Shifting Perspectives: Making History Relevant and Relatable for Students

Teaching the Hudson Valley Summer Institute 2013

Bibliography

The following sources are arranged by the time period they cover or represent and also by age range of reading level. All hyperlinks go to Amazon.com.

Fiction, Ages 7-10

Exploration/Colonies

Our Strange New Land by Patricia Hermes. My America book. A young girl sails from Plymouth, England with her family to Jamestown, Virginia in 1609. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/My-America-Strange-Elizabeths-Jamestown/dp/0439368987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742700&sr=1-1&keywords=my+america

A Journey to the New World by Kathryn Lasky. Dear America book – a young girl’s voyage on the Mayflower. Ages 8 and up, grade 3 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Journey-World-ebook/dp/B005ES46C6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596597&sr=8-5&keywords=dear+america

I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Fraustino. Dear America book – a young girl’s account of the Salem witch trials. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-I-Walk-Dread/dp/0545311659/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596597&sr=8-14

Meet Kaya by Janet Shaw. American Girl book. A young Nez Perce girl lives in the 1764 Northwest. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Meet-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B00AKF6KA4/ref=pd_sim_b_38

Revolutionary War

Five Smooth Stones by Kristiana Gregory. My America book. A young girl’s family has divided loyalties during Revolutionary War era Philadelphia. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/Five-Smooth-Stones-Revolutionary-America/dp/0439369053/ref=sr_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742731&sr=1-20&keywords=my+america

The Winter of the Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory. A Dear America book. A young girl living in Valley Forge, PA experiences the arrival of George Washington and his troops to their winter encampment. Ages 8 and up, grades 3 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Winter-Snow-ebook/dp/B005ES45XQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596597&sr=8-6&keywords=dear+america

Meet Felicity by Valerie Tripp. American Girl books. A young middle class girl in 1774 Williamsburg deals with the coming Revolution. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Felicity-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B00AHZ95IG/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374768914&sr=1-2&keywords=felicity+american+girl

War of 1812

Meet Caroline by Kathleen Ernst. A young girl’s father is captured by the British in Canada for being American. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B00945LTR0/ref=pd_sim_b_17

Early West

The Journal of Wong Wing-Chung: A Chinese Miner by Laurence Yep. My Name is America book. A young Chinese immigrant in early California. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/The-Journal-Wong-Ming-Chung-California/dp/0590386077/ref=pd_sim_b_52

Meet Josephina by Valerie Tripp. American Girl books. A young Mexican girl lives on a ranch near Santa Fe in 1820s New Mexico. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Josefina-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B00AHYUSXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374769973&sr=1-1&keywords=meet+josephina

Meet Marie Grace by Sarah M. Buckley. American Girls book. A young girl moves to New Orleans in the 1850s and meets a free black girl named Cecile and becomes friends with her. (Meet Cecile is the next in this series which focuses simultaneously on two girls as main characters.) Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Grace-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B005J5S850/ref=pd_sim_b_77

Civil War/Slavery

Freedom’s Wings by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. My America book. A young slave boy and his family try to escape Kentucky to freedom. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/My-America-Freedoms-Underground-Railroad/dp/043936907X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742700&sr=1-2&keywords=my+america

My Brother’s Keeper by Mary Pope Osborne. My America book. A young girl witnesses the Battle of Gettysburg. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/My-America-Brothers-Keeper-Virginias/dp/0439153077/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742700&sr=1-8&keywords=my+america

Meet Addy by Connie Porter. American Girl book. A young girl and her family escape slavery in 1864 and head north. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Addy-ebook/dp/B00AKF5I16/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374770086&sr=1-1&keywords=meet+addy

Amistad Rising by Veronica Chambers. A young boy is kidnapped by slave traders, sold, and finds himself aboard the ship Amistad. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Amistad-Rising-Freedom-Veronica-Chambers/dp/0152018034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375042924&sr=1-1&keywords=amistad+rising

Westward Expansion

Westward to Home by Patricia Hermes. My America book. A young boy travels with his family to Oregon on a wagon train. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/My-America-Westward-Joshuas-Oregon/dp/0439388996/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742700&sr=1-6&keywords=my+america

