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95th out of 434 books
—
240 voters
Johnny Tremain
Johnny Tremain, A young apprentice silversmith, is caught up in the danger and excitement of 1775 Boston, just before the Revolutionary War. Johnny can’t help but be swept along by the powerful currents that will lead to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington. But even more gripping than living through the drama of Revolutionary Boston is the
important discovery J...more
important discovery J...more
Paperback, 269 pages
Published
November 3rd 1987
by Dell Publishing Co., Inc.
(first published 1943)
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Sep 14, 2008
Adam
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Every living human
Probably the greatest book ever written, by both man and child, woman and other writing entity, Johnny Tremain tells the story of a young genius who becomes a silversmith and burns the crappin' hell out of his hand. He's always embarrassed by his sort of melty hand and keeps it in his pockets or in his mother's pies and pie type dishes. One day he meets a girl named Cilla, Priscilla for long, who loves him despite for his sick melt-hand. Paul Bunyan or John Tubbers or whichever is the name of th...more
46 likes · like · see review
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"wah, I was born rich but I grew up poor. wah, I burned my hand."
27 likes · like · see review
I know this is perceived as being a "kid's book", but I think that it is a story any adult would enjoy. Johnny Tremain takes place in pre-revolutionary Boston and is about a prideful (but slowly improving) boy who finds himself in the center of the independence fervor. Although I obviously cannot be sure of how accurate the descriptions are, I appreciated the book for doing such a great job at taking me back to the colonial era of American history. As Johnny Tremain struggled with adversity, his...more
Definetly not the greatest book ever written. Pretty terrible actually!! Didn't like it at all. Expected it to be better and i'm very dissapointed. It was very hard to understand what was going on im each chapter and I would not recommend this book to anyone.
6 likes · like · see review
Jun 17, 2007
jacky
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to jacky by:
some educated adult
Shelves:
childrens-chapter-books,
1001cbymrbyug
I hated this book when I read it in middle school (?). I had to choose a historical fiction book and I believe the librarian recommended this one. I found it terribly boring when I read it. Looking back now, I probably wasn't very open minded about reading something I wasn't really interested in, like most kids.
5 likes · like · see review
Maybe I bought a copy of this at the U.S.S. Constitution gift shop in Boston this weekend. MAYBE I DID. AND MAYBE I DON'T CARE IF YOU KNOW IT!
3 likes · like · see review
As an apprentice to a silversmith, Johnny sees great success and is a good worker. But he suffers from an accident which results in serious burns, leaving his thumb attached to his hand – promptly ending his career as a silversmith apprentice. After searching for new work to do, Johnny comes across a printing shop where Rab works for his Aunt and Uncle. So Johnny becomes a rider for the “Boston Observer.” Also, he takes part in the Boston Tea Party, and uses his skills to spy against the British...more
If I were a children's book writer, this is exactly the kind of book I'd love to write. It has mystery, suspense, romance, history, coming-of-age, overcoming personal and physical problems; gosh, it has it all.
I've always wanted to read this book, just never got around to it till now. If your child is studying Revolutionary War times in history, this would be a great literary supplement to that history lesson. It brings the history of that time to life.
Including, but not limited to: One if by la...more
I've always wanted to read this book, just never got around to it till now. If your child is studying Revolutionary War times in history, this would be a great literary supplement to that history lesson. It brings the history of that time to life.
Including, but not limited to: One if by la...more
Wow it's so touching! I really LOVED how it ended completely! But I wish the author continued more with Cilla... haha gotta love romance. Overall it was great! I loved the details and it was like I was back in that time... being one with Johnny Tremain! HaHa sorry just trying to describe what I feel... sorta like, when I'm reading this book! :O Well I don't think much of my friend's would enjoy reading this book but I certainly have. Maybe... *cough* insane Helen did but she's insane so xP
3 likes · like · see review
this book is bad because i dont like historic books cause i think history is boring
3 likes · like · see review
Funny what you remember in a book. I read this as a child, and all I recalled was one of the last scenes of the book...a very touching, startling scene. I didn't realize how much I had blocked out--except for this one event--until I was actually reading it again at the end. Not remembering actually allowed me much enjoyment of rediscovering the characters and the new tenor of humanness I could now more fully understand as an adult.
