Rush Revere Time Travel Adventures (book review)

Being a (casual) listener of the Rush Limbaugh radio program, I’d heard of the Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh. I’d even seen some of the books in a few stores. But I’d never actually picked one up or knew exactly what it was (outside of novels about American history). When the opportunity to review the whole series was offered, I talked to my husband about it, and he was interested too – that never happens, especially with physical products! Based on his reaction, I requested to review these books, and I’m really glad I did!

rush revere review

For this review, we received all five books in the Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series: Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, Rush Revere and the First Patriots, Rush Revere and the American Revolution, Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner, and Rush Revere and the Presidency. Each of the books revolves around the same main characters: Rush Revere, a middle school substitute history teacher; Tommy, the quarterback of the football team who is the class clown but a closet brainiac; Freedom, a free-spirited girl who was born on the Fourth of July; and Liberty, Mr. Revere’s talking, time-traveling horse.

The purpose of the books is to make American history fun for kids. Each of the books takes place during two eras: the current one and one in the past. Mr. Revere and Liberty use their time-traveling abilities to make history come alive to their students via his smartphone and a projector in the classroom. By traveling back in time and videoing the experience, he sends to the school projector so the students can watch things happen as they’re happening. In the first book, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, there’s a moment after this first class in which Tommy and Freedom figure out his secret (I don’t remember the details offhand), so he takes them with him on subsequent trips. The main focus of the novel is the 1620s, and we meet historical figures such as William Bradford, Myles Standish, and the Indians Squanto, Samoset, and Massasoit. The time-travelers get to experience such events as the boarding of the Mayflower, traveling on the Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving.

required product imageSubsequent books explore different parts of American history. We’re currently reading book 2 (The First Patriots), and so far we’ve met Benjamin Franklin as he’s about to give a speech to the English Parliament in opposition of the Stamp Act. Books 2 and 3 both focus on the period of the American Revolution, while book 4 moves on to the writing of the constitution, the sewing of the first American flag, and the writing of the national anthem. The final book takes place after the successful revolution and focuses on the first three presidents and the work they did in their offices.

Each of these books is what I’d call “average” sized for a children’s novel – about 6×9 and 200-250 pages. The books are beautifully produced with full-color interior pages, and they feel really sturdy. I have no doubt that these will provide my children lots of reading entertainment for years to come. Before then, though, I fully intend for us to read the entire series together. The books are really fun and an easy read-aloud option. I love the they’re fun stories that teach children about history. I know my kids are enjoying them because they normally doodle during read-aloud time, but with these books, they’re captivated and just listen. It’s really rewarding for me as a parent (and the reader!) to experience having their rapt attention. The only thing my kids think are a little cheesy are the illustrations, but that’s an easily forgivable “offense.” Especially when combined with the great text and the other non-illustration images included in the books (maps, pictures of past presidents, etc).

Overall, I highly recommend these books! I was mildly interested in them before the review because, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m a casual listener of Rush Limbaugh’s radio program. I’d seen the books at Target, but never really looked at them. Now that we’ve read one (and a little bit), I’m excited to keep reading these to my boys, and then to do them again in a few years when the little kids are old enough to start learning “for real.” Rush Revere books are definite keepers in our home!

Blessings,

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Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series {Reviews}
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