Fifth+Books

· //__How we Crossed The West, The Adventures of Lewis and Clark__//, by Rosalyn Schanzer (ISBN 0-590-37965-8, Scholastic Inc.) The original diaries of the crossing of the continent by Lewis and Clark were done in picture as well as words. This book is following in the footsteps of the first journals. Through quotes from the travelers' own journals you'll relive hair-raising adventures and narrow escapes. With Lewis and Clark, you'll meet Sioux chiefs, and travel with the legendary Shoshone Sacagawea. You'll feel great excitement as the party nears the long-sought ocean and hears "the roaring noise made by waves breaking on rocky shores " · //__Pocahontas__// by Laurence Santrey (ISBN 0-8167-0277-2, Troll) This easy to read story tells of Jamestown and the friendship between Pocahontas, the Indian daughter of Powhantan, and John Smith, the military leader of Jamestown. This friendship saved the English settlement and started the colonization of the Americas by the English. Pocahontas and John Smith's friendship went beyond the Indian uprising and stayed strong as Pocahontas marries John Rolf and lives in England and up to her very young death in England as she waits to come home to Virginia. · //__ If You Lived in Colonial Times __// by Ann McGovernand (ISBN 0-590-45160-X, Scholastic) Through the use of pictures and questions the details of what it was like if you lived in colonial times during the years 1565 to 1776 is discussed. What kind of clothes would you wear? Would you go to school? What would happen if you did not behave? What food did you eat? Were there special times for fun? What jobs did they have in colonial times? All of these questions and many more will be answered in this easy to understand book. textbook type book · //__ Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? __// by Jean Fritz and illustrated by J.B. Handelsman (ISBN 0-590-46472-8, Scholastic) The true story of the famous Plymouth Rock is told. How many times has the rock been moved? How many times has it been split since colonial times? Why is Plymouth Rock so famous? All of these questions will be answered in this easy to read book. · //__ Margaret Pumphrey's Pilgrim Stories __// by Elvajean Hall (ISBN 0-590-45202-9, Scholastic) This story began in 1606, when the people known as the Pilgrims embarked on their dangerous journey to find a place where they could worship as they wished. Over 100 people, including 30 children, were on the Mayflower when it landed in Plymouth, New England, in November of 1620. Here are stories of the ships crossing and of real people who stayed alone in the New World in that first heroic year of starvation, fear, and new friendships. · //__ On the Mayflower __// (picture book) by Kate Waters Photographs by Russ Kendall (ISBN 0-590-67408-0, Scholastic) This is the picture story of the voyage of the Mayflower's apprentice and a pilgrim passenger girl as they voyage across the Atlantic ocean to the new world. This is the first hand account what this kind of trip was like and also from what we know about navigating and shipboard life in the 17th century. · //__ Sarah Morton's Day __// by Kate Waters (ISBN 0-590-47400-6, Scholastic) A day in the life of a 10 year old girl in Plymouth Plantation is looked at in this book. It is written in the language of the time with beautiful pictures that show you exactly how it was. There is a page of vocabulary in the back of the book. Excellent book to tell about why the pilgrims came to the new world and how life is now that they are here. can be combined with Samuel Eaton's Day and Tapenum's Day to give a better picture of life in Plymouth. · //__ Samuel Eaton's Day __// by Kate Waters (ISBN 0-590-48053-7, Scholastic) Samuel is finally old enough (7 year's old) to put away his childish ways and do the work of a man in Plymouth Plantation. This story tells one day in his life. The beautiful pictures show how life was in 1627 and how hard every one had to work to make life livable. This is an excellent picture book. can be combined with Sarah Morton's Day and Tapenum's Day to give a clear picture about life in Plymouth · //__ Tapenum's Day __// by Kate Waters (ISBN 0-590-20238-3, Scholastic) Tapenum is a Wampanoag Indian boy who lives near Plymouth Plantation in 1627. This beautiful picture book tells the story of one day in his life. New ideas about the Indian way of life are discussed and shown as Tapenum goes about his daily life. Life is hard and Tapenum learns much as he goes about the duties and education of his day. combined with Sarah Mortons Day and Samuel Eatons Day gives a clear picture of life in and around Plymouth Plantation in Colonial days. · //__ A Journey to the New World/Remember Patience Whipple by Kathryn Lasky __// (ISBN 0-590-50214-X, Scholastic) The diary of Remember Patience Whipple leads us through the story of the pilgrims and the settling of New England. She chronicles the Pilgrims troubles in England and Holland as well as the New World. It is a story of brave people who braved hardships to come to the Americas. The true story of the pilgrim Thanksgiving feast is told. * In the back of the book the history of the settling of Plymouth is told in word and picture. · //__ Eating the Plates __// by Lucille Recht Penner (ISBN 0-590-46975-4, Scholastic) Food, food, food! It was hard for the first Pilgrim settlers to think of anything else. Why did the Pilgrims prefer to eat in the dark aboard the Mayflower? Why did they plant fish in their cornfields? Did they really eat turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving? An answering to these and many other questions follow in the book. It reminds us that the Pilgrims were real people. This fascinating account of their eating habits, customs, and manners will bring the Pilgrims to life. · //__ Calico Captive __// by Elizabeth George Speare (ISBN 0-440-41156-4, Yearling) The year is 1754, the French and Indian War is upon the colonists. Young Miriam Willard is taken prisoner in a raid on Charlestown, New Hampshire. It is a harrowing march north. Miriam could only force herself to the next stopping place, the next small portion of food as she learns what family really means. She survives the Indian camp and is sold to the French as a servant to a real family in Montreal. She sees the war from the eyes of the French as she fights to keep her family together. this is probably more of a girl's book than a boys · //__ The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker __// by Cynthia DeFelice (ISBN 0-380-72920-2, Avon) It's 1849 and twelve-year old Lucas Whitaker is all alone after his whole family dies of a disease called consumption. Lucas is grief-stricken and filled with guilt. Unable to manage the family farm by himself, Lucas finds work as an apprentice to Doc Beecher who is the town doctor, dentist, barber, and undertaker. Lucas lives with Doc Beecher and learns his trade. Lucas and Doc Beecher make a house call to see Sarah Stukeley who has consumption. Doc Beecher believes there is little he can do to cure her disease. Lucas and the Stukeley family have heard about a cure. It was believed that the first to die in a family from consumption would come back to drain the very life from others in order to live themselves. Doc Beecher doesn't believe in this superstition and tries to convince Lucas that he needs to look at the scientific evidence. The Stukeley's dig up the coffin of Sarah's brother, and cut out his heart. They take the heart back to the house where they place the heart in the flames. Sarah is then made to breathe in the smoke. When the flames die down Sarah is given the ashes mixed with water to drink. Lucas then decides that he would rather have scientific proof, and decides to become a doctor. The story concludes with Doc Beecher and Lucas looking through a new instrument called a microscope at microorganisms. *This would be a great book for 6th graders to read who would be studying the Middle Ages and microorganisms. 5th grade could read this book to understand what life was like in Colonial America, what superstition they had and problems with hygiene. · //__ Coat of Many Colors __//, by Dolly Parton, illustrated by Judith Sutton (ISBN 0-590-89935-X, Scholastic Inc.) Dolly Parton tells the story of growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Mama didn't have store-bought books, but she often read stories to us from the Bible and all the stories she told are still a part of Dolly today. Mama tried to make me feel special in my little ragged coat and told me I was poor only if I chose to be. · //__ This Land Is Your Land, __// by Woody Guthrie, paintings by Kathy Jakobsen (ISBN 0-439-18863-6, Scholastic Inc.) This book is the illustrated story of the song "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie. It shows the beauty of America and the diversity within its borders. A tribute to Woody Guthrie is given at the end of the picture book. · //__Stranger in Williamsburg__// by Wanda Luttrell (ISBN 0-7814-0902-0, Chariot) The American Revolution is in full swing, and Sarah Moore is caught right in the middle of it. She returns to Williamsburg, Virginia, from Kentucky, to live with her aunt's family and learn from their tutor. During her time in Williamsburg she becomes involved with a possible spy and endangers the lives of her beloved uncle and brother. She must reach into her inner soul and with the help of the governor's servant find the solution to her problem. *religion helps her come to terms with herself. · //__Ben and Me__// by Robert Lawson A mouse lives in the same house as the famed Benjamin Franklin. The story tells how the mouse helps Mr. Franklin in making some of his most famous experiments. He also helps Ben to make the correct decisions when deciding about freeing the United States from English rule. · //__Yankee Doodle__// by Gary Chalk (ISBN 1-56458-202-7, Dorling Kindersley) Gary Chalk has long had a passionate interest in American history and folk music. In this book, a patriotic mouse named Yankee Doodle recounts his version of the major events of the war. He tootles his way from the Boston Tea Party to the Battle of Bunker Hill, from Valley Forge to the Yankee's victory at Yorktown. a picture book ˆ · J//__ohnny Tremain__// by Esther Forbes (ISBN 0-440-94250-0, Laurel-Leaf) Johnny Tremain is a teenager apprenticed to Paul Revere as a silversmith. Through his relationship with Paul Revere he becomes involved with the Sons of Liberty and takes part in the Boston Tea Party and the Battle on Lexington Green. This is a classic tale of the beginning of the Revolution. · //__The Winter of Red Snow__// by Kristiana Gregory (ISBN 0-590-22653-3, Scholastic) The hard winter of 1777-78 at Valley Force is chronicled in this diary of Abigail Jane Stewart. She watches and helps the soldiers as they sleep in tents in the snow, build log cabins, and try to stay alive through the winter. She meets General Washington and marvels at his leadership. The story is told through her eyes. · //__The Journal of William Thomas Emerson__// by Barry Denenberg (ISBN 0-590-31350-9, Scholastic) My Name is America journal, this book tells the fictitious story of a Revolutionary War Patriot. It begins the summer of 1774, in Boston, when Will was just 10, and a new orphan. The story chronicles the events of the Redcoats in Boston at the time, as well as tells Will's story of the family who took him in, to his eventual involvement with helping the cause. By the time he was 11 years of age, he was considered a patriot because of his courage and actions. At the conclusion of the story, there are 13 pages of historical notes and actual pictures of places and events that were included in the story. · //__Jump Ship to Freedom__// by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (ISBN 0-440-443237, Yearling) Young Daniel Arabus and his mother are slaves in the house of Captain Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut. By law they should be free, since Daniel's father fought in the Revolutionary army and earned enough in soldier's notes to buy his family's liberty. But now Daniel's father is dead and Mrs. Ivers has taken the notes from his mother. When Daniel bravely steals the notes back, a furious Captain Ivers forces him aboard a ship bound for the West Indies and slavery. Daniel manages to jump ship in New York and fight his way back to Connecticut to his mother and freedom. · //__A Young Patriot, The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy__//, by Jim Murphy (ISBN 0-590-100629-9, Scholastic Inc.) This is the story of the American Revolution through the eyes of Joseph Plumb Martin, who enlisted in the army in 1776, at the age of 15. This work offers a view of the Revolutionary War missing from most books-instead of the broad sweep of dramatic events and change, readers see the daily misery, boredom, confusion, terror, and only occasional triumph of army life. ˆ · //__Crossing the Delaware__//, by Louise Peacock, illustrated by Walter Lyon Drudop (ISBN 0-439-13309-2, Scholastic Inc.) Washington attached the Hessian regiment in Trenton in December. It was a desperate thing to do. This is the story of that famous event told through letters, pictures and a short narration. ˆ · //__Path of the Pale Horse (Medicine)__// by Paul Fleischman After Lep's father died on the battlefield, Lep made the decision that he wanted to become a doctor, and rescue sick people. When the Yellow Fever struck Philadelphia, he found his belief in the "modern" ways to practice medicine put to the test. While working along aide Dr. Peale, he was forced to recognize that faith, as much as their medicine healed the sick. This is a good look at the early stages of medicine in a suspenseful novel. · //__ Remember My Name __// (The Trail of