My Brother Sam Is Dead (Scholastic Gold) Paperback – June 1, 2005

If you want to travel back in time to the American Revolution, check out this book. It comes at the war from a different angle – the home front. When Sam, the oldest son comes home from college, he’s wearing an American uniform. His father is a staunch loyalist. After a heated argument, Sam runs off to war, taking the family gun with him. His little brother Tim and their mother are stuck between them.The story follows their effort to survive the year following Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence, and the British invasion of New York. A cattle drive to Verplancks Point on the Hudson River turns into a nightmare. His father is kidnapped. Sam has to make it home alone with the wagon and oxen. He and his mother must run the family tavern together. As for Sam, he’ll meet his end in a tragic way. No one escapes war – not those on either side. Or the ones stuck in the middle. If you want to picture what their life was like during those fateful days, this is the book for you. Check out the back matter to discover the research that went into its pages.

I have loved this book since I was a kid, and I still enjoy reading it. In my opinion, it's a classic. I've bought one for each of my kids, and they're adults.

This book describes the fictional adventures of the Meeker family of Redding, Connecticut, though much of the context of the story -- including setting, characters and situations -- is true. The action takes place between April 1775 and February 1779. Tim Meeker begins as an 11-year old boy; his father runs the town's tavern and general store and remains loyal to the English king, while his beloved older brother Sam has just run off to join the Rebels and fight for freedom from the British.The narrative voice of Sam is effective and well-written. A lot of choices are made and many changes take place for anyone between the ages of eleven and fifteen, but just imagine if you were also going through those important times while the American Revolution was happening around you! Sam is confused. He doesn't understand all the issues and has seen acts of good and bad from both sides. He loves his father and his brother. He cannot decide where his loyalties lie. Sam's dilemma makes clear that the Revolution was really America's first civil war -- neighbors fought neighbors, people were right and wrong on both sides, and everyone suffered.This is a realistic book with no struggles or acts beyond the believable abilities of the characters involved. There is no explicit violence but the narrator sees a beheading and an execution, so this book would be inappropriate for young readers; but it captures the dilemmas of growing up and the difficulties of the Revolution in a way that would make it interesting and valuable to pre-teens and teenagers.

I read this book in class with my peers and after we finished i just had to get my own copy! I love how the book has some fictional and real information, However it does have a tragic ending so if you prefer a happy ending this might not be the book for you! The love between family members and siblings is incredible i would recommend to others! 👍😊

My son loves this book.

Very good book. My son had to read it for his 5th grade class; and since I like to be close to what is being taught I read the book as well. Book is tough (emotionally so for a 5th grader), but accurately depicts the challenges in all conflicts - the main theme of the book.Some may argue that the book is anti-war, or even unpatriotic - but that would be underplaying the "grayness" in the world when it comes to armed conflict. It's a smart book, and raises a number of topics and talking points for discussion.Another theme (although lesser) is that the Revolutionary War itself is one where the conflict is grey and complicated and the book ingeniously depicts as such from the viewpoint of a family in the war. I've not read another book on the Revolutionary War that so immerses the reader - one gets pulled into the story pretty quickly.Nice recap at the end of the book regarding the historical research - what is fact in the book and what is story; includes places that still exist and can be visited.

This is one of those books that begins by telling you the end, but for what reason is not entirely clear. When the ending effects the beginning, such a literary technique is welcomed, but in this case, it doesn't. As I am certain that life during the Revolutionary War was by no means easy, the book does what seems to be an excellent job at depicting wartime for civilians during the late 18th century America, but it lacked something that made me care enough to write home about. I can see why it was awarded the Newbery Honor, but is otherwise not stunning.

I read this book to help teach in a 4th grade class. My job is to work with the teacher to help students who are struggling. We have been studying the Revolutionary War for some time and I found it to be so boring. This book was the summation of the unit.This book is so fascinating, it showed me the Revolutionary War in a whole new way that I had never imagined. This book really opened my eyes to how complex the war actually was. It also personalizes the war in a way I have never experienced. My only complaint is that it can be quite violent and graphic in places. I think it is appropriate for 7th graders and up but we read it to 4th graders and I feel as though they are not quite old enough for it.