If you notice the publication date up top there, this book was released 26 years ago.

Overall, there was one overarching thing I noticed while reading TIME ENOUGH FOR DRUMS. I would have liked more of him, or none at all. (Her grandfather spent time during the French and Indian War with an Indian tribe, and had a baby with one of the women.) He shows up randomly, and Jem clearly has a fondness for him, but I couldn’t quite figure out what he was doing there. There was one aspect of the story that I wish had gotten a little more meat, and that was Jem’s uncle, whose name I cannot remember right now, who was of Native American heritage. Some awful things happen to Jem’s family, and I felt for them all. Plus, while it seemed like cray drama to me, it was probably closer to the truth of the way things were for people living in Trenton in 1776 than anything else, and I can appreciate that. The whole book was a little melodramatic on occasion, so the tone was consistent. As their relationship progressed, it seemed to happen quickly and was a little melodramatic sometimes, but I enjoyed it. After a short while, I was like, “SERIOUSLY, JEM?! You have NO IDEA what John is doing in your parent’s Patriot house?” She’s a good, if sometimes foolish, character. But she feels what she feels, and she acts on those feelings. Jem is always suspicious of why her parents tolerate him in their Trenton, NJ, home and why her brother, Daniel, is such good friends with him. Most likely this is because Jem, her brothers, and her family are all Patriots who support US independence. He’s a hottie, but an infuriating one for Jem.

This especially applies to her lessons with her Tory teacher, John. She rarely does what she is supposed to do, and when she does, guys, she effing complains about it. Jem, the main character, is plucky, trouble-making, and rebellious.

Of course, there’s other things about TIME ENOUGH FOR DRUMS that are appealing to me. It is set in places that still exist that I know. Because friends? This book takes place in NEW JERSEY. I couldn’t get it from my library fast enough. So when I was wandering around Goodreads, I happened upon some Ann Rinaldi books, and I soon discovered TIME ENOUGH FOR DRUMS, after it was strongly recommended to me by Tara from Hobbitses. Oh, baby! American Revolution! I love this shizz so hard guys, I don’t know that all of my nerding out could even convey the full breadth of my fascination with it. (First published by Troll Communications on March 28, 1986)

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi