Books like King George — picked by fans

In my opinion, this book has one of the best titles ever! I’ve always been fascinated by old-timey bad medicine, and I wasn’t disappointed. Poor George Washington died of a sore throat, but alas, no antibiotics back then. The leading doctors in the country took turns treating America’s first president. They tried bloodletting twice, blistering (being bitten by poisonous beetles), and gave him toxic potions that made him throw up. After all of that, he was begging to die, and he did. This book is brilliantly gross and disgusting, while still being delightfully humorous and informative. Highly recommended for ages ten and up.

Another great title that drew me in right away. Sarah Albee has packed so much into this book! It’s not just about the evolution of sanitation. It’s also about engineering, diseases, ancient civilizations, and it includes vital information such as how women went to the bathroom wearing hoop skirts. We get the dirt on some truly disgusting jobs such as a delouser, a gongfermor, and a mudlark. I really enjoyed all the sidebars, cartoons, and illustrations, and I think reluctant readers will also. As it says on the cover, this is “The number one book about number two.” A sure-fire hit with tweens.

Readers learn about how animals’ feet help them adapt to their environment. For example, the Green Basilisk Lizard has long, fringed toes that allow it to run across the surface of water. I love the innovative format of this book. Each spread has one page of informational text with actual photos next to a corresponding page with imaginative illustrations of children with that particular animal’s foot. This series includes feet, hair, eyes, ears, teeth, tail, and nose and is perfect for elementary school students.

Written in a kid-friendly, conversational style, this book is full of scientific information about how animals’ bottoms are perfectly adapted to their environment. It also has surprising facts that kids won’t forget. Did you know that a wombat’s poop is cube-shaped? As Rish puts it, “They produce 80 to 100 caca cubes per night…” At the end of the book, readers are asked to vote for their choice of the best animal butt. This super-fun nonfiction that will keep elementary students reading past their bedtime. 

I like Jack Kelly’s book because he does a masterful job recounting Benedict Arnold’s military career before his treason, when he was admired for strategic daring and tactical genius as a hard-charging American warrior. Arnold wasn’t a run-of-the-mill traitor; indeed, early during the Revolution, some thought Washington and Arnold would emerge together as the war’s two great leaders. That’s why Arnold’s betrayal knocked Americans for a loop: he was a battlefield hero who turned traitor.

From Fort Ticonderoga, to Quebec, to Saratoga (and battles in between), Jack Kelly focuses on Arnold’s heroic achievements and sets the stage for understanding the shock and dismay that, as one soldier put it at the time, “a man so high on the list of fame should be as guilty as Arnold.”

So much of history happens undercover. Few realize that the American Revolution would have failed were it not for the courage of forgotten spies, as well as mysterious, inexplicable behind-the-scenes surprises. In this book, we find specific ‘secrets’ unveiled that made a difference in the fight for independence. Well-researched, it’s an entertaining and informative read. Expect to blink your eyes and smile, and discover the soul of the patriots. 

Nathaniel Philbrick is one of our most talented historical storytellers. I admire this book because of the sophisticated narrative he crafts, exploring the tensions of the Revolution through the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold.

Washington was a central player in Arnold’s military life. He recognized the value of his spirited general and sought to protect his reputation against political rivalries. And yet, had Arnold’s treason at West Point succeeded, it is possible that Washington himself might have been captured there by the British. Philbrick demonstrates how, paradoxically, as the public’s commitment to the war began to waver, Arnold’s betrayal may have reignited the rage militaire—the passion for arms—that carried the Americans to victory. It’s a compelling argument and a heck of a good story.

Roberts wrote many better-known novels—e.g. Northwest Passage and Rabble in Arms. Few people remember this wonderful adventure, which takes young Steven Nason on Benedict Arnold’s doomed expedition up the Kennebec River to assault Quebec. (Arundel is a town in southern Maine.) Exuberant writing, great historical detail, and a wonderful depiction of New England Indian life. A classic.

When I want to dig deeply into the details of Arnold’s life—from his birth in Norwich in 1741 and the troubled circumstances of his childhood, through to his long and uncertain convalescence in the Albany military hospital following his grave wounding at Saratoga—I invariably open James Kirby Martin’s biography.

The most intriguing question about Arnold is: Why did he betray his countrymen? There is no clear answer; he never offered a compelling explanation. The challenge, then, is to get inside Arnold’s head. That’s not easy, of course, but the detailed examination that Martin provides of Arnold’s life before his treason gives us notable insights to Arnold’s angels and demons.

In My Name Is Resolute, the main character, Resolute Talbot, is not an immigrant, but she is on the move, captured in Jamaica as a child in 1729 and taken by ship to New England to be sold into slavery. Resolute’s story takes the reader to fascinating places, including the American colonies as they begin to boil with pre-Revolutionary fervor. The era and events are challenging enough and made even more interesting as the narrator’s voice changes to reflect the change from child to woman. Highly recommended.