The Boston Coffee Party (I Can Read Book 3) (1988)

Age: Intermediate
Media: Water Colors

The genre of this book is Historical Fiction. It is historical fiction because the story is based on real events that happened during the Revolutionary War, but they are fictional because the characters are not real. The main characters in the story are Emma and her sister Sarah. Throughout the book, they both gain valuable leadership skills which help them to come of age. They are both deep characters because they show growth. The setting of this book is in Boston, which is important to the story because it shows the relationship between these events and the Boston Tea Party which is a separate event. ( )

The Boston Coffee Party is about a group of women who lived during the reveolutionary war. A merchant in town was holding back goods so when he was the only one with that good he could over charge. The women got together and forced him to hand over the coffee. This story is based on an event that took place in the 1760's which was witnessed and recounted by Abigail Adams. I would do a study on the Revolutionary War, and use this book as a way to show other events that occured during this war. I would also use this book to show that the women also fought hard in other ways during the war.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Appropriateness: Intermediate
Review: This book was an good example of histoical fiction. A short page at the back of the book explains that this is based on a true event that Abigail Adams wrote about in one of her letters to John. It accurately reflects the feelings of the colonists at this time period. The plot is people-against-person. The colonists are angry with the shopkeeper, Mr. Thomas, for hoarding coffee to sell later at higher prices.

Media: Pen and Ink

The story of the Boston Coffee Party is a true story. The author supplies supplementary information in the back about the history of the story. This story is portrayed in a way that is easy for young children to understand. The setting of this story is during the Revolutionary War on the East coast. Knowing this information and knowing about the war helps the story make more sense. A reference to the Boston Tea Party is made, which helps set the historical background for this book as well. ( )