As Far as I Can See by Kate McMullan. My America book. A young girl and her family flee a cholera epidemic in St. Louis for the prairies of Kansas. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/My-America-Megs-Prairie-Diary/dp/0439403219/ref=sr_1_23?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742731&sr=1-23&keywords=my+america

Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie by Kristiana Gregory. A Dear America book. A young girl and her family move from Missouri to Oregon City via the Oregon Trail. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Lonesome-Prairie-ebook/dp/B0091LYD48/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1373747020&sr=1-1&keywords=across+the+wide+and+lonesome+prairie

All the Stars in the Sky by Megan McDonald. A Dear America book. A young girl and her family follow the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to New Mexico. Ages 7 and up. http://www.amazon.com/All-Stars-Sky-Santa-Florrie/dp/0439169631/ref=pd_sim_b_25

The Journal of Jededia Barstow: An Emigrant on the Oregon Trail by Ellen Levine. My Name is America book. A young boy loses his family trying to ford a river and joins another on their journey west. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/The-Journal-Jedediah-Barstow-Emigrant/dp/0439063108/ref=pd_sim_b_74

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura and her family live in a log cabin in the woods of Wisconsin in 1871. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Woods-Ingalls-Wilder/dp/0060581808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373745911&sr=1-1&keywords=little+house+in+the+big+woods

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura and her family leave Wisconsin for Kansas in a covered wagon. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Prairie-No/dp/0064400026/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373745827&sr=1-3&keywords=little+house+on+the+prairie

Meet Kirsten by Janet Shaw. Kirsten is a Swedish immigrant who travels to frontier Minnesota with her family. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Boxed-Game-American-Girl/dp/1593697880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374768809&sr=8-1&keywords=kirsten+american+girl

Immigration

Hope in My Heart by Kathryn Lasky. My America book. A young Italian girl goes through Ellis Island where she is quarantined away from her family. Ages 7-10. Book one in a series. http://www.amazon.com/My-America-Heart-Sofias-Island/dp/0439449626/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742700&sr=1-11&keywords=my+america

Beyond the Western Sea: Escape from Home by Avi. Two Irish children encounter a runaway British lord’s son on their way to America. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Home-Beyond-Western-Book/dp/0380728753/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373746159&sr=1-1&keywords=beyond+the+western+sea

Beyond the Western Sea: Lord Kirkle’s Money by Avi. The story of Maura, Patrick, and Lawrence continues as they make their way from the ship to Lowell, Massachusetts where Maura and Patrick’s father works in the mills. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Kirkles-Money-Beyond-Western/dp/0380728761/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373746248&sr=1-2&keywords=beyond+the+western+sea

Progressive Era/Labor

Meet Samantha by Susan Adler. American Girl book. A young orphan living with her grandmother in 1904 when a servant girl moves in next door. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B00AFZ0ONS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374770191&sr=1-1&keywords=meet+samantha

Meet Rebecca by Jaqueline Dembar Greene. American Girl book. A young Jewish girl grows up in 1914 New York. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-American-Girls-Collection-ebook/dp/B005JCYMZI/ref=pd_sim_b_50

Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop. A fictionalized tale of 12 year old Grace and her best friend Arthur who leave school to go work in the textile mill with their mothers. A covert letter to the Child Labor Board results in the appearance of a photographer named Lewis Hines, who is collecting evidence of underaged child labor. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Counting-Grace-Elizabeth-Winthrop/dp/0553487833/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_36_DXA0?ie=UTF8&refRID=1945ZWT5FACT8XJDT5QC

Great War (WWI)

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. Orphaned Hattie is tired of being shuttled between relatives and sets out on her own to prove up her late uncle’s homestead claim in Montana during WWI. Once there she feels pressure to be a “loyal” American because of her German heritage. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Hattie-Big-Sky-Kirby-Larson/dp/0385735952/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373746500&sr=8-1&keywords=hattie+big+sky

Great Depression

Christmas After All by Kathryn Lasky. Dear America book – A young girl’s life in the Midwest during the Great Depression. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Christmas-After-All/dp/0545381770/ref=pd_sim_b_9

Meet Kit by Valerie Tripp. American Girl book. A young girl and her family face the Great Depression. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Kit-ebook/dp/B00945LUYM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374770951&sr=1-1&keywords=meet+kit