Tears) by Sara H. Banks (ISBN 0-590-22500-6, Scholastic) This book tells the story of Annie Rising Fawn, who leaves her Cherokee grandmother on Star Mountain and goes to live with her uncle, William Blackfeather, and her aunt in a Cherokee town so that she can be educated. Annie soon finds herself caught up in the ATrail of Tears. The reader is kept far enough away from the gore but close enough to feel the tragedy. ˆ · //__ The Life and Death of Crazy Horse __// by Russell Freedman (ISBN 0-590-39731-1, Scholastic) From interviews and research the true story of the life of Crazy Horse is told. Crazy Horse is one of the most powerful leaders the Cheyenne nation ever had. It not only tells his story but the story of Custer's last stand from the Indian point of view. *Indian point of viewˆ · //__ Indian Sign Language __// by Ann McGovernIllustrated by June Otani (ISBN 0-590-38193-8, Scholastic) Since the American Indian tribes spoke many different languages, they developed an extensive sign language to express their ideas. The intertribal language of the American Indian is discussed in this book. Individual signs are pictured and a short narrative is written about each sign. By practicing this sign language students can soon develop great skill in an ancient art that is still used by our American Indians. · //__ An Indian Winter __// by Russell Freedman (ISBN 0-590-48070-7, Scholastic) In 1833-34 a German prince and a Swiss artist spent the winter with the Mandan Indians in North Dakota. They viewed Native American life and culture through the eyes of European strangers, yet they were observers who left a vivid picture of the unspoiled western frontier. This is the story of their adventure and the people who befriended them. ˆ · //__ Truth Is A Bright Star __// by Joan Price (ISBN 0-590-13288-1, Scholastic) Twelve-year-old Loma is one of thirteen Hopi children kidnapped by Spanish soldiers in 1832,taken five hundred miles from their peaceful desert village, and sold into slavery. Bought by Big Jim, a gruff trapper, Loma learns to survive in snow-covered mountains and is forced to confront a harsh way of life that goes against all his beliefs. In this story of courage and determination, one frightened boy pits his will and the wisdom of his people against a foe that threatens to change his life forever.ˆ · //__ Thunder Rolling in the Mountains __// by Scott O'Dell and Elizabeth Hall (ISBN 0-440-40879-2, A Yearling Book) It is the spring of 1877 when fourteen-year-old Sound of Running Feet, daughter of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, sees white people panning gold in the little creek that feeds the Willows River, and brings word of them to her father. It is the Sound of Running Feet who narrates the story of her tribe's fate. Readers will be involved as she shares with us her respect for her father, her love for handsome Swan Necklace, and her destiny. teen age theme of loveˆ · //__ My Heart Is On the Ground, The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl __// (Dear America) by Ann Rinaldi (ISBN 0-590-14922-9, Scholastic) This is an excellent book. Written in diary form, this book portrays the difficulties of young Native American children whose tribal and family lifestyles have been taken from them and they must adjust to a new way of life. The story takes place at one of the many Indian schools that sprang up across the country at this time, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This young Sioux girl tells not only of her own challenges but also relates difficulties and achievements of other children at the school. The story is told with frankness, optimism, and tolerance.ˆ · //__ Kokopelli's Flute __// by Will Hobbs (ISBN 0-380-72918-4, Scholastic) Tepary Jones has always been fascinated by the ancient cliff dwelling called Picture House at Mesa Verde. He wanted to understand the secrets of the Ancient Ones. He gets that chance when he finds an ancient flute. When he blows on the flute he is transformed and becomes part of the Ancient Ones era. It is a story that tells of looting the ancient ruins and how the ancient Indians lived. *fantasy with a little history ˆ · //__ The Eagles Shadow __// by Nora Martin (SBN 0-439-04778-1, Scholastic) This is a beautifully written story about Kliewer, who is sent to Alaska to live with her relatives she doesn't know, a group of Tlingit Indians. Her mother, a Tlingit, had abandoned them, and her father was being sent overseas for a year. For a 10 year old, this was a frightening experience. The story unfolds as we see Kliewer gradually being accepted by her mother's people. The greatest change, however, is in Kliewer. She begins to accept this new way of life, becomes stronger, and finally embraces the way of these people. Martin does an excellent job weaving the story of Kliewer in with the culture of the Tlingit people. Her expressions were beautifully written. AStanding on the beach, I lifted my face and felt each snowflake that fell out of the darkness like a frozen tear. I decided that while in Tahkeen, I would turn my tears into ice and freeze my sadness inside where no one could thaw it, like the frozen statue I was with my father. Then they wouldn't be able to see how much I was like my mother.ˆ · //__ The Light in the Forest __// by Conrad Richter (ISBN 0-449-70437-8, Scholastic) John Cameron Butler was born into a frontier family. When he was very young he was taken and adopted by a great Lenni Lenape Indian warrior. He had renamed him and reared him as his son. True Son grew up to think, feel, and fight as an Indian. Now, at fifteen, the Indians had made a treaty and agreed to return all their white captives. True Son was ordered to go back to his real family. This story is about his return to his birth parents and his struggle with living with a white family. He had learned to hate the white man. He hates his new father, his new house and his new family. This story deals with his struggle to figure out where he belongs. He runs away from his white family to return with his Indian family. When the Indians return to attack his hometown his loyalty is tested. The story ends when True Son, is forced to leave his Indian family in order to return to his white family. This is a great story that deals with life on the frontier and the problems between the Indians and White Man. · //__Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt__// (picture book) by Deborah Hopkinson (ISBN 0-69-87472-0, Scholastic) Clara, a slave and seamstress on Home Plantation, knows that the Underground Railroad can lead her to freedom. The only problem is, How to find it? By piecing together scraps of cloth with scraps of information gathered from the other slaves, she fashions a map so secret that even the master won't suspect as she walks to freedom and leaves her quilt so that others may follow. Paintings by James Ransome ˆ · //__To Be