We the Children

We the Children
by Andrew Clements
J CLE

Sixth-grader Benjamin Pratt is dealing with many changes in his life. His parents recently separated, so he moves back and forth every week between his mother’s house and his father’s boat. His school is about be bulldozed to make room for an amusement park. And now Mr. Keane, the head custodian at the Captain Duncan Oakes School, has died leaving Benjamin a mission to save the school from destruction.

We the Children, the first installment in Andrew Clements’ new series Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School, wastes little time setting up the conflict that Benjamin must face. At the beginning of the story, Benjamin is running late for class when he sees that Mr. Keane has been seriously injured. While waiting for the ambulance, Mr. Keane makes Benjamin promise to keep a secret and then gives him a coin made by the school’s founder that reads “First and always, my school belongs to the children. DEFEND IT. Duncan Oakes, 1783.” This coin had been handed down janitor to janitor since the school’s founding. Because Mr. Keane knew that Lyman, the other janitor could not be trusted and the situation was urgent, he chose Benjamin to be the next person to be trusted with the secret.

Benjamin is puzzled by the conversation and stunned when the principal announces a few hours later that Mr. Keane died in the hospital. Benjamin, with the help of his smart friend Jill Acton, begins to unravel the meaning behind the coin, which leads them to a series of clues left behind by the school’s eccentric founder. The more Benjamin and Jill research the deal between Edgeport, their seaport town, and company building the amusement park, the more suspicious things look. What is so important about the school? What is the company behind the theme park really up to? Is Lyman watching their every move? Can Benjamin and Jill figure it all out before the school gets torn down? They have 28 days.

The story does not focus solely on how Benjamin and Jill try to save the school. Benjamin is rounded out into a three-dimensional character. He excels in social studies and sailing. The last chapter of the book is devoted to Benjamin’s sailing club competition on the weekend and how he handles his rival Robert Gerritt. Children can relate to Benjamin as he navigates through the tremendous upheavals in his life and strives to stay afloat.

The book is short (perhaps a little too short) and great for readers ages 7-10 who like mysteries. The second book, Fear Itself comes out January 4, 2011.


Reviewed by Margaret Ballard