Make Way for Sam Houston

Fritz's wit, sensitivity and understanding of the young reader have won her numerous awards and honors. They have also granted her the ability to make history and historical figures come alive. Her new book chronicles the colorful life of Sam Houston from his boyhood in Virginia to his death in Huntsville, Texas. While this biography is not easy reading, and a knowledge of the Civil War is helpful in understanding Houston's story, Fritz tempers the complicated background material with amusing anecdotes, such as the time one of his children interrupted a senate session while Houston was the governor of Texas, by locking the senators in the meeting room. Fritz's thoroughly researched narrative is supplemented by writings and quotes by Houston and his acquaintances. Involving reading for biography and history buffs. (10-up)