Our friend P. Norman Grant has written “Tales of Young Patriots,” a delightful collection of 12 short stories of historical fiction celebrating the story of America, and the virtues that made our people great, through the eyes and ears of young participants in key moments in our country’s history.
From the ocean passages of the 1600s to our modern desert wars, Young Patriots contains lessons in virtue driven by action. The stories are written in a style and with language to appeal to middle or high school students of social studies or history.
Engaging, amusing and entertaining, the stories are also great lessons in creative writing. Using vivid language and would you believe it – no F-bombs, curses or blasphemy. Would that Hollywood hired writers with Norm Grant’s skill and vocabulary.
And there’s more good news, especially for homeschoolers. Although the stories are meant to be read as entertainment there are questions at the end of each story, making the book ideal for homeschoolers or parents who wish to supplement the bland and often wrong history taught in our public schools with material that is not only fun to read, but accurate as well.
Part I includes another view of the Salem witch trials explaining a mysterious phenomenon. During the War of 1812, a young man dodges the British warships while the Star Spangled Banner is being written, and two boys of different races team up to survive a Civil War battle.
Part II illustrates how a U.S. II History class can come alive. Issues arise, and discussions form. From the street urchins of New York at the turn of the century to the homeless hoboes roaming the country during the Depression, we get a close-up of young people from long ago. A long-distance romance during World War II, the protesters of the Vietnam era, and the return of a young warrior from Desert Storm serve to give life to our more recent past.
One of my favorite stories in Tales of Young Patriots is “Up the Creek,” which is a lesson about government overreach and the history and culture of the Roaring Twenties wrapped in a grandfather’s tale of watching Prohibition-era rumrunners outsmart Big Government.
Mr. Grant’s evocative prose captures the now-long gone smells and sights of the rural New Jersey Shore so perfectly you can smell the salt marsh and the flounder frying. Even better than the fish frying are Norm’s descriptions of the little guys in their motorboats outrunning the Coast Guard. And given our current problems with Big Government I suspect even teetotalers will appreciate how the little guys, using their superior knowledge of their home waters, local contacts and family ties strike a blow for liberty in the form of a cold drink to go with the fried flounder and coleslaw.
Tales of Young Patriots is available through Amazon and we urge anyone interested in teaching American history, social studies and creative writing to a junior high or high school student to order a copy today.
2024 Election
Norm Grant’s ‘Tales of Young Patriots’
American History
Short stories
Social Studies
Home school curriculum
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