One If By Land, Two If By ... Submarine may be targeted toward a middle school audience, but I can honestly say that I learned a thing or two about American history as well. This time travel historical fiction book quickly hooked me with its engaging characters and original plot. I was so invested in the main character Kep and his friends that I didn't want to put it down. I'm looking forward to more adventures by this author in the future! I'm not american so it was very informative.

I didn't manage to finish the book. I think it will appeal to younger readers, but after two approaches I've finally decided to DNF it (at 31% of the ebook). I didn't like characters and weak conflict. On the other hand, chances are it would improve later in the book.

Note: egalley provided by the publisher for review through Netgalley. Thank you Curiosity Quills!

On with the review...

I found the premise of Eileen Schnabel's book intriguing - a group of modern kids being sent back in time to make sure a major event in the history of the United States doesn't get derailed by a potential villain. Oh, and try not to mess up history too much by doing it. The execution for me was lacking. There were info dumps and preachy points dropped in throughout. The main plot was decently done, even if the conceit never quite gelled nor the villain. The book desperately lacks a solid bad guy's presence that would have properly upped the stakes more than "if you don't succeed, you'll undo the history of America!"

I know this sounds like I"m harping on things a bit, but the fact is that I kept feeling like the point of the book was something other than what it was about. The main characters felt a bit like central casting and weren't really fully realized. That said, I think the age group will enjoy this book for the most group. Middle grade readers will certainly dig the action throughout and wonder if they, too, could hack it without their modern conveniences. But, all said and done, this never came to be a fully realized experience for me.

I will be posting this review on my Instagram, blog, and goodreads, along with amazon and B & N when available.

I was approved to read an advanced copy of One if by Land, Two if by Submarine by  Eileen Schnabel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Here are my thoughts on the book and why I think you should read it. 

This book is based around a group of four kids who were hand picked for a special reenactment camp. Besides two of them being brothers, they didn't know each other and you really get to see their friendships blossom throughout. The author also gives them different backgrounds, one being a young black man, and the only girl being vegan who's father is a politician. With the backgrounds comes real life issues that certain kids face each day and that can make this book very relatable.

Eileen Schnabel has a great writing style that has a way of sucking you in. The first couple of chapters felt like some of the turn of events were obvious but after that point it was better and had me not expecting anything.

I didn't know what to expect with this book but I am glad I gave it a shot! The synopsis drew me in but the cover sealed the deal. I am also a fan of historical events and this book did not disappoint when it came to the historical aspect. I would say that it is more a middle-grade read than Teen/YA, but none the less, everyone should read this book! This book can be purchased starting October 2nd, 2018.

A wonderful, entartaing and instructive book.
I loved the world building and the alternate history plot.
It's a fast read and you are hooked since the beginning.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Curiosity Quill Press and Netgalley for this ARC

This was a very interesting series to read. Teachers in our school district are always on the lookout for more historical fiction books that correlate with their history unit and this one will definitely be popular with our explorers, and the discovery of America.

One if by Land focuses on a change in American History when Paul Revere gets kidnapped by a time traveler, it's up to a team of misfits (one mainly named Kep) to go back in time with the help of Samuel Adams and John Hancock to rescue the kidnappings in time before there is no America left at all. Can they all save America before they all get captured and that it is gone for good?

All of the adventures in the book are definitely relatable to the young audience and they will invest their time greatly. The students will want to read this book and they'll be begging to read it instead of feeling like they are forced to for a project. We can't wait to add this to our collection and have our students and teachers reading it. That is why we are proud to give this book 5 stars!