JOHNNY TREMAIN by Esther Forbes (1943)

Yearling/Random House; 322 pages; historical fiction; ages 10-14; ISBN: 978-0-440-44250-9.

Johnny Tremain is a talented apprentice to silversmith Ephraim Lapham in 1770s Boston, even catching the eye of Paul Revere with his work. Unfortunately, it goes to the 14-year-old's head: Johnny thinks his future is made, so when his right hand is permanently crippled in an accident involving a broken crucible, he's greatly humbled. He can no longer become a silversmith, and after several failed attempts at finding a new job, he lands as a delivery boy at the Boston Observer, a pro-Whig newspaper, where he learns all about Revolutionary politics and becomes something of a junior spy, ferreting out the British army's secrets whenever and wherever he can. Johnny also learns the importance of working for the greater good and being part of a team, especially when the team in question is an emerging nation.

I was reminded recently that Johnny Tremain was mentioned in a Simpsons episode back in 1993: Bart isn't interested in reading the book until his mother, Marge, tells him it's about a boy whose hand is deformed in an accident. "Why didn't you say so!" he replies enthusiastically. "They should call this book 'Johnny Deformed'!" Hey, whatever gets reluctant readers reading, plus Johnny Tremain can be used in English classes as a back-door history lesson, killing two educational birds with one stone.

I also like how Esther Forbes illustrates that no one's destiny is predetermined, especially a 14-year-old boy who still has so much to experience in life. In fact Johnny experiences more than he normally would have by his age because of his silversmithing accident: it's doubtful he would have gotten so deeply involved in the American Revolution if he hadn't secured a job that only required the use of one of his hands.

Winner of the 1944 Newbery Medal. For more historical fiction, check out Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (1955).