Saving the Liberty Bell

by Megan McDonald

Overview

Some tall tales are actually true. This is a grand one, told with rightful pride by a boy who was there in the city of Philadelphia in 1777 and was lucky enough to play a role in the American Revolution.
John Jacob Mickley, eleven years old, and his father were in the city when the Great Bell began ringing Brong! Brong! BRONG! from atop the State House to warn the citizens: "Redcoats! The Redcoats are coming!"
And come the British did — with their muskets and their cannons and their will to keep the colonies for their king. Looting they came and stealing any metal they could get their hands on to melt down for the making of more weapons. And the prize above all? The Great Bell itself — metal for many a cannon!
But the clever Pensylvanians (yes, the word was spelled like that then) had other plans for keeping the Bell safe from the British.
Megan McDonald has aptly caught John Jacob's excited retelling of the story, and Marsha Gray Carrington has relished every wild and wooly moment of it in her pictures — both funny and carefully researched.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689851674
Publisher:	Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Publication date:	06/01/2005
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	377,959
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 12.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Megan McDonald, beloved author of the Judy Moody books, is also a gifted storyteller. She is the author of When the Library Lights Go Out, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson; The Hinky-Pink, illustrated by Brian Floca; and the now-classic Is This a House for Hermit Crab?, illustrated by S.D. Schindler. She lives in Sebastopol, California.

Editorial Reviews

Blending bits of history and long-accepted lore into a snappy story, McDonald (Is This a House for a Hermit Crab?; the Judy Moody series) entertains readers with her imagining of the Liberty Bell's whereabouts during the American Revolution. Young John Jacob Mickley is ready to burst with excitement as he regales his younger siblings with a tale of the fateful trip he took to Philadelphia with their father. As Mickley pere and fils arrived in the city of brotherly love, warning came of the encroachment of British Redcoats led by General Howe. The rush was on to hide any sources of metal-including all the church bells in town and "the Great Bell" atop the State House (later known as the Liberty Bell). The 11-year-old and his dad, along with their wagon and horses, were pressed into duty, surreptitiously spiriting away the 2,000-plus-pound bell to a hiding place in their hometown of Northampton. McDonald's vivacious text brims with details, while keeping a brisk pace. A historical note fills in additional elements. With a keen eye, Carrington (Jake Johnson: The Story of a Mule) captures the bucolic countryside as well as prim city townhouses of 18th-century Philadelphia in her acrylic paintings. Her energetic portraits of a fretful John Jacob and his father carting the cleverly (and colorfully) concealed bell let youngsters in on the secret while also keeping them on the edge of their seats. Ages 5-8. (May) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1-3-John Jacob Mickley, 11, tells his siblings about his role in hiding the Liberty Bell from the British. He describes how he and his father travel to Philadelphia to sell their farm goods. The Great Bell is ringing out its warning from the State House that the Redcoats are on their way, and everyone knows they will be looking for metal to turn into weapons. Colonel Benjamin Flower approaches the Mickleys and asks them to help spirit the Great Bell away for safekeeping. The father-son team must hide it under stinky stable straw, potato sacks, and even a woman's hoop skirt. John is certain they will run into Redcoats during the journey. And, on the third night, soldiers do find them. Fortunately, they are from General Washington's army, and they escort the wagon toward safety. A mere four miles from home, the wagon breaks down, but, with help from the locals, the bell is moved to safety and hidden beneath the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in present-day Allentown, PA. McDonald has nicely personalized an event from American history and presented it in a form reminiscent of tall tales. Carrington's acrylic paintings complement the tone of the text with their humorous, cartoonlike style. An author's note sorts out fact from fiction. A fun way to introduce the Revolutionary War.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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