World War II

The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson. Dear America book. A Japanese American living in Seattle with a brother in the military who was at Pearl Harbor is removed to an internment camp with her family. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Fences-Between-ebook/dp/B005ES4586/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596597&sr=8-11&keywords=dear+america

Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp. American Girl book. A young girl’s father is away at war in 1944. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Kit-ebook/dp/B00945LUYM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374770951&sr=1-1&keywords=meet+kit

Civil Rights

With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney. A Dear America book. A young African American girl is among the first to integrate an all-white school in the 1950s. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Andrea-Davis-Pinkney/dp/0545297052/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373745446&sr=1-1&keywords=with+the+might+of+angels

Fiction, Ages 9 and Up

Exploration/Colonies

The Stowaway by Karen Hesse. Fictionalized diary of real-life stowaway Nicholas Young on Captain Cook’s journey around the world. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Karen-Hesse/dp/0689839898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373736824&sr=8-1&keywords=the+stowaway

Standing in the Light by Mary Pope Osborne. Dear America book – A Quaker girl captured by the Lenape. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Mary-Pope-Osborne/dp/0545266874/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373737005&sr=1-2&keywords=standing+in+the+light

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. A once-wealthy from Barbados finds herself thrust into her Uncle’s Puritanical community where she meets a woman other people call a witch. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Blackbird-Elizabeth-George-Speare/dp/0547550294/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373737502&sr=1-1&keywords=witch+of+blackbird+pond

The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy by Ann Rinaldi. My Name is America book. A young orphan comes to Plymouth and encounters the Nauset tribe. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-America-Journal-Jonathan/dp/0590510789/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742731&sr=1-18&keywords=my+america

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham. Fictionalized account of the real-life Nathaniel Bowditch who, despite washing out as a sailor, became a master navigator and wrote “The American Practical Navigator,” also known as “The Sailor’s Bible,” in 18th century America. Ages 12 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Carry-Mr-Bowditch-Jean-Latham/dp/0618250743/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373746611&sr=1-1&keywords=carry+on+mr.+bowditch

French and Indian War

Look to the Hills by Patricia C. McKissack. A Dear America book. A young French slave girl emigrates with her masters to upstate New York at the tail end of the French and Indian War. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Look-Hills-Lozette-Moreau-America/dp/0439210380/ref=pd_sim_b_21

Revolutionary War

Cannons at Dawn by Kristiana Gregory. A Dear America book. Sequel to The Winter of the Red Snow. A young girl and her family become camp followers of her father’s unit during the Revolutionary War. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Cannons-Dawn-ebook/dp/B005F3UEBC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596597&sr=8-4&keywords=dear+america

Fever: 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. A young woman in early Philadelphia must learn to survive an outbreak of deadly fever. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Fever-1793-Laurie-Halse-Anderson/dp/0689848919/ref=la_B000AP5REO_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373737631&sr=1-2

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Young slave girl Isabel was promised freedom when her owner died but is instead sold to the cruel Locktons, who are Loyalists during a time of burgeoning revolution. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Chains-Seeds-America-Laurie-Anderson/dp/1416905863/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson. Sequel to Chains. Follows young escaped slave Curzon as he passes for free enlisted in the Continental Army at Valley Forge. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Forge-Seeds-America-Laurie-Anderson/dp/1416961453/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373737590&sr=1-6

The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, A Revolutionary War Patriot by Barry Denenberg. My Name is America book. A young orphan becomes a rebel spy in Boston in 1774. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Is-America-Revolutionary/dp/0590313509/ref=pd_sim_b_83

Love Thy Neighbor by Ann Turner. A Dear America book. A young Tory girl’s life is torn apart by the start of the American Revolution. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Love-Thy-Neighbor-Prudence-Emerson/dp/0439153085/ref=pd_sim_b_23

Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes. Apprentice silversmith Johnny Tremain finds himself as a dispatch rider for the Committee of Public Safety after a horrible burn ruins his silversmithing career. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Johnny-Tremain-Esther-Hoskins-Forbes/dp/0547614322/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

Early America

The Journal of Augustus Pelletier: The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804 by Kathryn Lasky. My Name is America book. A half French half Omaha Indian boy accompanies the Corps of Discovery. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Journal-Augustus-Pelletier-Expedition-America/dp/0590684892/ref=sr_1_33?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742757&sr=1-33&keywords=my+america