A Slave__// by Julius Lester (ISBN 0-590-42460-2, Scholastic) This is a book about how it felt to be a slave. The story is told in the actual words of slaves, with Lester filling in details to explain. It covers areas of slavery such as the auction block, life on a plantation, the slaves' resistance to slavery, including escape stories, the emancipation of slaves, and even life after emancipation. · //__Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters__// by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack (ISBN 0-439-14542-2, Scholastic) Those who ate dinner in the Big House and danced the cakewalk in the Quarters during Christmas, 1859, didn't know that a war would be fought in their fields and woods. Or that some of the old plantation houses would be burned or used as military headquarters or hospitals. They didn't know that cholera would kill thousands of the newly freed slaves. They didn't know that thousands of soldiers would die. They were just enjoying Christmas as it had been for the past decade. Notes in the back of the book tell details and interpret things that are talked about in the story. ˆ · //__Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad__// by Jim Haskins (ISBN 0-590-45419-6 Scholastic) This is an information book telling about the underground railroad that reads like a novel. The reader will learn how the underground railroad got its name and how it really functioned. It covers the history of slave escapes (some were harrowing, nail-biting, escapades). Also explained are the stations and tracks, stationmasters, conductors, and the passengers. It gives particular detail to Harriet Tubman, the woman called Moses, and John Brown, a fugitive slave. Included are pictures of white people who helped the cause, as well as black people who risked their lives to escape and then to return to help others. Great reading silently or out loud as a class. It could even be broken down into sections, and have a different group report on each section, or even write a reader's theater for their section, and present it.) ˆ · //__The Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition__//, by Karen Zeinert (ISBN 0-208-02439-5, Linnet) In 1839, fifty-three West Africans aboard La Amistad, a ship bound for Puerto Principe, Cuba revolted. After taking control of the ship, the blacks ordered two plantation owners to sail them back to Africa. Instead the cunning hostages slowly worked the ship into American waters. At Long Island, New York the Amnestied, its cargo and crew were seized and taken to Connecticut. The Amnestied blacks were changed with murder and piracy. For two years the Amnestied incident was in the court system. During their detention the Africans were civilized and taught English, converted to Christianity, and shown off for the abolitionist cause. After two long years some of the Africans were returned to their beloved homeland, Mende country in Sierra Leone. This is a well researched incident with many first hand accounts, and pictures. A 33-minute full color video titled The Amnestied Revolt---All We Want is Make Us Free is made for students. The information is listed on page 95. ˆ · //__The Well__// by Mildred D. Taylor During a severe drought, the Logan family share their sweet, fresh well water with anyone in need, Black or White. The Simms boys hate the Logans because they are colored folk, and do their best to torment the Logan boys. Tensions build until the Simms' boys decide to contaminate the well by putting dead animals down in the water. Their father finally recognizes their hatred and consequences do follow. The beauty of the book is the Logan mother quietly teaching unconditional caring for others, Black or White, and a lesson on dignity is learned. A good read-aloud book to generate discussion about racial tension and justice. · //__A Nation Torn__// by Delia Ray (ISBN 0-590-21416-0, Scholastic) A Nation Torn describes the crucial events leading to the War Between the States and brings to life the unforgettable individuals of that era, from the eloquent peacemaker Henry Clay, to Harriet Tubman, the courageous conductor to the Underground Railroad, and the fanatical abolitionist John Brown. Including letters, diaries, eyewitness accounts, and many vintage photographs are shared with the reader. ˆ · __Bull Run__ by Paul Fleischman (ISBN 0-590-47408-1, Scholastic) This book recreates the first great battle of the Civil War from the points of view of six, teenage participants, Northern and Southern, male and female, white and black. There are voices that tell of the dreams of glory, the grim reality, the hopes, horror, and folly of a nation discovering the true nature of war. use as a novel or as readers' theaterˆ · //__Mr. Lincoln's Drummer__// by G. Clifton Wisler (ISBN 0-14-038542-8, Puffin) Ten-year-old Willie Johnston is too young to be a soldier in Mr. Lincoln's army. So he joins as a drummer boy instead. Part of Willie's job is rousing the troops in the morning with his drum the other part is being the last to retreat in battles. In this true story, Willie shows he's brave enough to keep beating his drum and becomes the youngest ever to qualify for the nation's highest military honor. This book blends truth and fiction into a story that tells how it really was to be in the Civil War. ˆ · //__The Boys' War__// by Jim Murphy (ISBN 0-590-45604-0, Scholastic) This is the story of thousands of boys who fought in the Civil War. Based on diary entries and letters. This book tells all about their war: why they joined, what they wore, how they lived, what they ate, if they survived, if they didn't. You'll go with them from the homestead to the training camps right into the heat of battle. And by the end, you'll know them. graphic pictures of warˆ · //__Behind the Lines__// by Isabelle Holland (ISBN 0-590-45114-6, Scholastic) It is 1863, and the Irish are angry because they are expected to fight in the War Between the States. The story is told through the eyes of Katie O'Farrell, whose father is angry that the Irish are expected to fight in a battle that isn't theirs to fight. Katie is torn between not wanting her brother, Brian, to go to war, and understanding why there needs to be a war. She faces several moral dilemmas in the story. One is whether she should go against her employers and warn Brian that they want to pay him money to go fight in their son's place (a common practice during the war). She ultimately learns through a friendship with Jimmy that race and class don't have to determine how she thinks, or whom she can like. There is a graphic description of the New York draft riots that occurred during this time period. ˆ · //__The Journal of James Edmond Pease__// by Jim Murphy (ISBN 0-590-43814-X, Scholastic) This is a book in the My Name Is America series. It is a journal of a fictitious Civil War Union soldier. It takes place in Virginia in 1863, and chronicles the experiences of James Edward Pease, who was told to keep a record of what he does from day to day. This eyewitness account spans the time period from November to May of one year. The reader will get a feel of what the long tedious marches were like, how it feels to see a buddy killed, what war was really like, but also the feeling of homesickness as James recognizes that war is probably never good, even if it is for a good cause.