A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

Written by: Jodi Guerra

"A guide for teaching Texas History through existing books from the library, many of which are also available from Hendrick-Long Publishing. Reminiscent of teaching history through literature but with added websites and tours."

Online Resources:
http://hendricklongpublishing.com/product.php?id_prd=692

Shipwrecked on Padre Island

Shipwrecked on Padre Island

Written by: Isabel R. Marvin

"After the shipwreck, 13-year-old Catalina and her father spend frightening days on the island with other survivors. Fast forward to the present. A teenage visitor to Padre Island finds a bracelet lost by Catalina, thus forging a link between the two girls separated in time by 400 years."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.nps.gov/pais/historyculture/1554-1.htm
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/PP/rrp1.html

Race to Velasco

Race to Velasco

Written by: Paul Spellman

"In 1830, rebel Texans marched to confront Mexican soldiers stationed at Fort Velasco on the Texas coast. In this historical fiction, two teenagers, Henry Woods and Antonio Gonzales, join the Texans. Along the way they encounter many Texas historical characters."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/VV/qfv1.html
http://www.forttumbleweed.net/velasco_webpage.html

Fields of Fury: The American Civil War

Fields of Fury: The American Civil War

Written by: James McPherson

"Pulitzer Prize award-winning historian James M. McPherson has written for young readers a stirring account of the greatest conflict to happen on our nation's soil, the Civil War, bringing to life the tragic struggle that divided not only a nation, but also friends and family. From the initial Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, to the devastating loss of life at Shiloh as Ulysses S. Grant led the Union to unexpected victory, to the brilliance of Stonewall Jackson's campaign at Shenandoah, to General Pickett's famous charge at Gettysburg, to the Union's triumph at Appomattox Court House, Fields of Fury details the war that helped shape us as a nation.

Also included are personal anecdotes from the soldiers at the battlefront and the civilians at home, as well as profiles of historical luminaries such as Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Ulysses S. Grant. McPherson also explores the varied roles that women played during the war, healthcare on the battlefield, and the demise of slavery."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/civwar.html

The Dred Scott Case: Testing the Right to Live Free

The Dred Scott Case: Testing the Right to Live Free

Written by: Jennifer Fleischner

"The author describes the case of the slave suing for his family’s freedom based on the fact that he had lived in free territories. The author discusses the political and economic ramifications of the case."

Social Studies Center (SSC)

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2933.html
http://digital.wustl.edu/d/dre/index.html

Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Civil War

Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Civil War

Written by: Catherine Clinton

"This year-by-year account of the nations bloodiest conflict makes history come alive through eyewitness accounts, profiles of people famous and ordinary, period art, and point-of-view sidebars that highlight the differences between North and South."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.civilwar.com/

http://www.teacheroz.com/Civil_War_Causes.htm

No Man's Land: A Young Soldier's Story

No Man's Land: A Young Soldier's Story

Written by: Susan Campbell Bartoletti

"Fourteen-year-old Thrasher Magee is too young to enlist in the Confederate army, but he has his own reasons for wanting to fight in the war. All his life, Thrasher's father has made him feel weak and cowardly. Now Thrasher has a chance to become a hero-and to prove he has what it takes to be a man. But when Thrasher leaves Georgia for Virginia and embarks on his journey, his courage and strength are tested in ways he never intended."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=1032_type=Book_typeId=3948

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students

Written by: Suzanne Jurmain

Junior High and High School Grades

"Jurmain has plucked an almost forgotten incident from history and has shaped a compelling, highly readable book around it. In 1831, Prudence Crandall opened a school for young white ladies. When asked by an African American teenager if she might join the class, Crandall, whose sympathies were with the abolitionists, agreed. So begins a jolting episode in which Crandall turned her school into one for girls of color, and is both tormented and sued by the citizenry of Canterbury, Connecticut, who wanted no part of African Americans in their town.

Writing with a sense of drama that propels readers forward (and quoting the language of the day, which includes the word nigger), Jurmain makes painfully clear what Crandall and her students faced, while showing their courage as they stood up to those who tried to deter them. Printed on thick, snowy stock and including a number of sepia-toned and color photographs as well as historical engravings, the book's look will draw in readers. Children will be especially pleased by the appended material, which includes an epilogue that tells what became of the principals, as well as source notes for the many quotes."

