Meet Benjamin Tallmadge, a young teacher in the midst of Revolutionary America. Spurred by the cry for freedom and the blood spilled at Lexington and Concord, Benjamin sacrifices his career and his dreams to enlist in George Washington’s army. Readers follow Benjamin and his beloved horse, Highlander, into fiery combat at the Battle of Long Island. Benjamin grapples with the realities of being a soldier – the blasts of cannons, the smell of gunpowder, the relentlessness of the enemy. Will he and the rest of the battered Americans escape from Brooklyn unhurt? Selene Castrovilla has woven Benjamin Tallmadge’s own account with additional details from primary-source documents and extensive research to deliver this thrilling narrative of one of history’s most harrowing moments.

Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth

Awards and Honors:

AN INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION NOTABLE BOOK / NEW YORK STATE READING ASSOCIATION – Recommended Intermediate Reading / MOONBEAM CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD GOLD MEDALIST FOR NONFICTION / A Kansas Reading Circle Selection