ˆ · //__A Ballad of the Civil War__// by Mary Stolz (ISBN 0-590-81926-7, Scholastic) Tom and Jack were as close as close could be. And Aaron, a slave boy at Rigby Plantation, was almost as close to the twins as they were to each other. Tom didn't dream that anything could ever come between them and that is where the story begins. This story is inspired by a nineteenth-century ballad that tells of two brothers that end up facing each other as enemies during the Civil War and what brought them to that place in life.ˆ · //__For Home and Country__// by Norman Bolotin and Anela Herb (ISBN 0-590-99736-X, Scholastic) The Civil War was the most devastating conflict in U.S. history. In For Home and Country A Civil War Scrapbook, you will find a overview of the war. This scrapbook is packed with photographs, diaries, and letters as well as printed wallpapers, stories, news clippings, and advertisements. Here is the record of the war as soldiers on the battlefield and their loved ones at home confronted a war-torn country. ˆ · //__A Light in the Storm, the Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin__// by Karen Hesse (ISBN 0-590-56733-0, Scholastic) This is not a lighthearted book but one of how to overcome struggles. 15-year-old Amelia Martin assists her father as they take care of the lighthouse on Fenwick Island in Delaware at the beginning of the Civil War. Sides are taken, father stays with the lighthouse and mother moves away from it. This book speaks to us of the war on the water and how important lighthouses were/are. this book has hard adult themes in the breakup of mother and father and war. · //__ Wagons West! __//, by Roy Gerrard This tale of westward movement is told in rhyme. The pictures are delightful and engage the reader in learning about U.S. history. A family is impressed with stories of the west and they follow the Oregon Trail to a place of unbelievable beauty where they make their home. Here twenty years later the fair Willamette's still their happy home. " It's the place from which we never wish to roam." · //__ Orphan Train Children-Will's Choice, __// by Joan Lowery Nixon (ISBN 0-440-41309-5, Bantam Doubleday Dell) This book is fiction, but is based on stories of homeless children and other children who were sent west to be placed in homes and given opportunities they would not have in the East. Will Scott had tried very hard to gain his father's approval. His father was a circus performer and he had tried to have Will become part of the circus. As much as Will wanted to, and as hard as he tried, he could not perform the stunts. Will was heartsick when his father said he was going to send him West on the orphan train. Will was placed with Dr. and Mrs. Wallace who believed in Will from the beginning. Will was very good at helping Dr. Wallace with his patients. Will missed his father and knew he would eventually come for him. Finally, his father's circus was coming to Will's town. As Will got everything ready to leave and go with his father, he realized how much the Wallaces loved him, the opportunities he would have, and the contributions he could make if he stayed. ˆ · //__ A Line in the Sand The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence __// by Sherry Garland (ISBN 590-39466-5, Scholastic) This novel takes place in 1836 where Lucinda Lawrence and her family have a farm. The new Republic of Mexico has allowed Americans to colonize Texas mainly as a buffer, one between Mexican settlements and Indian raids. This is a historical fiction account about Lucinda's life in Gonzales, Texas, during the Alamo. The book is the diary account of her day-to-day experiences of living in Texas. Being isolated from the United States and from Mexico City her family has become self-sufficient. The hardships and tragedy of war is well explored with Lucinda's experience with the Alamo. This story is well written and gives the reader a wonderful understanding of what life was like in 1836. On page 183 there is a historical note explaining the time period, it is excellent and also includes historical pictures of this time period. I would recommend this book to any fifth grader who would like to read about the courage, determination and hardships that these pioneer people faced at this time in history. This book might appeal to girls more than boys since it is written from a 13 year old girl's perspective.ˆ · //__ Little House on the Prairie Series __// by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Scholastic) The view of frontier life on the prairie is told in this series of books. This book paints vivid word pictures of the hardships, excitement, joys, and sorrows of living the pioneer life in a land not yet converted to civilization. · //__ Rachel's Journal - The Story of a Pioneer Girl __// by Marissa Moss (ISBN 0-439-09870-X, Scholastic) This book is fictional but is based on many actual experiences of overland migrates. Rachel keeps a journal as she and her family travels with a wagon train from Illinois to California. As Rachel relates the dangers and adventures of traveling the Oregon Trail, the reader gets a very real sense of what being on the trail was like. However, the book is quite laborious to read as it is in manuscript form. There are also many illustrations with explanations in manuscript form but written very small. ˆ · //__ The Second Bend in the River __// by Ann Rinaldi ( ISBN 0-590-74259-0, Scholastic) This is a wonderful story about the settling of the Northwest Territory (Ohio). Rebecca Galloway is afraid of Indians. But then she meets Tecumseh, the powerful Shawnee leader. Slowly they strike up a friendship. Whenever he comes to visit Rebecca teaches him English grammar and helps him with his speeches. Tecumseh, in turn, teaches her about the ways of his people---and about his efforts to make peace with the settlers on their land. This story is based on a true friendship between the great chief Tecumseh and Rebecca Galloway. ˆ · //__ My Name is America--The Journal of Joshua Loper __// by Walter Dean Myers (ISBN 0-590-02691-7, Scholastic) The excellent story of a black cowboy on the Chisholm Trail in 1871. Joshua has been raised on a Mr. Muhlen's cow ranch. He is sixteen and old enough to join the other cowboys on the trail to Kansas. Mr. Muhlen is not able to go on the trail. He has Captain Hunter, who is not fond of colors, lead the drive. Joshua grows up on the trail eating dust, taking after strays, settles a stampede, and learns of the lonely world of a cowboy. When they reach Kansas he learns other lessons as he meets Atown folk and learns of town girls. His heart is always home with his mother and he proudly presents her with the money that he has earned from his Chisholm Trail experience. The book is written in diary form and adds time pictures and information at the end of the book.