American Library Association Review

Awards:
Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Award, 2006
Orbis Pictus Award, 2006

Web Resources:
http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2127&q=302260

Gabriel's Horses

Gabriel's Horses

Written by: Alison Hart

Easy Readability

"On a Kentucky plantation during the Civil War, slave Gabriel Alexander, 12, cares for his master's thoroughbred racehorses and dreams of being a great jockey, just like his dad. After Pa enlists with the Yankees, the boy also yearns to be a soldier and fight for freedom. At the core of this stirring historical novel is the question of what freedom means. Runaway slaves and freemen join the Yankee army only to dig ditches and collect firewood for white soldiers. The boy's first-person, present-tense narrative brings close the thrilling horse racing––on the plantation, at the race course, and in the war––and the African American history in all its complexity."

Booklist Review

Awards:
Texas Bluebonnet Nominee, 2008-2009

Web Resources:
http://suzyred.com/2008gabrielshorses.html

Nightjohn

Nightjohn

Written by: Gary Paulsen

Hardship, struggle, abuse marked the lives of slaves working on plantations in the 1850’s. Award winning author Gary Paulsen breathes life into this dark period in American History in his book Nightjohn through Sarny, a twelve-year old slave girl struggling to find her way on a southern plantation. Sarny’s life changes for the better in ways she never dreamt were possible when she meets Nightjohn, a new slave on the plantation. This is a moving story about the power of friendship in the face of a dark period of American history.

Web Resources:
http://litplans.com/titles/Nightjohn_Gary_Paulsen.html
http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/amliterature/amlit_lp_nightjohn_overviewunit.htm

Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship

Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship

Written by: Nikki Giovanni
Illustrated by: Bryan Collier

Easy Readability

"Our 16th president is known for many things: He delivered the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address.He was tall and skinny and notoriously stern-looking. And he also had some very strong ideas about abolishing slavery, ideas which brought him into close contact with another very visible public figure: Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born a slave but escaped in 1838 and became one of the central figures in the American abolitionist movement.

This book offers a glimpse into the unusual friendship between two great American leaders. At a time when racial tensions were high and racial equality was not yet established, Lincoln and Douglass formed a strong bond over shared ideals and worked alongside each other for a common goal."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:

http://teachingwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/lincoln-and-douglass-american.html

Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl

Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl

Written by: Tonya Bolden

"Born free in a nation stained by slavery, where free blacks had few rights and rare respect, here was a girl determined to rise, to amount to something." In this captivating biography, Bolden introduces Maritcha Reymond Lyon, born in the mid-1800s into a family of free blacks in Manhattan. Lyon found fame as a teenager in Providence, Rhode Island, when she sued the state to gain admission to the all-white high school--the only high school in town. Bolden's succinct text focuses on Lyon's growing-up, and the attractive spreads feature well-chosen archival photographs and engravings that offer a fascinating glimpse of Lyon's world of "New York City's striving class of blacks."

Lyon had a distinguished family, and Bolden shows how its members inspired her to succeed against formidable odds, even when she felt that "the iron had entered my soul." Bolden supplements quotes from Lyon's accounts with extensive research and enthralling detail, and the result is both an inspirational portrait of an individual and a piercing history about blacks in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries--subjects rarely covered in books for youth. An author's note describes Lyon's adult achievements and lends insight into Bolden's research. Notes and a selected bibliography conclude this powerful volume."

Booklist Review

Awards:
Coretta Scott King Honor Book, 2006
Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award, 2006

Web Resources:
http://www.tonyaboldenbooks.com/maritcha_a_nineteenth-century_american_girl.html

Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton

Written by: Christopher Paul Curtis

"The first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the border from Detroit, Elijah is best known in his hometown as the boy who threw up on Frederick Douglass. (Not on purpose, of course — he was just a baby then!)

But things change when a former slave calling himself the Right Reverend Zephariah W. Connerly the Third steals money from Elijah's friend Mr. Leroy, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the south. Elijah joins Mr. Leroy on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of the disreputable preacher, and he discovers firsthand the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled — a life from which he'll always be free, if he can find the courage to go back home."

Scholastic Press

Web Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=31083_type=Book_typeId=4743

5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft's Flight from Slavery

5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft's Flight from Slavery

Written by: Dennis and Judith Fradin

"Both exciting escape adventure and gripping history, this account of a husband and wife on the run from slavery traces their journey to freedom in the U.S and across the world. Ellen is a light-skinned African American, daughter of the master who raped her mother. Disguised as a wealthy Southern gentleman, she escapes with her husband, William, disguised as her slave, and they travel by train and steamboat to freedom in Boston. When their astonishing story makes the fugitive couple famous, slave catchers come after them, so the Crafts leave for England, where they continue their abolitionist work, until their return home after the Civil War. The Fradins, whose many fine histories include Ida B. Wells (2000), draw heavily on the Crafts' personal accounts to add depth and drama to the carefully documented narrative. The handsome design includes lots of photos, archival artwork, letters, and newspaper accounts."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/wpahome.html

The River Between Us

The River Between Us

Written by: Richard Peck

"Richard Peck is a master of stories about people in transition, but perhaps never before has he told a tale of such dramatic change as this one, set during the first year of the Civil War. The whole country is changing in 1861-even the folks from a muddy little Illinois settlement on the banks of the Mississippi. Here, fifteen-year-old Tilly Pruitt frets over the fact that her brother is dreaming of being a soldier and that her sister is prone to supernatural visions. A boy named Curry could possibly become a distraction.

