Early Thunder
by Jean Fritz
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Description
In pre-revolutionary Salem, fourteen-year-old Daniel begins to re-examine his loyalty to the King as the conflict between Tories and patriots increasingly divides the townspeople.Tags
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Member Reviews
A young adult story of a boy living in Salem, MA in 1774-1775. While I can't say I was blown away, I was interested in the story the author told. It presents history from the view of the Tory party, and what circumstances might cause a shift in one's political viewpoint. Written in 1967, it questions the extremism of political parties. My oh my, how things stay the same. Jean Fritz is one of my favorite young adult authors. When I was teaching my children at home, her books were always a help to any history we were studying. They provide context and good jumping off points for discussions, as well as being good to read.
We really enjoyed this book. It held my second graders, my 5th grader and my 7th grader in rapt attention. Good sentence structure, not too simplistic.
In pre-revolutionary Salem, 14-year-old Daniel begins to re-examine his loyalty to the King as the townspeople are further divided.
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Author Information

70+ Works 42,077 Members
Jean Fritz was born in Hankow, China on November 16, 1915. She received a bachelor's degree in English from Wheaton College in 1937. She wrote picture books and historical fiction before focusing on historical nonfiction. Her first book, Bunny Hopewell's First Spring, was published in 1954. Her other books included And Then What Happened, Paul show more Revere?; Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?; Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?; Shh! We're Writing the Constitution; Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold; Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?; Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?; The Double Life of Pocahontas; and George Washington's Mother. Homesick: My Own Story, a collection of linked narratives, traces her life from her girlhood in China to her longed-for yet uneasy passage to America. It won a National Book Award and was named a Newbery Honor Book. She received the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association, the National Humanities Medal, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award and the Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature for her body of work. She died on May 14, 2017 at the age of 101. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1967
- People/Characters
- Daniel
- Important places
- Massachusetts, USA; Salem, Massachusetts, USA
- Important events
- American Revolution (1775 | 1783)
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 654
- Popularity
- 44,060
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.76)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 6






























































