In 1779, a seventeen-year-old French boy crossed the Atlantic to help America win its freedom. More than fifty years later, his grandson crossed it to make America his home.Both were real. Both are the author's ancestors.Siméon Gaugien left his family's vineyard in eastern France and enlisted in an artillery regiment. He sailed with the French expeditionary force and served at Yorktown, where French guns helped force the British surrender. Then he went home, married, and farmed.His grandson Charles André grew up on those stories, and on the family saying: Strong roots make a sturdy vine, and a sturdy vine weathers any storm. In 1832, after his grandfather's death and years of hard harvests, the family sailed for New York. Charles André was fourteen. He carried his grandfather's stories and a small pouch of sweet clover from the garden at home.The boy was real. The soldier was real. The family was real. Siméon's service appears in French military records. Charles André's voyage appears on the passenger manifest of the brig Larpool, which reached New York on June 5, 1832.Next Stop America tells their story in full-page illustrations for readers ages 7 to 11. The back matter separates what is documented from what is imagined, offers questions for the classroom and the dinner table, and shows children how to start finding their own family's story.A natural choice for families, classrooms, and libraries marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.Parents and grandparents reading aloudIndependent readers ages 7 to 11Elementary classrooms and school librariesHomeschool familiesYoung readers discovering the Revolution and the immigrant experienceTed Hart is a direct descendant of both men. Next Stop America is adapted for young readers from his history Vineyards to Victory: A French Soldier, Yorktown, and the Making of an American Family. Read more