ˆ · //__ Prairie Songs __// by Pam Conrad (ISBN 0-590-01970-8, Scholastic) Louisa loves the Nebraska prairie, the only home she's ever known. It is lonely, but it is a wonderful kind of loneliness that comes of stillness and open sky and oneness with the land. A new doctor moves into town and brings Louisa a look at the outside world. The doctor's wife, Emmeline, teaches Louisa to read and brings the shyness out of her little brother, Lester. Louisa also sees Emmeline, unprepared for the rough rough life on the prairie, fade into a silent, baffling world of madness and despair. use with caution because of Emmeline's battle with mental illness · //__ The Journal of Sean Sullivan, A Railroad Worker __// by William Durbin (ISBN 0-439-04994-6, Scholastic) Sean Sullivan meets his father in Omaha, Nebraska on August 6, 1867. He wants to prove to his railroad father that he is a man. Sean works on the Union Pacific rail line as it brings the nation together by meeting the rails of the Central Pacific at Promontory Point Utah. It is a story of Indians, hardship and prejudice, especially to the Chinese workers of the Central Pacific. Sean fights the elements as he learns what hard work it is to bind a nation together. *a history section is found at the back of the book. ˆ · //__ The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days __// by Mary Cobb (ISBN 1-56294-692-7, Library of Congress) The story of the pioneering of the United States is told through story and quilt blocks. As the women of the United States moved west they changed their quilt patterns to tell their stories, their wants, and their dreams. Not only does this book tell about the movement west but it also shows basic quilt patterns that students could do themselves. There are several paper and crayon activities that could be done in class or at home. ˆ · //__ The Great Railroad Race The Diary of Libby West __// by Kristiana Gregory (ISBN 0-590-10991-X, Scholastic) Woman worked hard in the old west from youth to old age. This story is a diary of Libby West whose father tells the story of the west in print. As they follow the building of the Transcontinental Railroad they write the stories that are sent to newspapers all over the United States.. The end of the story finds her in Utah as the rails come together at Promontory, Utah. This is a great book to see how the railroad worked and how the people who built the railroad lived. *As with the other books in this series, a chapter is included at the end documenting actual historical events which includes photographs. ˆ · //__ The Great Fire __// By Jim Murphy (ISBN 0-590-47266-6, Scholastic) The great Chicago fire began on Sunday, October 8, 1871. It burned for the rest of Sunday, all of Monday, and into the early hours of Tuesday with little real opposition. You will view through the eyes of different people you will see the fire from many distinct vantage points, and feel a wide range of emotions as the hot breath of the fire draws nearer and nearer. ˆ · //__ Cowboys __// by Martin W. Sandler (SBN 0-06-023318-4, Harper/Collins) This book offers a fascinating look into the past at some of the most important events in our country=s history through the pictures stored in the Library of Congress=s vast archives. Cowboys show what life was like for one of America=s greatest heroes, through: vintage photographs, posters, paintings, maps and diagrams, quotes from cowboy diaries, lyrics from cowboy songs. It=s a breathtaking look back through time at the life and legend of the American cowboy. · //__ The Iron Dragon That Never Sleeps __// by Stephen Krensky (ISBN 0-440-41136-X, Yearling) This book bridges the gap of immigration and pioneering. The story of the Chinese workers on the Central Pacific railroad matching with the story of the men who had to leave their homes and families to build the railroad. A friendship between the daughter of a railroad engineer and a Chinese worker is the central theme of the story. ˆ · //__ Molly's Pilgrim __// (modern immigration) by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy (ISBN 0-688-16280-0, Beech Tree) The story of Molly, a Russian, immigrant to attends school in American. Her ways are not understood and other girls make fun of the way she dresses. At Thanksgiving time the teacher asks the students to make pilgrim dolls, everyone makes Pilgrim dolls except Molly, whose doll is dressed as a Russian pilgrim. Understanding of the word pilgrim gets a new meaning and Molly's odd ways are no longer odd but understood. With understanding come friends. · //__ Dragon's Gate __// by Laurence Yep ( ISBN 0-590-20355-X, Scholastic) An accident forces Otter to flee his home in China (the Middle Kingdom), so he flees to California to work with his Father and Uncle, where they are working on the Transcontinental Railroad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Chinese workers are little more than slaves as the great railroad goes forward. Otter must now fight for his own survival with brutal working conditions, bitter cold, and even more bitter disappointments. This book gives a wonderful comparison between Otter's life as a well-to-do boy in China and a hard-working Chinese worker in the United States. ˆ · //__ The Orphan of Ellis Island __// by Elvira Woodruff (ISBN 0-590-48246-7, Scholastic) This novel is a time-travel adventure book, and the story of Dominic Cantori. While on a field trip with his class to Ellis Island, Dominic once again feels like the outsider, because everyone is being asked to tell about their families, and he is an orphan. He runs and hides to avoid the question, and falls asleep. He awakens to a darkened, empty museum, and begins to explore. He was frightened, so picked up a phone to listen to a recorded story of one of the original immigrants. He discovers that the voice is actually talking to him. He is assured that he is safe, and eventually Dominic finds himself transported to Italy in the year 1908. Ultimately the experience he has gives him a sense of family, of belonging, and of pride for his heritage. The story covers the mass immigration of Italians to America from 1880 to 1914, through the eves of Dominic Cantori. · //__ Watch the Stars Come Out __// by Riki Levinson and illustrated by Diane Goode (ISBN 0-14-055506-4, Scholastic) Grandmother tells a story about how she and her brother came across the ocean on a steamship from Russia. This easy to read book gives a vivid description of how she could not see the stars at night while she