This is my first experience with the My Name is America series, though I have read a number of other books in the Dear America series and I have to say, I rather enjoyed it. My Name is America: The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce is written in the style of a personal diary that the main character (Jasper Jonathan Pierce) writes to his brother whom he was forced to leave behind in England. The book initially starts out with some history on JJP and his brother…they are orphaned children of a clock maker who had been living on the streets of London for several years begging, doing odd jobs and even pick-pocketing to get by. They are lured into becoming indentured servants when they are threatened with prison for their stealing. The boys (Jasper 14, and Tom 12) enter into a contract for 7 years each with different families, each set to sail to the New World on the Mayflower. At the last minute, Tom’s “owner” decides the trip is too dangerous and takes Tom and leaves the boat. Distraught, Jasper has no choice but to go on, but Jasper has a kindly master and he is given a blank book to record his journey so that he might keep his brothers in his thoughts and deeds.

From there, we are given an account of the journey on the Mayflower, the landing of the Pilgrims and Strangers (non-pilgrims) in the New World, their attempts to settle, and their struggles to make contact with the elusive and frightening (to them) natives, and the harsh (and sometimes deadly) conditions they had to endure while setting up their town and in making it through their first few winters in Plymouth. I enjoyed reading this because the main character (Jasper) is based on an actual historical figure who landed with the Mayflower and while it is a fictional account, it is historically accurate in detailing the condition their lives and the physical and emotional well-being (or lack there of) as individuals and as a community and I think that this book (and the entire series) is a wonderful way for children to get an idea of exactly what life was like for children (and adults) in the colonial period of U.S. history. Jasper himself wasn’t a Pilgrim, but his “story” gives the reader and up-close and personal glimpse into their day-to-day lives as well as showing their encounters with the Indians in a way that demonstrates all the fear (and moral superiority on occasion) they felt in meeting and dealing with them. I also like that the author takes the time to also show the lives of the Indians way of life and how they might have felt about these new immigrants in a positive way while foreshadowing the difficulties that were yet to come. Young readers will appreciate reading about the history of the Plymouth colony from a perspective they can relate to and they will get lot of great information on the journey to the new world, the beliefs and practices of the Pilgrims and their struggles to rebuild their lives in this unfamiliar New World! I give My Name is America: The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce five stars and two thumbs up…a great jumping off point for studying the Pilgrims, Plymouth, and/or the voyage of the Mayflower to the New World. This book is ideal for readers age 9-12 and may be suitable for the 7-9 range as a read aloud (with discussion). I’d recommend this book in a heartbeat. ( )

This pretend journal of the fictional Jasper Jonathan Pierce allows us to get a glimpse of what it was like sailing across the ocean on the Mayflower and trying to survive the first year. Though Jasper is given a little more importance than I would assign a fictional character, his journal covers both the lives of the pilgrims and a little bit of the lives of the nearby Native Americans. ( )