Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Esther Forbes was related to Sam Adams. He was a distant great-uncle. (Source.)
In 2001, Publisher's Weekly ranked Johnny Tremain 16th among all-time bestsellers in paperback children's books. Books were ranked by sales from their date of publication. (Source.)
Esther Forbes wanted to write a biography of James Otis or Doctor Joseph Warren, but she couldn't find enough primary source material. They became characters in Johnny Tremain. (Source.)
The primary inspiration for Johnny Tremain was in a story Forbes found in her research for Paul Revere and the World He Lived In, when a horse boy brought Revere news just before his famous midnight ride. (Source.)
Paul Revere actually had a young friend with a deformed hand. (Source.)