About this book

Tim has lost both his father and his brother, Sam, to the Revolutionary War. And for what? The war continues, with fighting and bloodshed all around him, no closer to peace. As the violence grows, Tim and his mother struggle to stay neutral, but Tim’s anger is unrelenting. Haunted by memories of his brother’s final moments, Tim is starting to realize that eventually, everyone must take a side. But which side should pay the price for his brother’s death: the British or the Rebels who led Sam into the line of fire? Each played a part in Sam’s death, so it’s up to Tim to decide how to avenge his brother. Will he be able to get the justice his brother deserves, or will he have to accept the fact that Sam’s death was the ultimate price for freedom?

In an all-too-timely sequel, Newbery Honor author James Lincoln Collier picks up the story of My Brother Sam Is Dead in another powerful examination of patriotism, family, and what it means to be an American.

Reviews

A Newbery Honor Book

A National Book Award Nominee

An ALA Notable Children's Book

Jane Addams Children's Honor Book

Mark Twain Award Winner

Phoenix Award Honor Book

★ "A moving junior novel.... How Sam's fate occurs... is the wrenching part in this story of how the Revolutionary War affects the Meekers, a nonpartisan family of the Tory town of Redding, Connecticut. The story is told through the young Tim Meeker, who guardedly watches the war edge closer and closer until it engulfs his family... A sobering tale that will leave readers with a more mature view of history and war." -- Booklist, starred review

"Young Tim Meeker looks on as his Loyalist father and older brother Sam, a 'rebel' partisan, confront each other but can never make much sense of the political controversy.... Assumes for once that children can think." -- New York Times Book Review

"With its sharp revelation of the human aspects of Revolutionary War life and its probing of political views and divided loyalties, this stirring and authoritative novel earns a place beside our best historical fiction.... A memorable piece of writing." -- Horn Book