My son (10) gives it 3 stars, but it’s really a great world history book covering from about 1740 to 1799. It is more about the USA than other countries, but does have a lot about the French Revolution and events in other parts of the world. However, the omission of the Acadian Expulsion of 1755 seems like a significant oversight.

AmblesideOnline year 4 book. Foster’s histories use short stories to tell about the things happening around the world during the lives of famous people.

Insightful to the happenings around the world during the start of our country.

Pre-read for AO year 4, and finished 12 weeks ahead of my history-loving girl! I loved it, and Annie is loving it and we enjoy such good chats about it. Really well-written and really love the concept of covering the history of someone’s life, but zooming out to view the rest of the world too. Looking forward to Lincoln’s World for year 5!

This is one of the books that I'm reading for my Newbery Challenge; it's nonfiction, history to be exact - somewhat rare among the Newberys. Written in 1941 it was an honor book in 1942 and is an enjoyable read. I like the historical approach a lot, Foster is all about the interconnections so this is not just US history. She touches on events from around the world; given the time she was writing, it's not surprising that she's Western-centric. She is also not without opinions: dislikes the French, really likes the Germans (a bit of a surprise given she was writing in 1941), admires the Chinese emperor, the First Peoples are honorable savages but their land really belonged to the whites, and the Virginians are planters. Planters. Let it sink in. I wouldn't have blinked at that as a child, probably not even as a college student although I have always known the Founding Fathers kept slaves. I just never really thought much about it just like most white Americans. (Thank you Lin-Manuel Miranda. I have just listened to Hamilton again to remind me that the truth has several sides.) There is very little mention of slavery (predominantly how Africans where willing to sell Africans into slavery, how John Paul Jones hated serving on a slave ship, and one mention of slaves in the Caribbean with reference to Hamilton's childhood)and almost none in relation to the Colonies and the new United States. Washington (and Jefferson) had servants by and large: the woman who squealed over him when he was born (midwife/mammy?), Black Peter who admired how he could ride as a boy, Old Bishop who saluted him when he arrived home after the war, and the mammy who stood beside his granddaughter Nelly at Mount Vernon's door. The southern states (except VA) barely get a mention and none with respect to the Declaration. From other reviews I see that this book is being used in home-schooling and that worries me a bit because I'm doubtful that other sources will be used to off-set the mid-20th c biases inherent in this book (I suspect that it's being used specifically for those biases). I read this for my Newbery Challenge and my 2017 Reading Challenge (Read World 52)

One of the best world history books for the middle grades. Foster's books weave the events of one famous person's life with what was happening around the world. Wonderfully written!!

For those of you who want to read it, I suggest you don't because after you finish reading one chapter you will feel like you got hit in the head with a train. It didn't make any sense, Napoleon got a full page dedicated to the first thirty seconds of his life, yet it didn't manage to tell anything great he did. It did tell that his soldiers dug up the Rosetta Stone, but he didn't do that. And when you read it, you wish that aliens really did come and remove all your memory. And also, I hope you don't think I'm being sarcastic.

Nothing new here… seriously how many biographies of Washington do we need? And how does an author rate two Newbery Honors for books about the same subject. And least George Washington’s World tells what else was going on.

This is one of a whole series of books that tell what was going on in the world at the time of a significant historical figure. I would give the whole series 3 ½ stars if I could. These books are great for a general picture of history, but obviously not for in depth study. We read these aloud, over a period of several weeks. Because of the way the book is laid out, it can be several days before a story is revisited. I often would have to remind the boys where the previous story left off before continuing. I think this can be confusing at times for them, and I’m sure all the stories didn’t get connected in their minds. These books are better given to the child who is a fast reader.

A really great overview of events worldwide during George Washington’s lifetime. The illustrations are wonderful, as well.

We read most (not all) of this book. I liked much about it, but I don’t think it’s the best for a read aloud.

We used this for World History and only read certain sections. The narrative format was so helpful to understanding, remembering and enjoying. Probably best to read it alongside other books.