George the Drummer Boy

by Nathaniel Benchley, Don Bolognese (Illustrator)

More than two hundred years ago, Boston belonged to the British. George was a drummer boy with the King's soldiers there. He wanted to be friends with the people of Boston. But they did not like the soldiers. They shouted and threw things at them. One night, George and the other soldiers were sent on a secret mission. They crossed the river and headed toward Concord. George had no idea that this was the start of the American Revolution.

In this I Can Read Book, Don Bolognese's vibrant pictures capture the drama and humor of Nathaniel Benchley's exciting story.

Genres: History, American History, Childrens, Picture Books, American Revolution, 2nd Grade, School

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley (1889-1945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City.

Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. Benchley dealt with diverse locales and topics such as "Bright Candles", which recounts the experiences of a 16-year-old Danish boy during the German occupation of his country in World War II; and "Small Wolf", a story about a Native American boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own peoples'.

Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.

Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.

His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. His younger son, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor who has portrayed his grandfather, Robert Benchley, in a one-man, semi-biographical stage show, "Benchley Despite Himself". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's best monologues, short films, radio rantings and pithy pieces as recalled, edited, and acted by his grandson Nat, and combined with family reminiscences and friends' perspectives."

Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great introduction both to this particular war, and also to big questions like the role of soldiers on either side, in any war. I love Fred who doesn't ask questions... great character. I love that the MC is named for his king. And the history, heck, I learned plenty about the details of the battles of Lexington and Concord that I hadn't understood before. Oh, and it's a fun read, too, with wit and excitement both.

Benchley was a master at this format, and a talented writer for adults, too... I'll have to reread some of his novels if I can find them...,

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's written from the perspective of the British and follows George, a drummer boy, who doesn't understand much of what's going on and doesn't want to be in a battle. He just wants to get back safely to Boston.

At the end of the book the author notes: "Just as it takes two sides to make a war, so there must be two stories for every battle." If that was the author's entire reason for writing this story I'm afraid it was missed, as I feel like the character and the story should have presented a stronger and more accurate viewpoint then.

Reading Level: 2nd - 4th grades

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[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic little book. You learn about the battles of Concord and Lexington (the beginning of the Revolution) from the perspective of an English drummer boy. For the shortness of the book it had a lot of information and was the perfect introduction for younger kids. This also led to a good discussion on 'good guys' and 'bad guys' and how sometimes it's just people on different sides.

The illustrations were a bit weird, but oh well.

While this is not a chapter book, the vocab and such makes it for more advanced beginners, than new beginners.

This was a pleasant surprise. I'm glad we read it. Afterwards we reenacted the battles using our trains. They enjoyed it so much it went on for hours.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good companion to "Sam the Minuteman" by the same author. I especially liked the note at the end about every story having two sides. It is important for kids to learn that even though we fought to win our Independence from England, we are now friends, neighbors, and allies.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes an unusual perspective for a book published in the United States, it presents the opening battles of the American Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord from the British perspective. The main character is George, a drummer boy in the British military units stationed in Boston. On the fateful night of the famous ride of Paul Revere, his unit is one that departs from Boston on small boats and then marches to Lexington. Their goal is to find ammunition supposedly hidden in Concord and Lexington is on the way.
Most modern readers will not know that back then the phrase “drummer boy” should be taken literally. The youngest known drummer in the British Army was nine and the youngest in the American Army during the Revolutionary War was seven.
While George’s age is not given, there is the clear impression that he was at most in his early teens. Therefore, the battles are described from his perspective, he more than the older soldiers, had no real idea why the two sides were fighting. There is no mention of glory or achievement in this narrative, just the rendition of a military defeat and returning to base cold, wet, hungry and tired. It is an excellent story, presenting the history of a very famous battle from the side of the defeated. They are not evil redcoats, just men that managed to survive a long day.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are studying the American Revolution with a kid who is also learning to read (like I was this year) this is a great book to pick up as an extra reader. I think my son really enjoyed it because there were things that he was reading that he was familiar with from our studies instead of just being a fictional story that had easy words. Yes, there were plenty of words I had to help him with along the way, but it stretched his abilities and added another perspective to the history we were learning.

