Johnny Tremain
Recommended. Age: 11+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Johnny is a proud young silversmith in Boston just before the American Revolution. A bad burn ruins his hand and he loses his work. He finds new friends, carries messages for the patriots, and learns to be humble and brave. It has war and sad deaths, and it is good for kids about eleven and up. This is a strong book about pride and what cures it. Johnny is gifted and unkind, and his fall teaches him to serve something larger than himself. A devout master warns him from Scripture that pride goes before a fall. Catholic educators assign it in the middle grades. Parents should talk about the war deaths and a few dated attitudes.
For parents
Read aloud from about ten. Independent reading from eleven or twelve, which matches Common Sense Media's 11+ and makes it a good fit for sixth grade. Ask: how does Johnny treat the other boys at the start? What does losing his hand teach him? Mr. Lapham quotes Proverbs 16:18 on pride. Read it together. Johnny is burned while working on the Sabbath against warning. Use that to talk about keeping Sunday holy, and be clear that God does not send accidents as revenge. Talk about just war: when may a people take up arms, and why is every death in war still a sorrow? Rab's death is the place for that talk. Tell your child that Dove's trick was a grave wrong and ask whether Johnny forgives him. Note the mild swear words, the few Black characters drawn as stereotypes, and the mention that some patriots were Masons. The Church forbids Catholics to join the Masons. Warn sensitive readers about the burn scene and the firing squad.