The Bronze Bow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Bronze Bow

First edition
Author	Elizabeth George Speare
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Children's historical novel
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin
Publication date	1961
Media type	Print - Hardcover and Paperback
Pages	254
ISBN	0-395-13719-5
OCLC	438473894
Preceded by	The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Followed by	Life in Colonial America

The Bronze Bow is a book written by Elizabeth George Speare. It won the famous Newbery Medal in 1962. This award is given for excellent American children's literature.

The Story of The Bronze Bow

This exciting story takes place in the first century in a region called Galilee. The main character is a young Jewish boy named Daniel bar Jamin. He lives at the same time as Jesus of Nazareth.

Daniel's life is very tough. His father was killed by the Roman soldiers. This happened because his uncle couldn't pay a tax. When Daniel's father tried to help his uncle escape from jail, both were killed. Daniel was only eight, but he promised to get revenge on the Romans. His mother died from sadness after this. Daniel's younger sister, Leah, became very scared and stayed inside their house.

Their grandmother took care of them. But as she got sick and poor, she sold Daniel to a cruel blacksmith named Amalek. Daniel ran away to the mountains. There, he was found by Rosh, a leader of a group of rebels. These rebels wanted to fight against the Romans. Rosh's group took Daniel in, and he started a new life with them.

Years later, Daniel met his old friends, Joel bar Hezron and his twin sister Malthace. They had come to the mountain for a holiday. Joel wanted to join Rosh's group. He promised to be a spy in Capernaum, a city he was moving to.

Rosh sent Daniel to capture a slave. The slave was very strong, so they called him Samson. Samson didn't speak their language, but he saw Daniel as his friend. One day, Daniel's friend, Simon the Zealot, told him that his grandmother was dying. Daniel went back to his village, Ketzah, to see her. After she passed away, Daniel became responsible for Leah. Simon then decided to follow Jesus and left his shop to Daniel. Daniel and Leah moved into Simon's home and shop.

Now that Daniel was in the village, he started gathering young men his age. They wanted to rebel against the Romans. They chose a secret password from a song: 'He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.' They met in an old watchtower and began small acts of rebellion.

Rosh gave Joel a mission to find out who was coming to a special Roman banquet. Joel gathered information from servants. But then, Joel was captured by the Romans. Rosh refused to help him. So, Daniel and his small group planned to free Joel themselves. They attacked the Romans from a cliff. The plan went wrong, but Samson appeared and helped them. He rolled a big rock down on the Romans and joined the fight. They freed Joel, but one of their friends died, and many were hurt. Samson was taken away by the Romans and never seen again. Daniel realized that their rebellion had only made them weaker. He and Joel began to think that Jesus might be the leader they truly needed.

A young Roman soldier named Marcus became friends with Daniel's sister, Leah. Daniel hated Marcus, even though Marcus was from Germany and also conquered by Rome. When Daniel found out, he became very angry. Leah, who had been getting better, became scared and withdrawn again.

The story ends with Jesus healing Leah. Daniel finally understands that "to know and follow Jesus would be enough." He then shows Jesus' love by inviting the Roman soldier, Marcus, into his home to see Leah.

Why This Book Is Good for School

Teachers in middle school might find The Bronze Bow helpful. It can be used in social studies and language arts classes. The book pays close attention to details about the time period and places. This helps students understand history and what life was like in ancient Israel.

The story has many interesting parts, like romance, battles, spying, and friendship. These parts can keep young readers interested. The book can also be used to start discussions about ethics, morals, and religion.

What People Thought About The Bronze Bow

When the book first came out, Kirkus Reviews said it was very good. They wrote that the author did a great job of making the time period feel real. They also liked how the characters seemed like real people.

Some groups have had different opinions about the book. They felt that the book showed Judaism in a negative way and Christianity in a very perfect way. Some also believed it had historical mistakes. Because of these concerns, The Bronze Bow was removed from a reading list in San Rafael City Schools in 2006. This decision caused some teachers to protest, as they worried about censorship.