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Aug 20, 2019 | ISBN 9781101998137 | Middle Grade (8-12) Buy *This format is not eligible to earn points towards the Reader Rewards program
Jan 30, 2018 | ISBN 9780451479617 | Middle Grade (8-12) Buy
Jan 30, 2018 | ISBN 9781101998120 | Middle Grade (8-12) Buy
Also available from:
Available from:
Aug 20, 2019 | ISBN 9781101998137 | Middle Grade (8-12)
Jan 30, 2018 | ISBN 9780451479617 | Middle Grade (8-12)
Jan 30, 2018 | ISBN 9781101998120 | Middle Grade (8-12)
From the publishing house that brought you the Who Was? books comes the next big series to make history approachable, engaging, and funny!The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution provides useful information for the practical time traveler, like: • Where can I find a decent hotel room in colonial New England? Are major credit cards accepted? • How do I join the Boston Tea Party without winding up in a British prison? • How can I score a lunch with Alexander Hamilton? This guide answers these fiery, burning questions with the marshmallows of information. There is handy advice on how to join Paul Revere’s spy ring at the Green Dragon Tavern, how to enlist in General Washington’s rebel army, and how to summon the strength to storm a British gun battery when you haven’t eaten for three days. If you had a time travel machine and could take a vacation anywhere in history, this is the only guidebook you would need!
Jonathan W. Stokes (www.jonathanwstokes.com) is a former teacher who is now a Hollywood screenwriter. He has written screenplays on assignment for Warner Brothers, Universal, Fox, Paramount, New Line, and Sony/Columbia. Inspired by a childhood love of The Goonies and Ferris… More about Jonathan W. Stokes
“Stokes’s practice as a screenwriter is evident; readers will feel like they’re in a blockbuster film. A high interest video game–like exploration of the American Revolution.”–School Library Journal“An entertaining introduction to America’s War for Independence conveyed with enough kid-friendly humor that it may make those who dismiss history as a bore reconsider.”–Kirkus Reviews“Easy to read, will engage reluctant readers of history, and spur discussions.”–School Library Connection
How did you get the idea for the Thrifty Guide series?JWS: One of my best friends, Zach Greenberger, hatched the idea when we were in high school. The concept nagged me for two decades. When I broke into children’s publishing, Zach gave me his blessing to run with it. For fun, I gave the lead character of “Finn Greenquill,” a slightly similar name to “Zach Greenberger.”What other time periods do you want to write travel guides for?JWS: There are so many! I’m hoping we discover time travel guides for different continents, covering African history, Asian history, and Native American history. World War One, World War Two, and the American Civil War are also hugely important topics, as well as the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and even the Impressionist period. For fun, I’d love to discover a time traveler’s guide to the future, so we can learn more about the strange world of Finn Greenquill and Time Corp.What’s the weirdest fact you’ve found out in your research for these travel guides?JWS: Probably the fact that my favorite Greek poet, Aeschylus, was killed when he was hit on the head by a falling tortoise.We heard the Thrifty Guides might get made into a movie! Can you tell us a little about that?JWS: New Line Cinema owns the movie rights to the book. The screenplay centers on a group of time traveling students who are on their Ancient Rome trip for history class. When Julius Caesar mistakenly attacks their class field trip, things go horribly awry. The students must go on a harrowing adventure through time to make it back home to the present. Along the way, they do their best not to alter the course of history.If you could visit any historical event, when would you go to?JWS: I might visit the Roman Forum where Mark Antony showed the Romans Caesar’s bloody toga and incited the mob to avenge Caesar’s assassination! For my second choice, I think I would really enjoy a dinosaur safari in the Jurassic period.
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