The book I needed when learning about the US Government! Your Freedom, Your Power breaks down the first amendment into easy to understand chunks, with sprinklings of historical examples of kids using their first amendment rights. A great resource for young Americans to understand their role and their power in within their freedom.

Allison Matulli’s “Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid’s Guide to the First Amendment” is an excellent introduction to the topic. It breaks down the First Amendment into its five freedoms, defines each, then provides relevant examples. Matulli uses current examples, but does explain that those examples could be out of date because of changes in the legal landscape. There is a good explanation of the federal court system and how it works.

Though written for middle grade students, this book is suitable for high school students as well. Specialized legal vocabulary is included within the text and complicated court decisions are explained thoroughly.

This book would be great to have in social studies and journalism classrooms at the middle school and high school levels. I would even recommend it for AP U.S. Government classes for students who are having a hard time breaking down required cases or understanding the federal court system.

“Your Freedom, Your Power” will be out in July 2023.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Running Press Kids. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Across the United States the 1st Amendment is under attack and I am free to say that without fear of government punishment because of the 1st Amendment. So there! This is an excellent look at the founding principles of our nation with a focus on the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. Providing solid examples of the freedoms protected by the 1st Amendment and the challenges of interpreting those freedoms in an ever changing world, this book provides young people with a solid foundation that is engaging, loaded with historical facts, and provides "you decide" questions that challenge young people to apply what they have learned in each section. The writers and illustrator even made it a very fun read! Excellent.