Saturday, June 7, 2014

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds illustrated by Paul Lantz

Winner of the John Newbery Medal
Edward's father has a large Spanish gun, the matchlock, hanging over the fireplace but has never used it.  Edward is fascinated by it.  The gun is bigger than he is!  During this time the French from Canada and the Native Americans were constant threat to the colonists.  One night Edward's father leaves to ward of the Native Americans, leaving Edward, his mother and little sister to fend for themselves.
This book reveals the courage and cleverness of the Colonists and children at that time.
Even though this book is short, it is not for younger readers.  The terminology  and the different time period will require some pre-reading discussion to build schema.
Warning/points to discuss: referred to African Americans as "Negroes"; very violent; the Native Americans are portrayed as the enemy-which was accurate for that time period and location.

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