Johnny Tremain

Set in Boston at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Johnny Tremain tells of a young silver-smith apprentice whose pride leads to disaster. His hand is crippled and he can no longer pursue his dream. His courage and desire to improve his life make him memorable; I still recall Johnny’s passion years after reading the novel. Eventually Johnny’s hand is healed by a surgeon and he joins the patriots. 

Johnny Tremain presents a brave character living in challenging and divisive times. Johnny Tremain brings to life conflicts with British rule and the determination of those on both sides of the… show more.

This novel showed me the high cost of liberty.

I was immersed in the sights and smells of 1774 Boston, caught up in the excitement of the Tea Party, and felt the growing tension as the David-and-Goliath war loomed. Johnny, even as his pride brings him low, gets my sympathy because his secret thoughts are like my own. I learned the quirks and strengths of the big names in Revolutionary War history. This classic novel does what the best historical fiction does—transports us to a bygone era and puts skin on the men and women who were merely names in… show more.

Johnny Tremain first appeared in 1943 and remains a must-read classic for three reasons.

First, Ester Forbes takes the reader along the paths of 1770s Boston, as if she walked the ancient streets and visited the colonial merchants’ stores herself. Second, the descriptive language and beautiful imagery Forbes uses throughout Johnny Tremain places her work among the best of the already elite Newberry Award-winning novels. Third, Forbes’ writing and knowledge merge together as she creates authentic fictional and true historical characters. Dr. Warren and his best friend Paul Revere are brought to life inside the Green Dragon Tavern and the… show more.

I joined the American Revolution in about grade 5, reading Johnny Tremain, the story of a boy just about the age I imagined I was. Two hundred-some years melted away, leaving me with a musket in my hands, the pervasive smell of black powder on the breeze, drumbeats in my dreams — war secrets to discover and keep from the enemy. And I had the chance to meet and ‘hang out’ with American legends like Paul Revere and to really feel like I knew them and was there at the center of it all when our nation began.