Johnny Tremain

By: Esther Forbes

Narrated by: Grace Conlin

Newbery Medal Winner, 1944

A story filled with danger and excitement, Johnny Tremain tells of the turbulent, passionate times in Boston just before the Revolutionary War.

Johnny, a young apprentice silversmith, is caught with Otis, Hancock, and John and Samuel Adams in the exciting operations and subterfuges leading up to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington. As Johnny is forced into the role of a full-grown man in the face of his new country's independence, he finds that his relations with those he loves changes for the better as well.

Johnny Tremain is historical fiction at its best, portraying the living drama of Revolutionary Boston through the shrewd eyes of an observant boy.

©1970 Linwood M. Erskine, Jr. (P)1997 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This is Esther Forbes at her brilliant best....Johnny may well take his place with Jim Hawkins, Huck Finn, and other young immortals...." (Book Week)

"This introduction to American history is a classic...." (AudioFile)

Mommy Daughter Time

school reading for my daughter. good story line, some of the historical figures were played up in funny ways.

Pretty good

The story is great. And narrator did a pretty good gob, but she sped up to fast though when Jonny is talking.

Great historical fiction!

This story is great for children studying American history. As you learn about the main character, Johnny Tremain, the reader is captivated through his growth and maturity.

First rate American historical fiction

This story is filled with just the right amount of adventure, mystery, angst, character development and plain Revolutionary War factoids to keep every chapter coming.

The performer is good, not great, but she seems to get better the further into the book you go.

I read this to my kids when they were young and it was a great trip down memory lane the listen to it again.

Read as a kid, so it was a pleasant revisit.

I loved this book when I was young, and still enjoyed the story as an adult.

Very good speaker

As I was starting this book, it was really hard to understand and it wasn’t very interesting. Then, when I listened to this audible reading, my entire perspective on the book changed. Her slight nuances between every character’s voice made this speaker one of the best speakers ever. I would definitely recommend listening to it.

Just had to remember

This was a book that started me loving reading. I had my children read this many years ago and they loved it. I had to listen to it all these years later, just as good !

Great Story!

Well written and very enjoyable! Written about a young man working as an Apprentice in the Silversmith trade who ends up with his Rt. hand burned very badly in an accident that he was set up for by the other apprentices that were not as good and Johnny Tremain who was quite talented and impatient and Sharp tongued with the others who thought the burning was what he deserved. He ends up with two of his fingers fused together when his hand heals.
He is unable to find any work but in the meantime he had been befriended by a young man named Rab who worked with his uncle who was a printer that was involved with the group who included John Hancock, Paul Revere etc. that were angry about the British and were planning what to do to get the American Colonial free from the British!
Johnny ends up moving in with them and being taught to ride then taking on the job of delivering the papers printed at the shop! The story continues through the battle in Concord and Lexington!

Audio Goals💗😻

I loved it with the audio. So much easier! Also the woman speaking actually puts some emotion into the reading and adds some character voices. My peers seem to hate it reading out of the book but yet I love it hearing it.
SPOILER ALERT:Johnny dies. jk. ITS JUST A PRANK BRO

Accurate and Detailed

This was a greatly accurate, and detailed piece on historical fiction. This story had the ability to bring both facts and tears to your eyes. Yet, overall, patriotism and anger.