Then a steamboat whistle splits the air. The Rob Roy from New Orleans docks at the landing, and off the boat step two remarkable figures: a vibrant, commanding young lady in a rustling hoop skirt and a darker, silent woman in a plain cloak, with a bandanna wrapped around her head. Who are these two fascinating strangers? And is the darker woman a slave, standing now on the free soil of Illinois? When Tilly's mother invites the women to board at her house, the whole world shifts for the Pruitts and for their visitors as well.

Within a page-turning tale of mystery, adventure, and the civilian Civil War experience, Richard Peck has spun a breathtaking portrait of the lifelong impact that one person can have on another. This is a novel of countless riches."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=10911_type=Book_typeId=4695
http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/Classroom-Teaching-Tools/Lesson-Plans/View-Lesson-Plans/463/lessonId__250/

Slavery and Abolition in American History

Slavery and Abolition in American History

Written by: Linda Jones Altman

"This series entries that provide portraits of difficult periods in American history. Altman focuses on the history of slavery and the rise of the Abolition movement. Her text is filled with anecdotes about some of the movement's key figures, which help alleviate some of the dryness of the text. Ziff approaches her subject through reports on the progress and the effect of Reconstruction on the life of Robert Fitzgerald, a former Union soldier, teacher, and free black who moved South to be a teacher in Virginia and North Carolina. These vignettes help bring the story of this time to life."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam007.html
http://www.ushistory.org/more/timeline.htm

The Real Benedict Arnold

The Real Benedict Arnold

Written by: Jim Murphy

"Every account of the American Revolution mentions Benedict Arnold and brands him correctly as a traitor. There’s no question that Arnold, an American army officer, switched his loyalty to the British side. Over the years, however, historians, partisans, and gossips have added to Arnold’s unsavory reputation by distorting, embroidering, or simply ignoring factual details.

In this informed and thoughtful account, Jim Murphy goes in search of the real man behind the “traitor” label, rumors, and folktales that became part of the Benedict Arnold legend. Drawing on Arnold’s few surviving writings and on the letters, memoirs, and political documents of his contemporaries, Murphy builds a fascinating portrait of a brilliant man, consistently undervalued by his peers, who made a choice that continues to reverberate through American history. Dramatic accounts of crucial battles and political maneuvers round out this lively biography of a patriot who could have been a hero."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/arnold.htm
http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/arnold.html

In the Shadow of the Wind

In the Shadow of the Wind

Written by: Luke Wallin

"This novel describes the cultural conflict in Alabama in the 1830s between members of the Creek Nation and white settlers in the area. Brown Hawk wants to stop fighting and cooperate with the settlers’ requests, but others, such as Least Coyote, disagree. Caleb McElroy and his grandfather appreciate the Indians. Regardless, Caleb is forced to kill Least Coyote as the Creek attempts to scalp Mrs. McElroy. Caleb eventually resolves the conflict within himself about the values of each culture by becoming Creek."

Social Studies Center (SSC)

Online Resources:
http://www.perdidobaytribe.org/saga.html

Buffalo Soldiers

Buffalo Soldiers

Written by: Catherine Reef

"This book recounts the deeds of the 9th and 10th Cavalry, comprised of African American soldiers who kept peace between Indians and settlers on the western frontier, fought in the Spanish-American War, and pursued the outlaw Pancho Villa through Mexico."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.buffalosoldier.net/
http://www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com/

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Written by: Dee Brown

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's classic, eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold over four million copies in multiple editions and has been translated into seventeen languages.

Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the series of battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them and their people demoralized and decimated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was won, and lost. It tells a story that should not be forgotten, and so must be retold from time to time."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wounded_Knee,_South_Dakota

Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears

Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears

Written by: Alex W. Bealer

"From 1837 to 1838, thousands of Cherokee Indians were marched from their homelands in Georgia to exile in Arkansas by the same white men they has once befriended. The Cherokees journeyed through bitter cold and blazing heat, with little food or water. One out of every four died and with them died a culture that had existed for hundreds of years, a civilization that had existed for hundred of years, a civilization that had embraced the white man's ways only to perish through his betrayal. Today, only the names remain of this once great nation."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/history/trail.html
http://www.cherokeebyblood.com/trailtears.htm

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark

Written by: Rosalyn Schanzer

Easy Readability

"A simplified version of the diaries of Lewis and Clark; in an introduction, Schanzer explains how she condensed much of the excitement and adventure of the 40 volumes into this one. The book follows the route mapped out on the end papers, beginning with President Jefferson's request that the two explore the west, and ending when Lewis and Clark return two years later to St. Charles (near St. Louis), long after everyone thought they'd died. In that time the two men discovered many new animals and plants, met with Indian tribes, and created new maps of the uncharted territories. Schanzer often breaks up the page into a series of vignettes with captions, effectively covering many of their experiences in a small space. Her drawings include portraits of the members of the expedition and other details that make an already authentic text all the richer."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/

Words West: The Voices of Young Pioneers

Words West: The Voices of Young Pioneers

Written by: Ginger Wadsworth

"This book records the thoughts and feelings of the pioneer children who traveled west between 1830 and 1870 in wagon trains. They often encountered severe heat and extreme cold, hostile Indians, the death of friends and family, terrible illnesses, and great hunger. They also witnessed the beauty of the untouched West. The letters , diaries, and memoirs of these children and young people quoted in this book tell their stories in their own words. They are accompanied by archival photographs and prints. Together the stories and pictures help today's children and young people understand their counterparts from another era. A great primary source for those studying the pioneer period of history."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.gingerwadsworth.com/
*Scroll to bottom of page for additional links

On the Trail of Sacagawea

On the Trail of Sacagawea

Written by: Peter Lourie

"In this handsome book, archaeologist and researcher Lourie chronicles a trip he took with his family along the path of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, beginning where Sacagawea joined the explorers and hoping to compare what exists now with what she might have seen. The family traveled through Native American land where historic sites remain untouched and the people practice traditional customs, fishing in the streams that the explorers fished in, swimming in the same hot springs, and eventually arriving at a reconstructed Fort Clatsop, where the river meets the ocean. Throughout, Lourie intersperses his family's adventures with the history of the Corps of Discovery in a comparison that conveys the rugged beauty and harsh terrain that the explorers must have experienced. The book is illustrated with the author's striking color photographs, as well as paintings and archival photos. An epilogue offers different theories of what became of Sacagawea."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.peterlourie.com/journeys/sacagawea/

Gold Rush Women

Gold Rush Women

Written by: Claire Rudolf Murphy

"The women who joined the gold rushes in the Yukon and Alaska between the late 1880s and the early 1900s get scant attention in the history books. This collective biography draws on primary sources to tell their stories, with fascinating historical photographs and portraits on every page. Some women went with men, some went alone. They panned for gold, ran boardinghouses and grub tents, worked as dance-hall girls and prostitutes. Ethel Berry was one of the first Klondike millionaires. Klondike Kate, a Tagish native, never got any money from the gold she helped discover. One whole section is devoted to the important roles played by Native American women in the region. Martha Louise Block, a wealthy Chicago matron, said of her adventure: "What I wanted was not shelter and safety, but liberty and opportunity." Lots of sidebars provide general information, including one newspaper article telling women what to pack and what to leave behind. With its handsome, browsable design, this will be welcome for classroom reports and for personal reading."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.goldrush.com/~joann/
http://www.sierrafoothillmagazine.com/women.html
http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/gold/women.html
http://www.clairerudolfmurphy.com/Gold_Rush_Women.html

Children of the Gold Rush

Children of the Gold Rush

Written by: Jane G Haigh & Claire Rudolf Murphy

"This excellent, well-researched book offers a rare peek into a fascinating culture, history, and people, in portraits of eight intrepid children and their families during the Alaskan/Yukon Territory gold rush. Murphy and Haigh give voices to children who tell of dangerous journeys to Alaskan mining camps, the brutal, cold winters, building small towns in rough terrain, and the disintegration of many families due to gold fever. The children adapted to a whole new way of life, prospected, entertained miners, and felt the effects of sudden fortune or bleak poverty. Fascinating sidebars address other children of the gold rush or other facets of that life, from schooling and the use of sled dogs, to panning for gold. Although the hardships are never glossed over, the design of the book has an antique charm, with photographs, ticket stubs, old handbills, maps, and journal excerpts, glossary, and further reading."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.clairerudolfmurphy.com/Children_of_the_Gold_Rush.html
http://pbskids.org/wayback/goldrush/goldfever.html
http://www.malakoff.com/goldcountry/history.htm

Children of the Wild West

Children of the Wild West

Written by: Russell Freedman

Easy Readability

"In an engaging, accessible tone, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman gives today's young readers an insight into the lives of kids growing up in the American West in the late 19th century. He describes the experience of traveling west by wagon train, exploring the reactions of pioneer children to life on the road, school days, holidays, and their encounters — both good and bad — with Native Americans. He also looks at the unique experiences of the Native American children, growing up at a time when the influx of white settlers was turning their world upside-down. Whatever their circumstances, the resourceful children of the West demonstrated the infinite adaptability of children everywhere."