was on the ship. The joy returned when she was at her destination with her mom and dad in a new place and she could see the stars. picture book ˆ · //__ Grandfather's Journey __// by Allen Say (ISBN 0-395-57035-2, Houghton Mifflin) Grandfather leaves Japan and comes to America. He travels across America and sees many wonderful things but he is homesick for Japan. He travels back to Japan and loves the old familiar sights but he longs for America. WWII stops him from returning to America but his grandson travels there and he too longs for Japan. He finally understands how his grandfather feels. beautiful pictures, full of emotion. · //__ Ellis Island __// by R. Conrad Stein (ISBN 0-516-46653-4, Children's Press) The story of the immigration wave that came through Ellis Island is told in words and pictures. This short book is easy to read but direct in the account of what it was like to stop at Ellis Island on your way to the U.S.A. It answers the questions, What would happen if you were turned away? What did you need to enter the U.S.A.? and Who came to Ellis Island? ˆ · //__ The Great Migration __// by Jacob Lawrence ( ISBN 0-06-443428-1, Harper Trophy) Inside the borders of the United States blacks migrate from the South to the North. The reasons are told in simple words and pictures. How the blacks feel and fit into the North are also discussed. This book is wonderful in showing cause and effect. picture book. · //__ Dreams in the Golden Country-- Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, 1903 __// by Kathryn Lasky (ISBN 0-590-02973-8, Scholastic) Zipporah Feldman enters the United States through Ellis Island at a time when Jews were coming to America because they feared for their lives in Russia. She starts her life in the New World living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Her life unfolds in a first person diary form as she experiences the joy, hardships, and struggles of being an immigrant in a new land. Zipporah finds a new life in the theater as she watches her mother struggle with a new life that she cannot fit into. based on a real life story. · //__ So Far from Home-- Diary of Mary Driscoll __// by Barry Denenberg (ISBN 0-590-9266-7, Scholastic) Mary Driscoll leaves her Ma and Pa in Ireland to come to America. The potato famine had left the land barren and life was very hard so Mary's Aunt has sent money for her passage to America. She arrives in the U.S. and works at the mill as a weaver. The work is hard and many disasters happen around her as she learns to adjust to the new way of life. Life is hard but happiness comes in the form of a friend. With a friend you have someone to share things with. based on a real life story. · //__ Immigrant Kids __// by Russell Freedman (ISBN 0-590-46565-1, Scholastic) A documentary, written for children, follows the story of the children of the millions of European immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island during the late 1800's and early 1900's. With actual photographs, quotes, and documented incidents, the book explains what it was like coming over on the ships, their new homes, their lives at school in the new country, their work and their play. The photographs graphically portray the harshness of their new lives in this country. · //__ Orphan Train Chilren, Lucy's Wish __// by Joan Lowery Nixon (ISBN 0-440-41306-0, Scholastic) It's 1866 and ten-year-old Lucy Griggs's mother has just died, leaving Lucy orphaned and living on the streets of New York City. Then Lucy hears about the Children's Aid Society, a group that sends orphans out west to new homes. This is her story about the journey to a new family via the train system. Her new family is not easy to get to know. Mrs. Snapes is a bitter, angry woman, and Emma isn't the sister Lucy has dreamed of. *Information about the Orphan Trains and the Children's Aid Society is found in the back of the book. · //__ Orphan Train Rider __// by Andrea Warren (ISBN 0-590-11527-8, Scholastic) This is a story/documentary of Lee Nailing, one of the few still alive, who was one of the more than 200,000 children who rode orphan trains between 1854 and 1930. The picture book format chronicles the story of these children, many orphaned, but many who lived on the streets because their parents could not care for them. The orphan trains were started by a minister names Charles Loring Brace. He had worked in the slums of New York City, and was worried about the thousands of homeless children. He felt that if he sent them on trains to the Midwest, someone would take them into their homes. Lee's story is similar to many. His mother died when he was 7. He was the middle of seven children. After a few months of struggling, his father told the three oldest children that they would have to leave home and take care of themselves. He gave the baby to family friends. Somebody took the one year old, and Lee and his brother were sent to an orphanage, and left there. The vast migration that was taking place during this time was a great contributor to this problem. *An interesting look at a different set of problems triggered by the immigration to our country. ˆ · //__ Immigration Then and Now __// (Teacher Resource with Primary Sources) by Karen Laicke r This is a wonderful resource for teachers with excellent primary sources: AThe Log of Christopher Columbus, Immigrant Kids excerpts, I Was Dreaming to Come to America excerpts, words to the song, AWhen I First Came to This Land , a short play AFirst Stop, Ellis Island , poetry from Angel Island, and a short reproducible booklet titled AImmigrant Voices a Mini-Anthology. There are excellent worksheets on citizenship and national symbols to name a few. · //__ Letters From Rifka __// by Karen Hesse (ISBN 0-590-51587-X, Scholastic) This is a story about Rifka and her family when they fled Russia's brutal treatment of the Jews for a new life in America. Karen Hesse the author wrote this story drawing on the memories of her Aunt Lucy Avrutin. Rifka the main character writes her account of coming to America in letter form to her cousin Tovah. This story is full of terrible obstacles, humiliating scrutiny of doctors, soldiers and deadly typhus that affects her entire family. Rifka then contracts ringworm, which makes her hair fall out, and she is denied passage to America with her family. When she is given permission to sail to America the ship encounters a bad storm and she is almost washed overboard. Finally when she arrives at Ellis Island she is denied permission to enter America because they feel that she still has ringworm. On Ellis Island she helps many who are afraid and sick. She is told if her ringworm doesn't heal she will be shipped back to Russia. On the last two pages of the story Rifka is allowed to join her family to live in America. This is a story of her immigrant courage, ingenuity and perseverance. ˆ · //__ Hello, My Name Is Scrambled