This wonderful non-fiction book will be a hit with students at the 4th-6th grade level. The real life pictures of immigrant children in the neighborhoods of New York during the late 1800's and early 1900's that appear on almost every page of the book should hold the interest of even the most reluctant readers. However, while the reading itself is not too difficult for most 4th-6th grade students, much of the vocabulary explaining the era of that time will be unfamiliar to them so covering this book as a read-aloud may be most beneficial. Immigrant Kids provides a wonderful way to introduce students to immigration in the past and show how it has changed over time. It lends itself well to a discussion in history class on the various cultures that became part of the giant "mixing pot" we now call our country. Because this book is set in New York it can further be used to teach about the city of New York and its early beginnings. Possibly the one thing that will interest students the most about this book is that it is written from the perspective of children like themselves. Overall the historical content of this book is very well defined and accurate and the photograph driven text provides readers with a very non-threatening approach to information books. It is a must read in any 4th-6th grade history curriculum and can work as a wonderful addition to a reading curriculum when used in accompaniment with other books both fictional and factual dealing with the topic of immigration.

What a wonderful tribute to our country and to those people that left all they had, to join us here! The pictures and stories are amazing!

The life of an immigrant child was harsh. Russell Freedman accomplished his goal of showing how difficult an immigrant's life was through the use of descriptive words and photographs that make you thankful that you do not have to live like immigrant children of the past. The photographs captured our attention. Our fourth grade teacher shared this book with us. It helped us to learn about the conditions immigrants had to live under. We highly recommend this book!

Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The making of a champion, by Russell Freedman. This book was great. It doesn't just tell about her adult life; it also talks about how she got started, like when she was young. She was always the tomboy type until she was in her twenties. As she got older, she had to be the center of all the attention. To tell you the truth, she was always full of herself, which wasn't always a good thing. Babe participated in almost every sport that a woman could do. She was good at every one of them, too. She turned professional in track and field, basketball, and golf. I recommend this book to any girl who loves to compete in sports. I really didn't have a role model until I read this book!

This book is an interesting, yet honest look at the life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. There are parts of the book that are necessarily a bit dry, e.g., the explanation of how and why she tried to regain her amateur status after playing as a professional. Most of the book, however, does an excellent job of getting the reader to feel her seemingly boundless energy and determination. It also does a good job of portraying the limitations of the era on female athletes. It doesn't make them into tragedies, but it does point out that they were more "hurdles" that Babe had to overcome.

For those interested in biographies of famous women, this book and Freedman's book about Eleanor Roosevelt are both excellent additions to the young adult library.

When asked if there was something she didn't play, Babe replied smiling: "dolls!" This intriguing book by Russell Freedman lets you in on the tragic and wonderful secrets in Babe Didrikson Zaharias's life. From hurdling her neighbor's bushes to winning world-wide golf tournaments, Babe's extraordinary life captures all young readers! How good can Babe get? This wonderful story tells it all with excitement and suspense. Enjoy your reading!

OK...I'll admit it; I got fooled! I didn't read the review carefully enough nor did I do the necessary inspection of the book itself. I was expecting a well written, adult oriented, lengthy, history of the early years of the republic; say from 1730 to about 1810.
What I got was a picture book suited to 7th/8th graders at best. The bibliography is a joke. If you have children of these ages in your home, this is a passable book. I don't. For me, the book was a waste of money

The title "Give Me Liberty!" is closer to the mark that the subtitle, which says this juvenile history by Russell Freedman is "The Story of the Declaration of Independence." More properly, it is a history of the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 to the declaring of Independence on July 4, 1776. In fact, only the last two chapters are devoted to the actual Declaration of Independence, the first being a history of the writing and adoption of the Declaration and the second being an analysis of the document's significance (followed by the complete text of the document). It is in this last chapter that Freedman looks at the Declaration from a contemporary perspective on issues like the rights of women and how the concept of equality applied to a nation that allowed slavery, as well as the importance of the Declaration in the powerful rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.

However, the title of his book remains problematic for me. I picked it up because I was checking out juvenile histories dealing with the Declaration of Independence and while Freedman is certainly not alone in putting the Declaration in the full context of the American Revolution and colonial relations with the British crown, I am still looking for a first rate book about what happened in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776. Yes, I am basically looking for something that will tell young students the story behind the musical "1776," which has enjoyed a Broadway revival and been touring the nation the last couple of years. "Give Me Liberty" has excellent historic paintings and etchings, and Freedman usually works in some analysis along with the historical facts. It is for that reason in general, and his last chapter in particular, that I am willing to overlook the problems with the title. Any teacher covering the Declaration of Independence in class would be well served to take notes on the points covered in that last chapter.

This book is about the Declaration of Independence. It all began with the Boston Tea Party when men and boys dumped tea out. They did not want to pay King George taxes. So, the British came to Boston to assault the Americans. Read this book to find out many more interesting facts about this time in history. My favorite part was when Patrick Henry said, "Give me liberty or give me death." My favorite character is George Washington because he was our first president, and he won a lot of battles against the British. I think that others would like this book because it is about the Declaration of Independence.

This book is excellent if your trying to learn something! It tells you everything about the Wild West! But otherwise just for fun I don't think you're gonna like it! It's pretty boring! But I have to read it for a grade in 6th grade language arts class, and I'll tell I think I'm goin to get an A!