Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty

Becoming Ben Franklin is a biographical story written by acclaimed nonfiction author Russel Freedman. It tells about all of the different sides of Benjamin Franklin and how he was a scientist, printer, inventor and writer. This book speaks about Franklin's achievements, such as being the only Founding Father to sign all four of the major documents that would eventually lead to establishing the nation as the United States, and taking a stance against slavery. The book is filled with great photographs and illustrations of documents, people, and historical diagrams. Overall, it informs readers of how Ben Franklin became an icon during his time, and how he still remains an iconic figure today.

I thought this book was just excellent! The author was very skilled in using well-researched facts and explaining them through great storytelling. It's a fairly short book that is filled to the brim with interesting facts and information, some of which was new to me. It seems like this would be a great book for upper elementary students and certainly for middle schoolers. It would fit right into a U.S. History class as it references many important happenings in our nation's history. It teaches students about the significance of Franklin during the creation of the U.S. while also informing readers of aspects of his personal life. I would use this book as a research reference source for students to use to complete a report on a Founding Father. Students could also use this book to create a timeline of Franklin's life and achievements.

Freedman, R. (2013). Becoming ben franklin: How a candle-maker’s son helped light the flame of liberty. New York: Holiday House Publishing.