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Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner — “The Adventures of Rush Revere” Series

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Readability Age Range

Publisher

Awards

Year Published

Book Review

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. It is the fourth book in “The Adventures of Rush Revere” series.

Plot Summary

History teacher Rush Revere and his sometimes-invisible talking horse, Liberty, can travel into the past. They are often accompanied by a few of Rush’s young students, known as the Time-Traveling Crew. In this adventure, Rush meets crewmember Tommy at the hospital where the boy is visiting his ailing grandfather.

Rush tries to comfort the boy, and then urges him to come along on a field trip to Washington, D.C. Cam, Freedom and Freedom’s grandfather, who thinks the kids’ time travel stories are the products of their imaginations, join them. Liberty hides in the baggage compartment of their train.

Rush takes the group to various historical sites in D.C., including the U.S. Capitol, the National Archives and the Washington Monument. He shares facts about documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights and creates a contest to encourage the kids to locate certain artifacts. Rush and the kids intermittently get the hungry, wise-cracking Liberty out of scrapes.

In between their modern-day visits to these landmarks, Rush and the kids travel back to 1787 by uttering the magical phrase rush, rush, rushing into history. They meet James Madison in a coffee shop, and he invites them to dinner.

Later, upon hearing George Washington sing Rush’s praises, Madison invites them to be part of the top-secret meeting of men who hope to form a government. All the while, Rush explains the branches of government to the kids. He talks about the importance of supplementary documents like the Bill of Rights and explains why different states were at odds about how to create new laws.

Back in modern times, they tour the White House and learn more about its significance and history. When they attend a ball game, Rush tells the kids a little about the National Anthem. He and Tommy even sneak back into history to meet Francis Scott Key as he prepares to write the words to the Anthem. The kids meet a home-schooled girl named Maddie and her mother who are on a history tour of their own. The kids promise to keep in touch with her after the trip. They also run into a classmate named Elizabeth who is in Washington, D.C. for a cheerleading competition. She has a crush on Tommy but is rude to everyone else in the group.

After their adventure, Rush takes Tommy back to the hospital to see his grandfather. Grandfather urges him never to forget how fortunate he is to live in a country founded on the principles of freedom and liberty.

Christian Beliefs

Freedom notes that the pilgrims came from England so they could believe in God without being stopped. James Madison offers a silent prayer before he eats a meal. As the kids watch the creation of the U.S. government, Rush tells them they are witnessing a miracle.

Other Belief Systems

Freedom can speak to Liberty using telepathy.

Authority Roles

Rush Revere proudly and authoritatively shows the kids important historical scenes and people. He’s especially kind and encouraging to Tommy, whose grandpa is in the hospital. The Founding Fathers appear to take their job as government creators very seriously, giving much thought to the details and passionately sharing their opinions. Maddie’s mom has a job outside of the home and home-schools. Freedom’s grandfather accompanies the kids on their field trip. He plays along with their time-travel stories, which he believes are imaginary.

Profanity & Violence

None

Sexual Content

None

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books.

Additional Comments

This book includes illustrations, photos and maps of famous historical locations and people.

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected].

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.