[CTWard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical fiction for new readers. Provides an interesting change of perspective for the battle of Lexington and Concord (Revolutionary War) from the perspective of two young boys enlisted in the British army. Recommended reading age 6/7-10. The text is a bit complex in some areas, but constructed as simple, short sentences and does tell the story without difficultly. The illustrations are not graphic, but does convey emotion and the atmosphere of the situation very well.

[Rebecca Nevling · Rating 5 out of 5]

George the Drummer Boy is an account of the Revolutionary War battles of Lexington and Concord. It's not your usual war storybook though. It's unique because it's told from the perspective of a British soldier. There's great value in seeing things from another perspective. True to the title, George is not a soldier. He's a drummer. He doesn't have a gun to fight with and he really just wants to go home. This would be a good choice for young readers who are interested in learning about history.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandson chose this book to read to me for 2 reasons: First, at age 8, he is beginning to want to know about history; and second, his sixth great grandfather was John George a drummer boy for Washington during the Revolutionary War.

This is an easily read book for 7-8 year olds that will give them a nice introduction to the Revolutionary War and about the feelings of young drummer boys when the first battle began. The rating is how he rated it on his summer reading log.

[Chykela Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about the start of the American Revolution. It’s about a drummer boy named George in Boston. George wanted to be friends with the people of Boston, but the people of Boston did not like the King’s soldiers. The King required the people of Boston to pay taxes, so they took their frustration out on his soldiers.

[LadyHague · Rating 3 out of 5]

Level 3 reader shows the Revolutionary war start from the point of view of a young boy enlisted in the Kings Army. Interesting viewpoint. Going where he is told without understanding the why or politics. Rumors reach him, but he just does as told. Simple.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see the other side of the story.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!! Pairs with Sam the Minuteman

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

George is just a boy. He serves in the Army of the King of England. He's a drummer.

He witnessed the start of the American revolution, though he didn't know at the time what was happening.

[Shannon D · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of George the Drummer Boy starts by telling the reader about George, who was a drummer boy in the King's army. George was in Boston at the time, which was owned by England. The people in Boston were not friendly towards the King's men. Even though the people of Boston were mean, George still tried to be friendly with them. The King's men were planning a surprise attack on the people, and George's company was one of two that was chosen to carry out the attack.The book talks about what the men did to prepare for the attack and how the men started the attack. George is with his friend Fred, and while they were coming onto shore, they saw two lights. After that, they saw a rider go by. George and Fred both figure that the army has been found out and that the people were ready to fight back. The English Army tried to get the crowd of people to break up but they wouldn't, so the Army began to get ready for a fight. A shot was fired, and then the battle was on. George noticed that more and more men kept coming to defend their city. George and Fred decided to flee, but while they were running away, Fred gets shot in the arm. At the end of the book, the author tells us that the Revolutionary War had just begun.
This book is aimed at children in grades two through fourth. The concepts that are introduced to the reader is kind of mature in the sense that there is mention of war and of people being shot and picked off. The art medium that is used may be pencil or colored pencil. The pictures are somewhat blurry and the colors are not very bright. This book would be recommended to children that are interested in history, but also those that are interested in war and what people went through during war times.

[Xiaoxiao Zhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a pretty suitable picture book for children to learn more about American history with someone's experience. So it really is a perfect historical fiction for kids to experience the real scene in 1776. Actually this fiction mainly talks about George who is a drummer with the King's Soldiers in Boston in 1776. Unfortunately, the people of Boston don't like the soldiers, so they don't like George, which makes him unhappy. One day, George is fulfill his assignment, and he and Fred are there just as the first shoot of American Revolution are fired.