Industrial Revolution

So Far From Home by Barry Denenberg. A Dear America Book. Follows a young Irish girl as she works in the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/So-Far-From-Home-Massachusetts/dp/043955506X/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1373738095&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=dear+america+lowell

Early West

A Line in the Sand by Sherry Garland. Dear America book. Follows a young girl in the “Texas colonies” during the Alamo. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Line-Sand-Lucinda-Lawrence-Gonzales/dp/0590394665/ref=pd_sim_b_18

Valley of the Moon by Sherry Garland. Dear America book. An orphaned girl is a servant at a rancho in Mexican California. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Moon-Diary-Rosalia-Milagros/dp/0439088208/ref=pd_sim_b_24

The Journal of Jesse Smoke, A Cherokee Boy by Joseph Bruchac. My Name Is America book. A young Cherokee boy records his experiences on the Trail of Tears. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-America-Journal-Cherokee/dp/0439121973/ref=sr_1_47?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742779&sr=1-47&keywords=my+america

Civil War

A Picture of Freedom by Patricia C. McKissack. Dear America Book. A young house slave learns to read and write, meets an abolitionist, and must decide if she will try for her freedom. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Picture-Freedom-ebook/dp/B005ES45ZO/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596597&sr=8-16&keywords=dear+america

When Will This Cruel War Be Over? By Barry Denenberg. A Dear America Book. A Confederate girl records the hardships of live in the South during the Civil War. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-When-Cruel-ebook/dp/B005ES45R2/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1369597517&sr=8-18&keywords=dear+america

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly by Joyce Hansen. A Dear America book. A recently freed slave girl struggles on a Southern plantation. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-America-Thought-Would-ebook/dp/B005ES45N6/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1369597541&sr=8-21&keywords=dear+america

A Light in the Storm by Karen Hesse. Dear America book. A Union girl lives with her family in a lighthouse as Delaware becomes divided over the war. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Light-Storm-Fenwick-Delaware-America/dp/0439555353/ref=pd_sim_b_32

The Journal of James Edmond Pease: A Civil War Union Soldier, Virginia 1863 by Jim Murphy. A My Name Is America book. A young soldier is ordered by his commanding officer to keep a written record of his unit. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/The-Journal-James-Edmond-Pease/dp/059043814X/ref=pd_sim_b_88

The Journal of Rufus Rowe, Witness to the Battle of Fredricksburg by Sid Hite. My Name is America book. A young Southern boy runs away from home and befriends Confederate officers just before the Battle of Fredricksburg. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-America-Journal-Fredricksburg/dp/0439353645/ref=sr_1_34?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742757&sr=1-34&keywords=my+america

Westward Expansion

My Face to the Wind by Jim Murphy. A Dear America book. Diary of a young teacher in Nebraska, 1881. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Face-Wind-Prairie-Nebraska/dp/0590438107/ref=pd_sim_b_6

Land of the Buffalo Bones by Marion Dane Bauer. A Dear America book. With her Baptist minister father and their religious community, a young English girl moves to the prairies of Minnesota. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Land-Buffalo-Bones-Elizabeth-Minnesota/dp/0439220270/ref=pd_sim_b_17

West to a Land of Plenty by Jim Murphy. A Dear America book. Diary of a young Italian immigrant who moves with her family from New York to Idaho Territory. Out of Print. http://www.amazon.com/West-Land-Plenty-Angelino-Territory/dp/B000FILL5A/ref=pd_sim_b_16

The Great Railroad Race by Kristiana Gregory. Dear America book. A young girl moves from Colorado to Cheyenne as her journalist father reports on the transcontinental railroad. Ages 9 and up. Grades 4 and up. http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Railroad-Race-Territory/dp/059010991X/ref=pd_sim_b_9

The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds, Donner Party Expedition by Rodman Philbrick. My Name is America book. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Is-America-Expedition/dp/0439216001/ref=pd_sim_b_80

The Journal of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker by William Durbin. My Name Is America book. A young man goes with his father to work on the Union Pacific railroad during the “great race” to finish the transcontinental railroad. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Is-America-Transcontinental/dp/0439049946/ref=pd_sim_b_89

