The Matchlock Gun facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Walter D. Edmonds |
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| Illustrator | Paul Lantz |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's, Historical novel |
| Publisher | Dodd, Mead & Company |
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Publication date
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1941 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-698-11680-1 |
The Matchlock Gun is an exciting children's book written by Walter D. Edmonds. It won a very special award called the Newbery Medal in 1942. This award is given to the best American book for children each year.
Contents
About the Story
A Dangerous Time in 1756
The story takes place in 1756 in a place called Guilderland, New York. This was during the French and Indian War. It was a time when different groups were fighting for control of the land.
The main character is ten-year-old Edward Van Alstyne. His family calls him "Ateoord," which is his name in Dutch. Edward lives with his mother, Gertrude, and his younger sister, Trudy.
Protecting Their Home
Edward's father, Teunis, is away fighting with the local soldiers. This leaves Edward, his mother, and sister to protect their home. They have a very old and heavy Spanish matchlock gun. Edward's great-grandfather brought this gun from the Netherlands a long time ago.
Gertrude, Edward, and Trudy try to do their normal daily chores. But soon, bad news arrives. They hear that French and Native American forces are attacking nearby towns. Edward's father and his group of soldiers have gone to stop them.
A Mother's Plan
Later that day, Gertrude sees smoke in the distance. She realizes the attackers are getting closer to their home. Edward's father had told them to go to his mother's brick house if there was danger. However, Gertrude thinks the brick house might be a bigger target.
She comes up with a brave plan to protect her own home. She loads the old matchlock gun and sets it up to fire. Then, she teaches Edward exactly how and when to use it. Gertrude goes outside to watch for any danger.
The Brave Shot
The most exciting part of the story happens when Gertrude sees flames in the distance. This means her mother-in-law's house has been attacked. Moments later, she sees five attackers coming towards their house in the dark.
Gertrude runs back to the house, shouting a warning to Edward. She is hurt by a thrown tomahawk as she reaches the porch. Edward, remembering his mother's instructions, fires the big gun through the front window. He stops three of the attackers and scares away the others.
Their house starts to burn, but Edward and Trudy bravely pull their unconscious mother to safety. Edward then goes back into the burning house to save the special Spanish gun. Soon after, their father and the other soldiers arrive and find them safe.
A True Story
The book says this is a true story. It was passed down through Trudy's family. Trudy later became very good at spinning yarn. Her mother taught her after her shoulder was hurt and she could no longer do it herself.
Audio Versions
You can listen to The Matchlock Gun in a few ways. It was made into an audio play in 1969. Later, in 2015, it was recorded as an audiobook read by Mark Turetsky.
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Call It Courage |
Newbery Medal recipient 1942 |
Succeeded by Adam of the Road |
