INSIDE THE ALAMO

ISBN: 0385325746
Delacorte Press/Random House
Age: 9 and up
Non-fiction
Study Guide

• ALA Best Books for Young Adults
• 2004-2005 Texas Tayshas Reading List

Texas won its independence from Mexico with the battle cry "Remember the Alamo!" INSIDE THE ALAMO is an exciting, uniquely compelling and comprehensive look at the famous siege. As Jim Murphy has done with so many other areas of history, he skillfully weaves together profiles of those who died there, quotes from contemporary witnesses (including entries from the memoirs and diaries of Mexican soldiers), fascinating details about everything from the weaponry of the time to the fate of the women and children who followed the Mexican army north, and rousing descriptions of the final battle to explore not only the siege itself but its background and consequences.

Utilizing primary source documents and reports of eyewitnesses, Jim Murphy pieces together events, offering multiple perspectives of the siege and what led up to it from both sides of the battle lines. Participants are not labeled heroes or villains. Instead, Murphy identifies fact, rumor and myth and offers up conflicting testimony allowing readers to draw their own conclusions as they peek through the walls of the Alamo at the turning point in the battle for Texas and for liberty.

Photographs, etchings maps and brief biographies and factual sidebars describe the major personalities and bring this critical event in the history of the United States to life.

William Chemerka, The Alamo Journal: "Probably the best Alamo book ever written for young readers. In fact, it's one of the most attractive books on the subject ever published.'"

Kirkus (starred): "This is history writing at its finest. Readers learn something of the thrill of history, what questions led to the research, what questions remain, what voices can be brought to life to tell the tale. Essential for library collections and a good bet for the classroom."

Publisher's Weekly: "A compelling behind- the- scenes look at the famous defeat."

Booklist (starred): "Murphy's forte is his ability to tell a good story while retaining his integrity as a historian. Point by point he documents and identifies facts, rumors, myths, and conflicting testimony, allowing readers to judge where the truth may lie and giving them insight into how historical research works."

KLIATT: "Recommended for all libraries for its exploration of this period in America's history, this will prove especially useful for unit studies or as a jumping-off point to study some of the Alamo's central figures."

BUY THE BOOK!