Review - Time Enough for Drums

Time Enough for Drums - Ann Rinaldi

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Jem and her servant struggle to keep things going at home in Trenton, New Jersey, when the family men join the war for independence from the British king.


My Review: 
I first read this book for a project in 8th grade English class; we were learning about the Revolution in Social Studies class and had to read a novel about the Revolution to go along with that. I've never forgotten the book, and I've owned several copies in the intervening 30 years. It's one of those rare books that I will always keep a copy of.

The protagonist, Jem, is the somewhat spoiled, rather unconventional 15-year-old daughter of a Trenton, New Jersey Whig merchant during the Revolutionary War. We see the war through her eyes as she says goodbye to her older brother, Daniel, and endures the constant scolding of her hired Tory tutor, John Reid. The war and subsequent suffering, especially at the hands of the Hessian soldiers who invade Trenton, force Jem to grow and mature into a strong, independent young woman who becomes a capable citizen of the new United States.

Read: February 2022