Opening with the stirring battle between the British frigate Macedonian and the United States, Bosco goes back to explain the causes of the war and to give a chronological account of the high points, recounting battles along the Canadian border, the great sea battles, fighting in the (then) Northwest, British retaliation in the East, etc. Along with the great victories were ignominious defeats; one is struck with wonder that we won. Treatment is even-handed: savagery was common among the British, Indians, and Americans. An epilogue explains settlements achieved with the Barbary Coast countries and briefly delineates the powerful effects of the war on US development. A particularly pleasing book, with stark white pages, large print, wide margins, and good maps and b&w photos; more important, it's written clearly and without condescension, proving that history can be exciting. Notes; important dates; glossary; further reading; bibliography; and a poor-quality index. (Nonfiction. 12+)

Gr. 7-10. History is peppered with events that might not have occurred had communications been timelier. The War of 1812 is one of them. Unaware that on June 16 the British had rescinded Orders-in-Council (blockading Napoleon's Europe, which was one of the major causes of the war because American ships were caught in the middle), the Americans declared war against the United Kingdom on June 17. And had the Americans known the Treaty of Ghent ending the war had been signed on December 24, 1814, the bloody Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, would never have been fought. Bosco's title is a misnomer because his comprehensive volume addresses the complicated politics of the main players--the British, the French, the Americans, and the native Americans for several decades leading to the war. Although many students may remember bits and pieces from the period--the Battle of Tippecanoe, the Francis Scott Key poem that later became our national anthem, Old Ironsides, and the famous phrases "Don't give up the ship!" and "We have met the enemy and they are ours"--Bosco provides an in-depth study of military strategy, with an emphasis on ships and sea battles. Black-and-white drawings and precise maps augment the excellent resource. The short index is not as thorough as it might be. Chrono~logy; glossary; bibliography. ~--Deborah Abbott

A clear, intelligent account of the early days of the United States and the national and international problems that led up to the War of 1812. Bosco is particularly adept at making causes and effects intelligible, and his reports of the great sea battles of the fledgling U.S. Navy are brisk and lively. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 5-8-- An interesting , well-researched presentation that offers exciting personalities and battles in a readable, colorful text. Fitting somewhere between Richard Morris's simpler The War of 1812 (Lerner) and Albert Marrin's detailed 1812: The War Nobody Won (Atheneum, both 1985), this title is informative enough for reports and exciting enough for military buffs. Bosco describes the background and causes of the war, its major battles, and mentions briefly its consequences. If occasionally he perpetuates some of the legends, this is balanced by thorough research elsewhere. The format is clean and attractive, with occasional black-and-white period reproductions and maps, and a chronology to help readers keep it all straight. --Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.