Review of My Brother Sam is Dead

My Brother Sam is Dead
Written by James Lincoln Collier
                                    & Christopher Collier
Age Level: 10 – 12

If you want to travel back in time to the American Revolution, check out this book. It comes at the war from a different angle – the home front. When Sam, the oldest son comes home from college, he’s wearing an American uniform. His father is a staunch loyalist. After a heated argument, Sam runs off to war, taking the family gun with him. His little brother Tim and their mother are stuck between them.
 
The story follows their effort to survive the year following Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence, and the British invasion of New York. A cattle drive to Verplancks Point on the Hudson River turns into a nightmare. His father is kidnapped. Sam has to make it home alone with the wagon and oxen. He and his mother must run the family tavern together. As for Sam, he’ll meet his end in a tragic way. No one escapes war – not those on either side. Or the ones stuck in the middle. If you want to picture what their life was like during those fateful days, this is the book for you. Check out the back matter to discover the research that went into its pages.

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