This book's colors are bright and illustrations are very vivid. And these must attract a lot of children's eyes and kids must find its value after reading it. However, someone must say history always has two sides and who knows which is the truth. But for children, what they need to do is not only to learn about history but also to study how to develop the United States.

What I mostly appreciate in this book is its plot, because it makes the scene more real behind my eyes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited to find this historical easy reader. I've read the author's other book "Sam the Minuteman", and I was thrilled that we were able to read about the same battles from a British drummer boy's perspective. I felt the author brought George's story to life very well and I am always impressed to read a story that is well told and yet easy to read. It takes a certain skill and well-chosen words to make a good-quality historical easy reader. I also liked the illustrations. They lent themselves very well to the story.

After we read this book we compared the three boy characters from "Sam the Minuteman", "George the Drummer Boy", and "Many Ways to Be a Soldier". It was a great literature exercise and I think my 7 year old son really enjoyed comparing the three boys' experiences. We even made a 3 circle Vann diagram out of it. SO grateful there was a book we could read in the same reading-age range from a British boy's perspective! Thank you Nathaniel Benchley!

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

George, a British drummer boy, is stationed in Boston. When a spy tells General Gage that the Yankees are hiding cannon and gun powder in Concord, the commander decides to capture the munitions. One night, George’s company is ordered into long boats and ferried from Boston to Charlestown across the river. Then, they march with the regular soldiers to Lexington and Concord. At dawn, George sees eighty Minutemen on the Lexington green. A shot is fired. The soldiers respond and, soon, eight Minutemen lay dead. As George and his company march back to Charlestown, the Americans shoot at them from behind trees and rock walls.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Lisa Hartmann · Rating 1 out of 5]

George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley is a historical fiction book. It is for grades 2-4. This wasn't one of my favorites. I think mostly because it is about fighting. the story is a view of two battle, Lexington and Concord. It is a view from the British side. The drummer boy George is learning about war and how to be apart of it. He doesn't understand that the people in Boston were not happy about the King's men but he still wanted to be friendly with them. There are very simple drawing in the book and the only colors used are red,white, blue and black.

[Cristina Ortega · Rating 4 out of 5]

George The Drummer Boy written by Nathaniel Benchley and illustrated by Don Bolognese follows the story of a drummer boy for the British World War One.The story talk about the start of World War One from a british soldier's perspective,this is a great children's book for elementary school teachers to read to their students while teaching them about how America became Independent it offers a lot of fact in a fun way because it uses George the drummer boy to appeal to young children.The Illustrations are very realistic and help characterize the story and bring it to life.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is perfect to read with Sam the Minuteman by the same author. It shares all the same great qualities as the story told from the American boy's perspective only this time from the British perspective: interesting story and illustrations, appeal to young boys, and a great way to get kids interested in history.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of history from the side of the British - something not seen very often in children's books. I like this book in that, while it's easy to read, it really gets into what happened and how the soldiers felt to be there. The author makes a note that this is a guess at how the British soldiers felt. I'd say it's probably pretty accurate. Very well done!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy reader. It is from an interesting perspective that you don't read about very much. It is written from the perspective of the British Soldiers during the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

[Kelly]

Confusing at first because it's about the Revolutionary War with a boy named George, but it's NOT about George Washington. Pictures are messy and not interesting (it is from the 70s). An introduction to a couple of battles during the War.

[Matt Guendel · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a good book because it educates kids on some some American history. This story takes place in Boston and is about a drummer boy and his run in with the Minutemen while following orders. This book has some action and there are some deaths that take place during battle. Its a decent read

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a boy! I read it over and over...probably wore out the copy owned by my local library!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really intersting take on the revolution from a lowly british soliders point of view. Great for my daughter who knew the story already.

[WSL Library]

x2

[Analee · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Historical fiction for school for early readers.

[Jessica Van Vleet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my 2nd grader. Good story.