Review: The Family Greene by Ann Rinaldi

The Family Greene by Ann Rinaldi.

Graphia
Publication Date: November 2011
List Price: $7.99
ISBN-13: 9780547577234

Review: Let the battle commence! The sounds of shots being fired fills the tense atmosphere. All know who is in charge for the American side. General George Washington is a sure sign that they are prepared to win the war in which they fight. Yet, one cannot become victorious without allies and troops to march across the dense fields with them. Ann Rinaldi however, successfully accomplished 274 (or so) pages of the difficulties regarding the Greene Family, in The Family Greene. A historical fiction story set during the Revolutionary War that carries on to the next generation of Caty Greene.

Caty is just a young girl, living with her rich father in the early 1900s. She receives tutoring and teachings, yet there are things she still doesn't understand, such as why her best friend's mother flirts so much. Why do women flirt at all? That's what she asks herself, and unfortunately for her, the answer isn't exactly what she expects. Just when Caty is tutored at her aunt's house, she seems to have discovered her true love, Nathaniel Greene. By now, you might know how her story ends. Of course, Caty later marries Nathaniel, and they have children. This is, also the setting of General Washington's Camp, and involving the difficulties of assisting a general. Soon, Nathaniel and Caty are able to lead a very happy life. But as you also might have guessed that wasn't the end of The Family Greene. The next generation begins when Cornelia Greene narrates The Family Greene. You guessed it, she's one of Caty's daughters. However, this time, her mother is the flirt. Cornelia Greene questions her mother, but she cannot understand her mother's mind. How does she solve this anticipating issue?

Throughout The Family Greene, I didn't have a hard time understanding the plot. Not only is The Family Greene about the first generation, it's also about the generation afterward: Cornelia's generation. Have you ever finished reading a book and wanted to know what happened next? Well Ann Rinaldi gave us that advantage. I give The Family Greene 5 stars, mostly because of its simplicity, yet the story still contains adequate depth to be engaging for all readers. I could think for hours of this, saying to myself, "Caty should know how it feels to not understand flirting, so why did she make Cornelia wonder?" Overall, The Family Greene is a great book packed with history, fiction, inspiration, love, wonder, and most of all, curiosity. I like it.

Review written by Tam (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of The Family Greene for this review.

Have you read The Family Greene? How would you rate it?