Published by Henry Holt and Co.
Summary: Eliza is introduced as a strong girl, growing up in a big brick house with loving parents. She likes to run and climb, but is also compassionate. She often sees an orphan boy and feels sorry for him, sharing her food when she can. Later, she meets another orphan (Alexander Hamilton, although he’s not identified in the text), marries him, and works to help him found a new nation. When tragedy strikes, and she and her eight children are left on their own, she remembers the orphan boy and starts the Orphan Asylum Society and the Hamilton Free School. Throughout the story, trees are used as symbols from the young saplings Eliza sees as a child to the grove of tall trees that overlook her grave. Includes notes from the author and illustrator and three additional sources. 40 pages; grades 1-4.
Pros: This is a brief and lovely introduction to the inspiring life of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, a bit more accessible to younger readers than Margaret McNamara’s 2018 book Eliza. The tree symbolism works well, as do the muted illustrations.
Cons: The author’s note reveals that few details are known of Eliza’s life, and that her interactions with the orphan boy at the beginning are fictional, making this book straddle the line between biography and historical fiction.
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