Homeschool Happenings: Rush Revere ~ A Review

My children have enjoyed our reading time as we have been working our way through the Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series from Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh. Follow substitute history teacher, Rush Revere and his talking horse Liberty as they go back in time to experience history in action. Together, along with his students, make history come alive. I would put a grade level at about 4-6 grade. With that said some children may be able to read these books without a problem much earlier.

These hardcover books have thick pages that somewhat resemble parchment paper. There are colorful pictures throughout the books both historical and story character based.

Rush Revere's name is really Rusty but he got his name because of his love for history. When he was younger his favorite class was history and he would rush to history class. He rushed wherever he went and eventually his teacher started calling him Rush.

In Book 1, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, Mr. Revere and Liberty travel back in time as the Mayflower is about to set sail. Aboard the Mayflower they meet pilgrims as they bravely set out for the New World. Tommy and Freedom are along for the adventure and meet William Bradford, Myles Standish, and Squanto. The pilgrims share why they are willing to risk so much to leave their homeland for America.

In Book 2, Rush Revere and the First Patriots, the group travels back to the time just before the American Revolution. They meet American patriots, Ben Franklin and Patrick Henry, and hear firsthand why standing up to King George III of Great Britain was so important in their fight for freedom.

In Book 3, Rush Revere and the American Revolution, the adventure continues during the Revolution. This time student Cam, along with Rush and Liberty, meet more exceptional Americans like Dr. Joseph Warren, John Hancock and George Washington. Cam's father who is deployed with the military gains insight into what true freedom truly means.

In Book 4, Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner, Rush Revere, Liberty, and some of his students visit Washington, D.C. to learn about the foundation of American government. They meet Dolly Madison and witness the writing of the national anthem. They encounter Redcoats and visit historical landmarks.

In Book 5, Rush Revere and the Presidency, Revere along with Liberty and fellow students learn about American elections and meet early presidents such as Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. What does it take to be a true leader?

My children and I have had so much fun reading about the many adventures of Rush Revere. History truly comes alive with the retelling of historical based stories. Rush Limbaugh has a way of making his readers feel like they are experiencing these adventures with Rush, Liberty, and the students from Manchester Middle School. Tommy, the quarterback of the football team and class clown is also a closet brainiac. Freedom, who was born on the Fourth of July, is a bit of a free spirit. All of the books in the series enlist the same main characters. Using his smartphone and the classroom projector students experience history as it is happening. It isn't long before some of the students discover Rush and Liberty's unique ability to travel back in time.

"Rush, rush, rushing to history!" The travelers are transporting back in time through the time portal.

I read the books aloud to my 3rd and 5th grade kiddos. My 8th grader read the books on her own. So often I find my kids saying that learning history is BORING! I was very excited when given the opportunity to review these books. I am not a fan of the typical textbook learning style. We learn history by reading autobiographies, historical fiction, and history based books. Several years ago my daughter received the first book in this series and she talked about how much she liked it. Up until this review I had never taken the time to read any of these books. Wow, what a mistake that was. Not only did my younger kids love the books but I did too. Many times I would hear my children asking me to read more, more. The books kind of suck the reader in, in a good way.

My 9 year old said, "I was not too excited when my mom said that she was going to read me these books. I thought they were going to be very boring but they weren't! I learned so much about history. I really like Liberty the horse. He is SO FUNNY!! I had fun listening to the many adventures that Rush and the kids had. I really like the online coloring. The quizzes were not that hard."

My 11 year old said, "I love reading but wasn't sure I wanted to read history. After listening to my mom read to my sister I really got into the books. History isn't my favorite subject but learning through historical fiction is pretty fun. There are so many fun activities on the website. I liked the timed word scramble. I wasn't too excited when my mom printed out the study guide stuff but I actually learned alot."

My 14 year old said, "I read the first two books in this series when they first came out. I really liked them and was excited to finally get to read the rest of the series. I do not particularly like history. Reading about history with autobiographies and historical fiction is my favorite way to learn history. These books are great!"

The website has a CRAZY AMOUNT of wonderful educational resources and enrichment activities to further your students experience. A few of the extras include Education Depot,
Homeschool Depot, and Activity Depot.

The quizzes a a great way to ensure that your child is comprehending what they are

reading or what is being read to them.

I LOVED this section. There is a full study guide with activities and

answer keys for each book in the series!

Beyond the study guides there are reading enrichment links that give your

student a more in depth look into specific topics such as Founding Fathers, US Government,

Geography, and Presidents.

The books along with the website study guides and enrichments would most definitely provide a school years worth of history. Since the books appeal to all ages it would be easy to use the program in a homeschool setting with all of your children. I plan on continuing through the series with my kiddos and utilizing the website. This series is FABULOUS and I would highly recommend these books not only for educational purposes but also for leisure reading.

The books came bundled with a blue ribbon embossed with the words, "Adventures of Rush Revere." I cut the ribbon up and we are using the ribbon as bookmarks for the books.