Jason’s Review

George vs. George
Written and Illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer, 2004

2005 NCTE Recommended Title
Publisher: National Geographic

George VS George is a comparison book about George Washington and King George III. It takes place during the American Revolutionary War. Washington lived on Mount Vernon, and in contrast, King George lived in a beautiful building in the city of London. Washington led the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. It all started w/ the French-Indian War, which left the British with a huge debt. To pay off the debt, the British Parliament made a lot of tax laws, including a monopoly on tea. The colonists protested in many ways, so the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which triggered the Revolutionary War.

George Washington’s Army won, after a long, hard fight. The two battles that forced the British to surrender were the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. The Treaty of Paris granted the 13 colonies its independence from England, forming the United States of America. The US also got all the reserved land for the Native Americans.

Jenny’s Footnote: Jason really enjoyed this book and learned lots of new facts. He is an avid reader of nonfiction books for this time period. He especially liked learning about the war from both sides.

Jenny’s Review

Rosalyn Schanzer employs a new twist in her book about the American Revolutionary War. She tells the story from the point of view of both sides. The book begins by comparing and contrasting the lives of George Washington and King George III. Both were fans of agriculture and excellent horsemen. Ms. Schanzer then zooms in on their family lives, careers, political views and decisions that led up to the American Revolutionary War. The book ends with a fascinating narrative on what happened to King George after the war and George Washington’s election as President of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

The author’s delightful illustrations of the two main characters and key historical events that triggered the war such as the Daughters of Liberty weaving their own cloth, the Boston Tea Party, and George Washington crossing the Delaware River, realistically captures the patriotism of both sides. I particularly liked the pictures of the military uniforms worn by the British and American forces, and the diagrams showing the differences in England’s and United States governments. The text and pictures show that Ms. Schanzer is a meticulous researcher.

George vs George offers a fresh voice to the American Revolutionary War that will engage children ages 9 to 12.