The Journal of Joshua Loper, A Black Cowboy by Walter Dean Myers. My Name is America book. A young African-American struggles with racism and hard work on a post-Civil War cattle drive. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-America-Journal-Joshua/dp/0590026917/ref=sr_1_58?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742803&sr=1-58&keywords=my+america

Immigration

The Coal Miner’s Bride by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. A Dear America book. Diary of a young Polish mail order bride who moves to a coal mining town in Pennsylvania. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Coal-Miners-Bride-Anetka-Kaminska/dp/0439053862/ref=pd_sim_b_13

Dreams in the Golden Country by Kathryn Lasky. Dear America book. Diary of a young Russian Jewish immigrant girl living on the Lower East Side of New York City. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Golden-Country-Zipporah-Immigrant/dp/0590029738/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Progressive Era/Labor

Hear My Sorrow by Deborah Hopkinson. A Dear America book. Diary of a shirtwaist worker in NYC during the burgeoning labor movement. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Hear-My-Sorrow-Shirtwaist-America/dp/0439221617/ref=pd_sim_b_5

A Time For Courage by Kathryn Lasky. A Dear America book. Follows a young suffragette in 1917 Washington DC. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Time-For-Courage-Suffragette-Washington/dp/0590511416/ref=pd_sim_b_9

The Journal of Otto Peltonen, A Finnish Immigrant by William Durbin. A My Name is America book. A young Finn emigrates to the Iron Range of northern Minnesota and gets caught up in labor disputes. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Is-America-Immigrant/dp/043909254X/ref=pd_sim_b_73

The Journal of Finn Reardon, A Newsie, New York City, 1899 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. My Name Is America book. After the death of his father, a young boy supports his family by selling newspapers, only to find himself in the middle of 1899 Newsie Strike. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Name-America-Susan-Campbell-Bartoletti/dp/0439188946/ref=sr_1_69?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742821&sr=1-69&keywords=my+america

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Follows three young girls and how their lives intertwine with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Uprising-Margaret-Peterson-Haddix/dp/1416911723/ref=pd_sim_b_99

Great War (WWI)

When Christmas Comes Again by Beth Seidel Levine. A Dear America book. A young American who is half French, she leaves for the Western Front to operate switchboards as a “Hello Girl.” Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/When-Christmas-Comes-Again-Spencer/dp/0439439825/ref=pd_sim_b_14

Great Depression

Survival in the Storm by Katelan Janke. A Dear America Book. A young girl and her family survive the Dust Bowl in the Texas panhandle. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Storm-Edwards-Dalhart-America/dp/0439215994/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by Barry Denenberg. A Dear America Book. Follows a girl blinded in an accident as she navigates the Perkins School for the Blind in Depression-Era Massachusetts. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Wall-Brennan-Perkins-America/dp/0439194466/ref=pd_sim_b_10

World War II

One Eye Laughing, the Other Eye Weeping by Barry Denenberg. A Dear America book. A young Jewish Austrian girl escapes the Nazis to New York City. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/One-Eye-Laughing-Other-Weeping/dp/0439095182/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Early Sunday Morning by Barry Denenberg. A Dear America book. A young American girl living in Hawaii experiences Pearl Harbor first hand. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Early-Sunday-Morning-Billows-America/dp/0439328748/ref=pd_sim_b_20

My Secret War by Mary Pope Osborne. Dear America book. The diary of a young girl whose father is a naval officer in the Pacific while she and her family live on Long Island. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Secret-War-Madeline-America/dp/0590687158/ref=pd_sim_b_25

The Journal of Scott Pendalton Collins: A World War II Soldier by Walter Dean Myers. A My Name is America book. A young American takes part in the D-Day Invasion of France. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/The-Journal-Scott-Pendalton-Collins/dp/0439050138/ref=pd_sim_b_93

The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559, Mirror Lake Internment Camp by Barry Denenberg. My Name Is America book. A young boy and his family are imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp during WWII. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/The-Journal-Ben-Uchida-Internment/dp/0590485318/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1373744035&sr=1-26

Civil Rights

Color me Dark by Patricia C. McKissack. Dear America book. A young African American girl moves from the South north to Chicago in search of a better life during the Great Migration. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Color-Me-Dark-Migration-America/dp/0590511599/ref=pd_sim_b_15

