The Crossing: How George Washington Saved The American Revolution

 THE CROSSING: How George Washington Saved The American Revolution By Jim Murphy

1.Bibliography 

Murphy, J. (2010). The crossing: how George Washington saved the American Revolution. Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439691864 

2.Plot Summary 

The is a story about George Washington when he was not a very experienced Commander in Chief. This story leads the reader through the timeline of the beginning of the American Revolution War and how George was almost “fired” from his position as Commander in Chief. It also shows how Washington worked through the problem of working with stubborn and rebellious soldiers in his army. These soldiers often time deserted Washington when he needed them the most. What Washington lacked in experience he made up in intelligence. Washington made mistakes but he quickly learned from his mistakes and was not afraid to take chances. These chances that he took led him to be one of the greatest leaders of his time. One of the chances he took was when he crossed the Delaware River, which resulted in a win for Washington as he defeated the British at Trenton and Princeton and earned the nickname of “Old Fox”. 

3.Critical Analysis 

The author Jim Murphy tells the story of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. The author uses language in a clear and concise manner so that the reader will understand the military events and setbacks that Washington encountered. The print is big and spaced nicely so that it does not appear overly wordy and intimidating for such a topic. The author makes the book more personable by using direct quotes from the people in the story as well. The reproduction of maps and pictures that are added to the book helps the reader envision who was important, where an event took place and when the event took place. The captions next to these pictures fill in more details for the reader. This book also includes a timeline, glossary, useful war sites to visit, and information on the famous picture of Washington crossing the Delaware. This book written by Jim Murphy will spark the interest of the reader to research more about this topic. 

4.Review Excerpts 

Booklist starred (November 15, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 6)) 

Murphy offers a refreshingly frank, vivid, well-researched account of a pivotal time in American history. 

Horn Book Guide starred (April 2011) 

A rather pale sepia-toned text and illustrations (including maps; portraits of important figures; and reproductions of paintings, frequently with smart captions) give the book a satisfying historical feel. 

Kirkus Reviews (November 15, 2010) 

Murphy brings the winter of 1776 to life with powerful prose and captivating illustrations. 

5. Connections 

• Pretend you are George Washington. You need to write a speech convincing your soldiers to continue to fight alongside you especially since the colonists are freezing and cold.  
• Find 3 vocabulary words that you are not familiar with. Use an index card and create a vocabulary card. Add a picture, the word and definition on the back of the index card. We will hang up on the Vocabulary Wall. 
• Point out what you notice about the picture on the back cover of the book. Then read the information on The Painting on page 84-85. The author’s note on the artist Emmanuel Leutz painting of George Washington Crossing the Delaware. Did you notice the details that Leutz described?