revolutionary war.




William Thomas Emerson was a revolutionary war patriot.

William being adopted lived in a saloon with his adopters there he is in apprenticeship. after finding about a secret meeting he brings a letter given to him by a chimney sweep to hi dad. After decoding it the find out that the have a traitor among themselves. After that the send will out to spy on a meeting in a mansion where he is spotted and slices the face of a lobster back. After returning the engage in war.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Elaine Shipley-pope145 12

This book is set in the days leading up to the revolutionary war. The young boy, William, is an orphan/runaway. He leaves the farm that he lives on with his Aunt and Uncle when it becomes quite clear that they really just think that he is a burden. So he runs away and ends up in Boston. A young widow takes him in to help run her pub and help with her infant daughter. There is a man that lives upstairs who happens to run a patriot spy ring. Eventually William joins the ring and becomes a young spy after his friend is brutally beaten by a group of red coats. A quick and easy read and a great way to get a small history lesson.2014 Eddie703 7

I've read another title in the series and recommended the series to my son. He selected this on, and we both found it rather slow and wandering. The other title started that way and then ended with a bang, I found it very good by the end. This one never really congealed into what I was expecting. You're never sure if it's a patriot book, a heres how they lived back then book or something else. I think that really it tried to cover too many areas and never delved into one enough.

While I won't knock the series as a whole yet, I wouldn't recommend this book in particular.biographical childrens political Glen StottAuthor 6 books11

This is one of the “My Name is America” series of stories about US History. William’s journal during parts of 1774 & 1775 in Boston leading up to the battle of Lexington and Concord. This book wraps the events of that summer and winter into a journal of William’s adventures, which is true to how a journal reads. There is no overarching story or plot driven by William’s life. So it ended up as interesting history, but boring plot. It is written for junior high students, but when I was that age, I d a story. Many of the “My Name is America” books do manage to work in a plot. Nicholas Romash26 2

This book was an okay book. It lacked story and plot. The author didn't really make me get into the story. The story took place in the 13 colonies. A boy named Thomas became a orphan when his house was struck by lighting and killed his family. He then met a person named Mr.Wilson who took him as a apprentice. While this was going on the tension between the brititsh and the coloines. Thats what the story is about. It was strange because it was a journal.
So I would never reccomend this book unless who these kind of books.
Molly952 10

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