Review of Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth About Paul Revere's Ride

​Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth About Paul Revere’s Ride
Written by Jeff Lantos
Age Level: 8 -12
Grade Level: 3 – 7

​This is an interesting read…except I’d change the title…How Longfellow Decided to Retell Paul Revere’s Story. The first one is catchier; that’s why Jeff Lantos used it. That’s what Longfellow did when he shared Paul’s story. He kept the story moving, with great page turns. He didn’t worry about accuracy. He cared more for the words.
 
Jeff cared for all of the above, and he took an interesting approach to his version of Revere’s story. The prologue grounds you in dates like April 1775 when Revere took his ride, and April 1860 when Longfellow started writing. In the rest of the book, Jeff breaks the poem apart section by section. Then he tells you what’s true, what’s not, and why Longfellow made the choices he did. Personally I found Jeff’s factual retelling more compelling than Longfellow’s. If you want to learn more about Lexington, Concord, and the men who took part in those battles, check out this book!

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