From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–This companion volume to Fradin's The Signers (Walker, 2002) turns from the Declaration of Independence to the U.S. Constitution, with short biographies of the 39 men who created and signed it in September 1787. The introduction describes how divided the new states were as they argued about the framework of a balanced and strong federal government. Subsequent chapters describe the role of each state, with information on each delegate. McCurdy's scratchboard illustrations, indeed, the entire layout and typefaces used, look colonial and are very fitting for the subject. Fradin's writing is clear and inviting, drawing readers in to the fascinating lives of the men who came together to draft the document. As thorough as Robert Ferris's Signers of the Constitution (Interpretive, 1986), and far more engaging, this title will be useful for history reports and should be a priority purchase for most libraries.–Linda Beck, Indian Valley Public Library, Telford, PA
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From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. Using the format of The Signers: The 56 Stories behind the Declaration of Independence (2002), Fradin and McCurdy have produced another compelling collective biography. The makers of the U.S. Constitution are profiled in two or three pages each, in sections introduced by a brief note about their home states. McCurdy's black-and-white scratchboard illustrations are properly stately and engaging. Readers will find great nuggets of fact: two delegates, Rufus King and Gouverneur Morris, had wooden legs; several delegates later died in abject poverty; sometimes it isn't known when others were born or who their parents were. Not all of them married--Nicholas Gilman, the handsomest man in New Hampshire, did not--and those who did seemed to have a real preference for women named Elizabeth or Polly. Often, they finished college or took on adult roles by the time they were 16. What they all did, however, was craft an enduring document. The Constitution is included in its entirety. Indispensable for middle schools. GraceAnne DeCandido
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