It's a great read, and very enjoyable to the one who likes histor...more
It's a great read, and very enjoyable to the one who likes histor...more
Mar 05, 2008
Amanda
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
NO ONE/history lovers
I had to read this "classic" fo school. I love classics by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, but Esther Forbes killed me! (not in a good way). I depise history, so maybe thats why reading this book made me feel like it was a pimple on the beautiful face of literature. It wasn't many pages, so that wasn't an issue, but I was soo droneful. Everytime I read something I had to stuggle to remember it. Johnny and Rab were frends, and at the end he dies. That was the most touching part, the end, when he di...more
1 like · like · see review
I hated this book!!!! if u read this book you will become boring and old!
this book pulls you into a wrinkled old time of so-called "action"!!! i could have
found more action by going to a retirement home and watching the 900 year old people play bingo!!!!!! i of course was forced against my will to read this,
otherwise, i wouldnt go spitting distance of it!!!! if you enjoyed this book
(mr.flegar) then you are boring old!! do not read this thing! it's a plague!
save yourselves!!!!!!!!
this book pulls you into a wrinkled old time of so-called "action"!!! i could have
found more action by going to a retirement home and watching the 900 year old people play bingo!!!!!! i of course was forced against my will to read this,
otherwise, i wouldnt go spitting distance of it!!!! if you enjoyed this book
(mr.flegar) then you are boring old!! do not read this thing! it's a plague!
save yourselves!!!!!!!!
3 likes · like · see review
I remember loving this book years (or decades?) ago in elementary school and given that it is set in Boston on the eve of the Revolutionary War, it was a perfect choice for a family road trip from Boston to Cape Cod. The title character, Johnny Tremain, is an apprentice to a mediocre silver smith. Due to an accident while pouring silver on the Sabbath, Johnny's hand is maimed and he is forced to take a more menial job delivering the town newspaper. Through the newspaper Johnny gets swept up with...more
As she recounts the life experiences of twelve-year-old Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes skillfully conveys the excitement, danger and commitment experienced by the patriots who fought during the US Revolution. Many of the characters in this account are accurately portrayed and described—including several of those who helped write the Declaration of Independence. Reading this book cannot fail to make this time period truly understandable and alive.
Unfortunately the length and language discourage t...more
Unfortunately the length and language discourage t...more
Another 5th grade required historical novel. The reason why it's not 1 star? Mutilation by molten silver - it was the one redeeming factor.
2 likes · like · see review
A very interesting tale about both the Revolution, and the breaking of one mans pride. Johnny must be taken to the lowest level of humiliation, before he is finally able to accept his situation, and learn to make the best of it. While not overtly Christian, there are many ties that can be made between this and the value of accepting the position in which the Lord places us. While we may not understand why we must suffer as we do, and often fight against it, our paths are being directed by one wh...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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2 likes · like · see review
Good book, and enthralling story. But I must admit, the writing style of the 1940s wasn't all that tightly structured. Lots of POV shifts that were hard to deal with, a lack of dialog tags making it difficult to figure out who was speaking, etc. I realize it was written in Omniscient POV, but still... it was not an easy read.
The story line, however, was great. I loved the setting and history of the story. The emotion of the accident with the silver, and the change of circumstances for Johnny, we...more
The story line, however, was great. I loved the setting and history of the story. The emotion of the accident with the silver, and the change of circumstances for Johnny, we...more
During school spring break, I had the chance to read Johnny Tremain written by Esther Forbes. After looking at the cover and read a little bit of summary about the book, I notice that the book take place during the American Revolution War. I was interested with History so I decided to give it a try.
In this book, the main character Johnny Tremain is a young gifted silversmith boy. When he was fourteen-year-old he worked under Ephraim Lapham. As a young age with a gifted skill, he acts as a ignora...more
In this book, the main character Johnny Tremain is a young gifted silversmith boy. When he was fourteen-year-old he worked under Ephraim Lapham. As a young age with a gifted skill, he acts as a ignora...more
Jan 10, 2013
Gloriavirtutisumbra
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult-younger,
fiction-old-and-new
I think it helps to know when this was written, 1943, to understand it. Keep in mind it was for a young adult audience back then. It's not always nice. May be very hard for a modern young adult reader to warm up to, after likable Harry Potter. The characters were well formed, resembling living breathing people, not always noble, many times petty and cruel. The retelling of the beginning of the revolutionary war was cleverly mixed in. But the part I find most impressive is how, through Johnny, yo...more
I somehow missed being forced to read this in grade school, so I'm going back to take a look, particularly as I'm going to try to work my way through some of the Newberry Medalists I'd somehow managed to miss as well.
