Ann Rinaldi has been tempting teenagers to read romances and learn some real history for over a decade. THE FIFTH OF MARCH doesn't stand out as her best effort, but it's a useful book. It catches the interest of many young readers, although some find it too slowly paced.

Rinaldi devotes most of the book to Rachel's evolving thinking. Except for a few riots, the incidents culminating in the Boston Massacre don't occur until more than halfway into the story. Rinaldi gets the history right, putting Rachel on the scene, although her view of John Adams neglects his famously volcanic emotions. However, the Adamses are just minor characters in this book.

Rachel, Boston, the Revolution, romance, and the concept of independence dominate the story. Rachel's movement toward her own liberty mirrors the evolution of the "plain Americans."

Rinaldi often writes in sentence fragments. The deliberately choppy writing style slows the pace of the book, but Rachel's inner struggle for independence still holds many readers' attention.

Rinaldi has done better with Time Enough for Drums and Finishing Becca. Scott O'Dell's Sarah Bishop and James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier's My Brother Sam Is Dead offer alternatives with more action.