Eggs __// by Jamie Gilson (ISBN 0-671-74104-7, Minstrel ) When Harvey Trumble's parents host a family of Vietnamese refugees, Harvey figures he'll show the new kid the ropes. But right from the start things go wrong. Tuan thinks hot dogs are really made from dogs, and when Harvey demonstrates his hair dryer, Tuan thinks it's a gun. Escalators and eating with a fork and ice-cold tea are all new to Tuan, so Harvey really has his hands full. This is a look at some of the problems immigrates have with the American language and culture. Kids will love this book. It is funny and the good guy wins. · //__ Journey to Ellis Island __// by Carol Bierman (ISBN 078681411-X, Hyperion/Madison) Here is the enthralling true story of one Russian-Jewish family's journey to Ellis Island and how they passed through it to begin a new life in America. Because this is a true story it is laced with real pictures and thoughts of the people as they came to the land of America and got a new start. It also completes the story by telling what happened to the family after they got to the United States shores. ˆ · //__ If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island __// by Ellen Levine (ISBN 0-590-43829-8, Scholastic) This unique book answers all of the unanswered questions you have ever had about Ellis Island and the immigrants who passed through its gates. Ellis Island was opened in 1892, as a center for immigrants coming to live in America. If you were an immigrant-Should everyone in your family come together? How long would you stay at Ellis Island? Would your name be changed and why? These and many more questions will be answered. · //__ Ellis Island __// by Conrad Stein (ISBN 0-516-46653-4, Children's Press) A look at the first stopping place as immigrants came into the United States on the East Coast. What happened to those immigrants, what the process was to enter the U.S., and the history of the island are told in this book. Photographs and maps help the reader understand the immigration process. · //__ New Kids in Town __// by Janet Bode (ISBN 0-590-44144-2, Scholastic) What is it like to be a kid in a new place where the culture and language are different? These are the personal stories of kids who have immigrated to United States from all over the world. Thousands of them enter America each year, sometimes illegally. They have escaped war, poverty, and repression to carve out new lives in a new world. You will find out about their struggles, wants, needs, and what the United States looks like from the eyes of immigrants. · //__ Journey to America __// by Sonia Levitin (ISBN 0-590-46728-X, Scholastic) This is a story of one Jewish family that escaped from Germany shortly before the start of the Second World War. It was 1938, and life was becoming more and more difficult for the Jews in Germany. They had to wear arm bands with a star. Schools were closing their doors to them. There were many things Jews were forbidden to do. The Nazis were in power. Lisa Platt's father knew they would have to escape and he left for America in the middle of the night. He promised to send for Lisa, her mother and her two sisters when there was enough money. While he is in America earning money to send for the family it has become too difficult for the family to live in Germany. One morning with only a suitcase per person they leave their home pretending to go to Switzerland for a vacation. While in Switzerland money is scarce and Ruth and Lisa are sent to a camp for refugee children to live. Life at the camp is not pleasant. Frau Strom, the director of the camp, uses the camp money for shopping trips for herself and therefore food is limited. Lisa=s mom realizes the problems that the camp has and finds families that will take her children. Their mother then passes out from a touch of pneumonia and starvation. She is placed in the hospital to recover. Finally after a long trip the family arrives at Ellis Island for a reunion with their father and husband. It had been more than two years since their father had left Germany and now their journey to America was over. This is a story of a family's courage, determination, and perseverance in order to immigrate to America. Excellent novel, every 5th grader should read this book. · //__Children of the Dust Bowl-The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp__// by Jerry Stanley (ISBN 0-517-88094-6, Crown Publishers, Inc.) The complete story of what the Dust Bowl was, where it was located, and what happened to the people who were living in the area and moved to Californ-I-A to get a better life. Pictures are included to punctuate the story. The Weedpatch school was a school that was set up for the Okie children who were living in the poor camps of California. a teacher resource book ˆ · //__Out of the Dust__// by Karen Hesse (ISBN 0-590-37125-8, Scholastic) Dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of OklahomaBand in the surprising landscape of her own heart. This is a story of a girl who has to deal with the death of her mother, living with the pain that she caused the accident that killed her mother, guilt, and a father who would not talk about the accident and deal with his depression. It is a story of growing up under the harshest of circumstances. a teacher resource book or read aloud portions of the book · //__Maniac Magee__// by Jerry Spinelli The plight of the homeless, as well as racial differences, is seen through the eyes of Jeffrey (Maniac) Magee. After his parents were killed in an accident, and being miserable at his uncle's home, Jeffrey began to run and kept on going. He adopted families, and they adopted him. Through it all he discovered that there were people who cared that he was white, and others who looked beyond his skin color and found him. A true survivor, Maniac shouts AMEN when Grayson, an old man who rescued him, reads his first book, after Maniac taught him how to read. One cheered when he found ways to get Russell and Piper to stay in school, and cried when Grayson died five days after Maniac's happiest Christmas. Through his life of not feeling like he even had an address, Maniac spent his life quietly loving others, black or white, homeless or not. A touching Newbery Medal winner. ˆ · //__100 Years in Photographs__// by George Sullivan This is a photographic collection of over two hundred pictures and brings the twentieth century to life for the reader. The text and photographs cover the century by decades, touching on wars, theater and cinema, as well as music, including groups like the Beatles. A good classroom book to have while discussing U.S. history.
 * A short history of the period is found in the back of the book.
 * This book is based on fact. ˆ
 * The story paints a good picture of slavery for children without extreme graphics of beatings, etc. ˆ
 * Civil War history is told in the back of the book.
 * written in poetry form