In In Search of Molly Pitcher, Linda Grant DePauw tells us the story of Peggy McAllister, an 8th grader who is obsessed with academic achievement. When she finds out about the Rattletop Award, given annually for excellence in social studies, she knows that she must win it as the culmination of her middle school career. The requirement: a research paper on a great American hero. The problem: she picks a hero about whom little is really known: Molly Pitcher. The more her teacher tries to talk her out of it, the more convinced she is that a paper on Molly Pitcher is going to win her the prize.
The rest of the book traces Peggy's quest for the truth about Molly Pitcher. She learns about the wealth of heroic women whose stories have been forgotten, but who were all combined into the figure of Molly Pitcher. And she writes her paper.
The quest for the "historic Molly" is interesting enough, but I'm not sure that it will be attractive to young readers. I think the real value of this book might be for teachers who want to teach their students to write research papers. In Search goes through the process of writing a research paper, from brainstorming and outlining to the actual research process. Along the way, we learn critical thinking, interviewing skills, and more. We learn the value of evidence, and examining even primary sources critically.
I can see In Search given as required reading for students in either 8th or 9th grade as an introduction to a unit on writing research papers. What I can't see is this book being given as a gift to an 8th or 9th grader. It's an interesting book, but the topic isn't standard reading for kids in that age group. There are always exceptions - I've known and taught a couple Peggy McAllisters, and am married to one.
But by and large, In Search of Molly Pitcher isn't really a free-reading choice. I do heartily recommend it to teachers looking for a different way to teach their students about writing research papers.
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