My Brother Sam Is Dead As you go through the journey of life you begin to realize the many obstacles you have to overcome, but what are the charts of your growth, you overcome them. This quote is reminiscent of the story of My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier. Brothers Christopher and James have been writing historical novels for young people since the early 1970s and are known as the masters of the genre. This book was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1975 and recently received a Phoenix Award. It also offered an entertaining look at the life of a teenager in colonial times. Using real dates, people and historical events, he has an almost reality-based story to grow and progress as a character of the American Revolution. The main character of My Brother Sam Is Dead is Tim Meeker. He is the youngest of the two boys in the Meeker family who follows in the footsteps of his brother Sam. At the beginning of the book Tim starts out as a bystander to his father and disturbs Sam's arguments about Sam joining the rebel army. Since his father is a loyalist to the British, Sam runs away to fulfill his dream of fighting for the American side. After Sam leaves, Tim must take on the duty of being the only child in the house and carrying out all the chores and responsibilities that come with it. But when Sam returns to get the brown Bess, a bayonet gun that his father owns, Tim is forced to fight Sam knowing that his father needs the gun to protect himself during his travels to Verplancks Point. Although Sam took the gun the first time, when Tim learns that Sam has come to visit his beloved Betsy Read and attempts to steal the gun while Sam sleeps. But when he is surprised by Sam's movement he wakes up and chases him to retrieve the gun. At this point in the story, Tim's growth was demonstrated by the realization that to protect his family he needs to go against his blood brother. After a long period of waiting and fighting for war, winter finally arrives and it is time for the father to go to Verplancks Point to sell his cattle. With Sam gone, Tim was asked to embark on a new adventure.
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