Benjamin Franklin: A nonfiction companion to Magic Tree House #32: To the Future, Ben Franklin! (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker)

Benjamin Franklin: A nonfiction companion to Magic Tree House #32: To the Future, Ben Franklin! (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker)

Track the facts about the great printer, inventor, and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin! When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #32: To the Future, Ben Franklin! they had lots of questions. What was Ben Franklin's first job? How did a kite teach him about electricity? What are some of Ben's most famous inventions? Why did he have so many nicknames? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about Benjamin Franklin. Filled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Mary Pope Osborne  is the author of the  New York Times  number one bestselling Magic Tree House series as well as co-author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, along with her husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. For more information, visit the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com!  Natalie Pope Boyce and Mary Pope Osborne are sisters who grew up on army posts all over the world. They work together on Magic Tree House® Fact Tracker books to give readers information about the places, time periods, and animals that Jack and Annie discover in their Magic Tree House adventures. Natalie makes her home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. Mary is the author of all the Magic Tree House® fiction titles, as well as many more books for kids. For more information, visit the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com! Benjamin Franklin was born more than three hundred years ago. Today he is still one of the most famous and beloved men in American history. Benjamin was a great scientist, thinker, inventor, writer, and printer. He created or helped create the first lending library, the first fire department, the first public hospital, and the first post office in America. When he wasn’t working, Benjamin used his spare time wisely. He played music and taught himself five languages. He also learned to swim, and many years after he died, he was made a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame! But Benjamin is probably best known as one of America’s Founding Fathers. His wisdom helped guide the country in its struggle to break free from English rule and become a new nation. People often wonder how this poor boy, with just two years of school, was able to lead such an amazing life. Benjamin Franklin’s story is hard to believe. Boston Benjamin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1706. At the time of his birth, the United States wasn’t a country. It was divided into thirteen colonies and ruled by England, a country thousands of miles across the ocean. Boston was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Because the city is on the Atlantic Ocean and has a deep harbor, it was one of the busiest seaports in the colonies. The Franklin Family Before Benjamin was born, his father, Josiah, had sailed from England to make a new life in Boston. He owned a shop that sold candles and soap that were made there. Josiah had seven children with his first wife, who later died. He had ten more with his second wife, including Benjamin. Josiah worked hard to feed seventeen children! Ben was the fifteenth child and the youngest son. People knew Josiah as a wise man who could be counted on to give good advice. The Franklins lived in a small house with four rooms. As a boy, Benjamin taught himself to swim. When he was eleven, he wanted to swim faster, so he made wooden paddles that fit over his hands—almost like flippers! He did swim a lot faster, but his wrists got very tired from using the paddles. Once Benjamin tied himself to a kite that pulled him across the water. Benjamin the Apprentice Because most families were large and needed money, kids in Benjamin’s time went to work when they were very young. Many signed on to be an apprentice (uh-PREN-tis). Apprentices worked for expert craftsmen to learn skills such as shoe or furniture making so they too could make a living. They signed contracts promising to work for a set number of years. Many promised to work until they turned twenty-one. By the time he was ten, Benjamin had only been to school for two years. His father decided he needed to go to work and gave him a job at his soap and candle shop. Benjamin spent his days trimming candlewicks and running errands. Benjamin didn’t like this job. What he did like was reading. James, Benjamin’s older brother, owned a printshop that printed books, newspapers, and articles. Josiah asked him to take Benjam