The time travel premise is gimmicky, but effective in attracting interest, and the content is quite accessible. Plenty of sidebars ("People to Have Lunch With," "Helpful Hints") feature different historical characters, including African-Americans and women. There are also many footnotes, some serious but several humorous. Illustrations and maps accompany the text, clearly showing setup for different battles.

An entertaining basic overview of the American Revolution (rebellion, if you're British), with plenty of entertaining bits, some of which are likely to be new to the reader.

Back matter includes only a short bibliography of (adult) texts by Ron Chernow, Benjamin Franklin, David McCullough, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Sarah Vowell. A timeline would have been useful for students who may use this as a classroom resource.

Quotes/Notes

The average age of the signers [of the Declaration of Independence] is forty-four, with a dozen men under thirty-five. [Footnote: Compare this with the year 2016, when the average age of US senators is 63 and the youngest senator is forty.] (p. 70)

-George Washington wanted six-pointed stars on the American flag, but Betsy Ross showed him that it was easier to cut five-pointed stars out of cloth. (103)

-In 1778, Thomas Jefferson sent a dead moose to France to prove that America is not all swampland with only small animals. (116) ( )