Fourteen-year-old Tim Meeker is caught between sides during the Revolutionary War. Is it better to remain loyal to the British and just stay out of the war like his father? Should he stand up and join the Rebel cause like his older brother Sam? As the mounting danger and tragedy of the war force Tim to become his own man, he cares for his mother and the family tavern, making his own adult decisions in the midst of violence.

Winner of the Newbery Honor, the Revolutionary War comes alive in this contemporary classic for young adults.

The Revolutionary War had no clear-cut loyalties—it divided families, friends, and towns. Young Tim Meeker’s sixteen-year-old brother goes off to fight with the Patriots while his father remains a reluctant British Loyalist in the Tory town of Redding, Connecticut. Tim’s always looked up to his brother, who’s smart and brave. With the war soon raging, Tim knows he’ll have to make a choice—between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats…and between his brother and his father. Over the course of the war, Tim learns that life teaches some bitter lessons and does not guarantee clear answers. My Brother Sam Is Dead is a stirring, probing tale full of action and suspense, putting you right into the heart of the Revolutionary War.