Overall an interesting plot and likely well researched as apparently Esther Forbes won a Pulitzer Prize for another book she released as a historian the same year this was released. Interestingly, this is probably the better remembered and more widely read book of the two. I'll have...more
Overall an interesting plot and likely well researched as apparently Esther Forbes won a Pulitzer Prize for another book she released as a historian the same year this was released. Interestingly, this is probably the better remembered and more widely read book of the two. I'll have...more
This was a good book, but it could have been better. For the first half of the story, we are introduced to Johnny (an initially annoying character who really grew on me as the book progressed). We witness the accident that deformed his hand and see the results of it. There's some great character development, not just of Johnny, but of his friends and neighbors as well. The writer creates an excellent atmosphere too. Basically, a fabulous read.
Then we get to the second part. It's a history lesson...more
Then we get to the second part. It's a history lesson...more
Dec 08, 2012
♥Caro♥
added it
These are one of the books required for school that take me about a day and the rest of my class about a month. XD Although from the first page i could tell it was gonna be slightly tedious. There were lots of details, lots and lots of little things that describe the setting quite well. The word choice was a bit advanced nothing too hard but i do agree the writing style is best described as tedious. Johnny tremain is a silver apprentice who is very good at his job and very arrogant. Unfortunatel...more
1 like · like · see review
I chose to read the book Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes because my History teacher recommended it to her classes, and told us how it took place during the Revolutionary War. In this book, a fourteen year old silversmith apprentice named Johnny Tremain burns his hand with hot silver, and must find work elsewhere. He finds a printing shop where they offer him the job as the delivery boy for the Boston Observer, through which he also helps the Sons of Liberty. My favorite quote is “‘We give all w...more
As an apprentice to a silversmith, Johnny sees great success and is a good worker. But he suffers from an accident which results in serious burns, leaving his thumb attached to his hand – promptly ending his career as a silversmith apprentice. After a series of rejected jobs, Johnny turns to Mr. Lyte, a successful businessman. After explaining that his mother told him that he and Mr. Lyte were related, Johnny is asked to prove this relationship by showing Lyte the silver family cup with the fami...more
When I was very small, I watched the Disney movie version of Johnny Tremain and the single memory that stands out in my mind is the tune from the song, “The Sons of Liberty.” Now that I am an adult and study the American Revolution for my own historical fiction books, I decided it was time to read the original book called Johnny Tremain written in 1943 by Esther Forbes. I’m so glad that I did.
Although it is considered a novel for young adults, this older adult reader was highly caught up in the...more
Although it is considered a novel for young adults, this older adult reader was highly caught up in the...more
I believe I read this sometime in middle school. I don't think I enjoyed it at the time and all I really remembered was the hand injury part. We may have, in fact, just read an excerpt. At the time the best way to ruin a book for me was to study it, so that may have killed it for me too.
Today I found it a decent enough book. Not nearly as dry as some of the children's books of the time. I found it interesting that the children's books of the past seem to assume a lot more knowledge on the part o...more
Today I found it a decent enough book. Not nearly as dry as some of the children's books of the time. I found it interesting that the children's books of the past seem to assume a lot more knowledge on the part o...more
I have to say that I didn't much care for this book. I plodded through it only because I wanted to get to the ending. And without giving it away, I didn't much care for the ending. Maybe some consider it appropriate considering the time, place and subject matter. However for me, it fell very flat.
I will say some positive things. I think the writing is superb. What the author has done to create a fictional character who stands at the onset of the Revolutionary War is excellent. I didn't feel conf...more
I will say some positive things. I think the writing is superb. What the author has done to create a fictional character who stands at the onset of the Revolutionary War is excellent. I didn't feel conf...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any other books like this? | 8 | 56 | May 15, 2013 08:02pm | |
| Historical Fictio...: Johnny Tremain vs My Brother Sam is Dead | 7 | 89 | Jun 26, 2012 09:58am | |
| johnny tremain | 2 | 25 | Apr 22, 2009 01:15pm | |
| great book | 2 | 14 | May 05, 2008 04:47pm |
Esther Forbes was born in Westboro, Massachusetts in 1891, as the youngest of five children. Her family roots can be traced back to 1600s America; one of her great-uncles was the great historical figure and leader of the Sons of Liberty, Sam Adams. Her father was a probate judge in Worcester and her mother, a writer of New England reference books. Both her parents were historical enthusiasts.
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“We give all we have, lives, property, safety, skill...we fight, we die, for a simple thing. Only that a man can stand up.”
—
15 people liked it
“How old are you Johnny" she asked.
Sixteen."
And what's that-a boy or a man?"
He laughed. "A boy in time of peace and a man in time of war.”
—
9 people liked it
More quotes…
Sixteen."
And what's that-a boy or a man?"
He laughed. "A boy in time of peace and a man in time of war.”
