In Search Of Molly Pitcher by Linda Grant De Pauw

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by write 2 right

Peggy McAllister receives an assignment from school that could lead her to win the Rattletop Award. Each year the winner's name is placed at the top of the list of engraved winner's names on a bronze plaque for the town to see for all time. Peggy is determined that she will have her name on this list, however she makes an unpopular choice for the competition that will involve more work than the other options she was presented with, disappointing her teacher immensely. But something about this name stood out for her and she followed her heart.

Peggy soon discovers that Molly Pitcher's historical documentation is difficult to locate and entire sections of the story of Molly's life are missing or contradictory – forcing Peggy to interview people who have studied this era. Peggy's mother isn't well and is overworked, however, since they live with Peggy's Grandfather, she has ample support for the research project. His former career as a private investigator proved to be invaluable for Peggy in finding contacts and learning how to follow leads.

The research techniques and journey through the mystery of who was Molly Pitcher and what Molly's story was, can actually serve educators and parents well in that it shows the pleasure of a good mystery and the pride of solving the puzzle. The author also reveals the importance of good resources and contacts for research projects. The storyline also allows for small lessons on what an essay is, tips for doing a research project, detailing the work involved and the joy of finding answers. Another interesting educational aspect to the story is learning about the famous historical character in the US known as Molly Pitcher. The book has several images of historical war paintings and a few illustrations as well.

Author and award winning historian Linda Grant De Pauw has written 4 published historical non-fiction novels, 2 fiction novels and 2 other books for young readers. Peacock Press of Casadena (Maryland, USA) published her most recent book for young readers, In Search Of Molly Pitcher in 2007. The eye-catching cover design for this book, created by Kim Jacobs, held my attention repeatedly while trying to read the messages there.

Unfortunately, there is no information in the book itself as to the eco-printing or eco-publishing options that many conscious publishers are embracing today. For this reason alone, I have deducted a half star. Overall I think this book will be a wonderful adventure for young readers.

ISBN#: 978-1-4357-0607-1
Rating: 4.5-out-of-5 stars

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (www.brummet.ca)

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