  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2013 This illustrated biography of the colonial statesman and inventor emphasizes political achievements, covering his personal life in lesser, but nonetheless adequate, detail. Freedman opens with Franklin as a seventeen-year-old runaway, arriving with a little money, a generous nature, and boundless energy in Philadelphia, where he rose rapidly in the printing trade and made connections that would eventually launch his political career. Freedman skillfully conveys the many stages of Franklin’s life-a businessman and amateur (in the truest sense of the word) scientist until his “retirement” in his early forties, and then his second and better-known career as a public servant, Revolutionary leader, nation builder, and international diplomat. The density of the text is mitigated by spacious layouts and a wealth of generally well-captioned illustrations. A timeline, source notes, selected bibliography, and index are appended. Students with particular interest in Franklin’s inventions-or his reputed amorous liaisons in Paris-will want to consult additional biographies, but those pursuing general information will find this to be a readable, reliable resource. EB - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 04/20/2013 Gr 4–8—There are numerous excellent children's books about Benjamin Franklin, including Robert Byrd's Electric Ben (Dial, 2012), Rosalyn Schanzer's How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning (HarperCollins, 2002), and Candace Fleming's Ben Franklin's Almanac (S & S, 2003). Freedman, however, is a master at taking primary sources and turning them into engaging narratives that draw readers into the subject. While the three earlier books are highly visual presentations, this treatment is more about the text. Numerous paintings and engravings are included, but they are not the main event. Tracing Franklin's life chronologically, the author chose episodes that reflect how the young man, disgruntled with being his brother's apprentice, made a life for himself, and how he became the figure who is revered today. By describing the obstacles Franklin overcame in establishing his print shop in Philadelphia, Freedman delineates a clear path between his subject's early ambition and his ease with people to his success in business and then to his later roles as a diplomat, revolutionary, and public servant. Biographers make decisions about what to leave out as much as what to put in, but Freedman is consistent in connecting his discussion to primary sources. The result is an account that examines the whole of Franklin's remarkable life but does not overwhelm readers.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/01/2013 *Starred Review* f your image of Benjamin Franklin is a portly, balding old fellow carried through the streets of Philadelphia in a sedan chair, meet 17-year-old Ben. A runaway apprentice new to the city, he was strong, energetic, and ambitious, with intelligence and charm to spare. Freedman traces Franklin’s life and work, showing how a mischievous boy became a rebellious apprentice, then a successful colonial printer, and finally an influential figure in the world and a pivotal figure in his nation’s founding. Along the way, Franklin informs and amuses his countrymen with Poor Richard’s Almanack, heats them with his stove design, enlightens them through his experiments on electricity, and protects them by inventing the lightning rod. Writing about a man whose long life included such varied interests and accomplishments must involve hard choices of what to leave out, but Freedman clearly enjoys the challenge. In chapters with titles such as Dr. Fatsides in the Mother Country, he writes perceptively about every stage of Franklin’s life, weaving in lively anecdotes as well as quotes from his Autobiography and other writings. The well-chosen color illustrations include period paintings, prints, and documents. Handsomely designed, solidly researched, and beautifully written, this is the go-to biography of Franklin for young people. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: After a long, storied career, Freedman continues to carry the banner as one of the premier nonfiction writers for youth. The combination of names—his and his subject’s—guarantees requests. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. Loading...
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