Kent Ross

This was a good little book. It is a ficticious story about a boy named Andre, who lived in France and was at the heart of the building of the Statue of Liberty. This book combines little factoids regarding the Statue of Liberty and blends it nicely with the story of Andre and how he was interested, not only in the making of the statue but of the freedom it represented.

You get introduced to Andre and how he was in captivity of his next door neighbor because his parents had passed away. His next door neighbor made him do work for no pay and treated poor Andre very poorly. Once Andre found out about "The Copper Lady" and what she represented, he wanted all in. He even finished his work early so he could spend time learning how to meld the coppoer into the fine sheets that would be the Statues wardrobe. Andre learned the craftmanship of a metalsmith.

So, naturally when Andre found out that the Statue was done, he plotted his escape and stowed away inside the ship that would take "The Copper Lady" to America. On the voyage there they ran into a terrible storm and the ropes holding the crates of the statue were ripping apart. Andre had a choice, risk being deported back to France or saving the Statue.

This was a good little story. It added suspense for the young reader. The type set is also a good size and spaced very well for the beginning reader to start reading on their own. The pictures included do help to follow along with the story.

I really liked this little story and would recommend it to young readers to get involved with. It also gives dates and facts about the Statue as to when it was built and how long it took America to complete the Statue's base. Little facts like that made the book an interesting read.… (mer)