The Journal of Biddy Owens, Birmingham, Alabama, 1948 by Walter Dean Myers. My Name is America book. A young batboy accompanies the Birmingham Black Barons, one of the best teams in the Negro League, as they travel through the South. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-America-Journal-Birmingham/dp/0439095034/ref=sr_1_48?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373742779&sr=1-48&keywords=my+america

Roll Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. An African American family endures racism in the Deep South of the 1930s. Ages 11 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Roll-Thunder-Hear-My-Cry/dp/0142401129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373748376&sr=1-1&keywords=roll+thunder+hear+my+cry

Vietnam War

Where Have all the Flowers Gone? By Ellen Emerson White. A Dear America book. A young anti-war activist struggles with the fact that her brother is a Marine fighting in Vietnam. Companion to My Name is America: The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty, US Marine Corps. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Where-Have-All-Flowers-Gone/dp/0439148898/ref=pd_sim_b_12

My Name is America: The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty, US Marine Corps by Ellen Emerson White. A young marine in Vietnam struggles with the beliefs of his anti-war sister back home. Companion to Where Have all the Flowers Gone? Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Is-America-Flaherty/dp/0439148901/ref=pd_sim_b_5

Published Primary Sources, Memoirs, and First-Hand Accounts

A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy by Jim Murphy. About the real-life experiences of a 15 year-old Connecticut boy from 1776 until the end of the war in 1783. Uses quotations from real-life Joseph Plumb Martin’s self-published memoir, “A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier.” Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Young-Patriot-American-Revolution-Experienced/dp/0395900190/ref=pd_sim_b_24

The Boys’ War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War by Jim Murphy. Uses text from primary sources of boys who served in the war (from soldiers to telegraphers) to tell the story of the Civil War from a child’s POV. Ages 8 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Boys-War-Confederate-Union-Soldiers/dp/0395664128/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375024892&sr=1-6&keywords=historical+literature+for+boys

Reluctant Witnesses: Children’s Voices From The Civil War by Emmy E. Werner. First-hand accounts from over 120 children who participated in or were affected by the Civil War. Young adult. http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Witnesses-Childrens-Voices-Civil/dp/0813328233/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese-American Evacuation by Yoshiko Uchida. A first-hand account of her childhood memories of Japanese internment during WWII, written by the author. Ages 9 and up. Author also wrote a sequel account called “Journey Home” about what happened to her family after they were released from internment. http://www.amazon.com/Journey-To-Topaz-Japanese-American-Evacuation/dp/1890771910/ref=pd_sim_b_42

A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison by James E. Seaver. Original 1824 account of Mary Jemison’s teenaged capture by the Shawnee and later sale to the Seneca, where she remained willingly, marrying and having children within the tribe. As told by herself, but recorded by James E. Seaver. http://www.amazon.com/Narrative-Life-Mrs-Jemison-ebook/dp/B0082XKUTS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375037554&sr=1-1&keywords=narrative+of+the+life+of+mrs.+mary+jemison

Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman. Using primary sources from children of the period, this book tells the stories of children from all social classes and ethnicities, urban and rural, during the hardships of the Great Depression. Ages 10 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Children-Great-Depression-Russell-Freedman/dp/0547480350/ref=pd_sim_b_35

Kids on Strike! By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Using first-hand accounts, this book outlines the role of children and child labor in US industries and the efforts they made toward more just treatment. Ages 9 and up. http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Strike-Susan-Campbell-Bartoletti/dp/0618369236/ref=pd_sim_b_32

The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch. The Author investigates why his captured great-great-great-uncle thrived in a Comanche tribe in the 1870s and how he fared after he was forcibly returned to his parents. http://www.amazon.com/The-Captured-Abduction-Indians-Frontier/dp/0312317891/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_20_DXA0?ie=UTF8&refRID=0P5SZ4KHZMWXAC5W5Y1V

Home Front Girl: A Diary of Love, Literature, and Growing Up in Wartime America by Joan Wehlen Morrison. The author’s diary, kept from age 14 to 20, recounts her everyday life as well as reflects national events. Published posthumously by the author’s daughter. http://www.amazon.com/Home-Front-Girl-Literature-ebook/dp/B009REXWGY/ref=sr_1_90?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375040519&sr=1-90&keywords=historical+literature+for+boys