My Brother Sam is Dead
By James Lincoln Collier
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Reading level
Level four:
Advanced children’s literature
See more level four books
Curriculum details
- Historical Fiction - United States
- Optional
- Second grade to eighth grade
- Sep 23, 2024 - Oct 18, 2024
About
This is one of two options included in the curriculum for historical novels about the American Revolution. Of the two, Johnny Tremain (published in 1943) is more uniformly positive about the war and American cause, whereas My Brother Sam Is Dead (published in 1974) portrays more of the negative aspects of both sides and war itself. Both books are coming-of-age stories in which the main character matures as he forms his own opinion about the war, and both work well as companions for study of the American Revolution in middle school.