Title - My Brother Sam is Dead Author: Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher Publisher: Scholastic Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam is smart and brave -- and is now a part of the American Revolution. Most everyone in town are supporters of the British -- including Tim and Sam's father. Tim know he'll have to make a choice -- between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats. Entertain Historical Fiction RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 1636 4.5 850 Amazon RDQ based on a maximum of 3000 words Levels are suggested levels based on RDQ, not official levels Sentences Total Words Different Words Max Word/Sent 46 Total # of Words 1952 # of Different Words 576 Ave Word/.Sent 11 Hi Freq occurs 1387 71.1% # of Hi freq words 235 40.8% % of Long Sentences 19.3 Low Freq occurs 95 4.9% # of Low freq words 69 12% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: No support Dialog: Multiple speakers Dialog: Broken dialogue Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker Vocabulary: Some difficult words Language: Many descriptive words Sentences: Many Long Complex Text structure: Story/Poem Complexity: Several ideas - closely related Concepts: Abstract/Difficult Chapters Features Integral Setting - Historical Integral Setting - Cultural/Regional Complex plot Mood/tone First Person Topics *History Weapons War Independence Freedom America/ns American History Rebel/Rebellion Patriotism *Family & Friends Low Frequency Words agitators ammunition ammunitions anxious college colonies colony concentrating concerned concord constitutes conversation designed embarrassed envied fetched garrison governor's hancock harbor haven honest hotheads hundredweight latch leggings lexington lobst lobsterbacks loyalists madmen majesty manage massachusetts massacred mightiest minutemen mock muffled neighbor obey ordinary ought parliament passions patriots peace peppered preach prevail racks rebellion rebellious redding rumors scarlet shoving signalled spoonful taproom tavern tories treas treason vicious virtue whipped wives worth