Revolutionary Rogues John André and Benedict Arnold

NCSS/CBC Notable Trade Social Studies Book
Kansas Reading Circle Choice
Bank Street College Best Book
Tappantown Historical Society’s Achievement Award 

Young fans of the Broadway smash "Hamilton" will enjoy this riveting nonfiction picture book that unfolds like a play, telling a story from American history.

Gravely injured and with little chance for more military honors, Major General Benedict Arnold seeks reward and recognition another way. He contacts Major John André, the new head of British intelligence and another man determined to prove himself. Arnold and André strike a deal and use Arnold’s intelligence to take over West Point, the strategic American fort. The plan ultimately fails, leading to André’s capture and death and Arnold’s loss of reward and glory. Author Selene Castrovilla and illustrator John O’Brien brilliantly capture the tensions and high drama of these two revolutionary rogues by highlighting their similarities and differences and demonstrating how they brought about their own tragic ends. This title also includes an afterword, timelines of the lives of both men, an extensive bibliography, and a list of key places to visit.

Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning YA novelist and nonfiction author. She is the author of Revolutionary Friends and many other picture books on the American Revolution. She holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. Selene lives on Long Island, New York with her two sons, where she writes year-round. Visit selenecastrovilla.com.

John O’Brien has illustrated more than one hundred children’s books, including Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library. He has also contributed cartoons to The New Yorker since 1987. He lives in Delran, New Jersey, and winters in Miami, Florida. Visit johnobrienillustrator.com.