Scholastic.com

Online Resources:
http://edhelper.com/books/Children_of_the_Wild_West.htm
http://www.waldsfe.org/unitstudies/WestwardMovement.htm

The Great American Gold Rush

The Great American Gold Rush

Written by: Rhoda Bloomberg

"An important and compelling period of our country's history is brought to life in Blumberg's account, with its exciting, "you-are-there" quality. Drawn extensively from primary sources, the material includes extracts and quotations from letters, diaries and newspapers, as well as reproductions of period cartoons, posters, ads and sketches. Footnotes and maps expand the text in which a handsome typeface is framed by wide margins on generously sized pages, creating an open, inviting look. Much information on 19th-century attitudes toward minorities and women--and the effects of those attitudes during the Gold Rush era--is presented."

Publishers Weekly Review

Online Resources:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/californiagoldrush.htm

Day of Tears

Day of Tears

Written by: Julius Lester

"On March 2 and 3, 1859, the largest auction of slaves in American history took place in Savannah, Georgia. More than 400 slaves were sold. On the first day of the auction, the skies darkened and torrential rain began falling. The rain continued throughout the two days, stopping only when the auction had ended. The simultaneity of the rain storm with the auction led to these two days being called "the weeping time." Master storyteller Julius Lester has taken this footnote of history and created the crowning achievement of his literary career.

Julius Lester tells the story of several characters including Emma, a slave owned by Pierce Butler and caretaker of his two daughters, and Pierce, a man with a mounting gambling debt and household to protect. Emma wants to teach his daughters—one who opposes slavery and one who supports it—to have kind hearts. Meanwhile, in a desperate bid to survive, Pierce decides to cash in his “assets” and host the largest slave auction in American history. And on that day, the skies open up and weep endlessly on the proceedings below.

Using the multiple voices of enslaved Africans and their owners, Julius Lester has taken a little-known, all-true event in American history and transformed it into a heartbreaking and powerfully dramatic epic on slavery, and the struggle to affirm humanity in the midst of it."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.tnj.com/life-style/travel/savannah-ga
http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/index.faces
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/slaveauction.htm

To Be a Slave

To Be a Slave

Written by: Julius Lester

"To be a slave. To be owned by another person, as a car, house, or a table is owned. To live as a piece of property that could be sold...

This book is about how it felt. The words of black men and women who had themselves been slaves are here, accompanied by Julius Lester's historical commentary and Tom Feelings's powerful and muted paintings, To Be a Slave has been a touchstone in children's literature for over thirty years."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/slavery-us/activity/10981.html
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=364

Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom

Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom

Written by: Walter Dean Myers

"In 1839, there was a rebellion on the slave ship Amistad. In a bloody struggle, the African captives aboard rebelled against their kidnappers and declared mutiny. While trying to sail the ship home, the Africans accidentally ended up in New York. They were later imprisoned and put on trial for murder. Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers's probing look at this triumph over indignity and injustice shows the events' effect on the country America has become."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad/

The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo

The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo

Written by: Tom Feelings

"Alex Haley's Roots awakened many Americans to the cruelty of slavery. The Middle Passage focuses attention on the torturous journey which brought slaves from Africa to the Americas, allowing readers to bear witness to the sufferings of an entire people."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p277.html
http://www.melfisher.org/exhibitions/henriettamarie/middlepassage.htm

Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship

Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship

Written by: David Weitzman

Easy Readability

"Made from the wood of more than 1,000 trees, she weighs 1,576 tons and carries 44 guns. She's the largest, fastest fighting ship of her class - the Constitution. The beginnings of a fledgling country's navy took shape in the graceful lines of this frigate, whose strength under fire earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides." Follow young John Aylwin as he watches and helps in the construction of one of the most remarkable sailing ships ever built, from the selection of oaks for the masts to the casting of her three-ton cannon to the sewing of more than two acres of sail. The story of the birth of the Constitution is accompanied by drawings that are stunning in their elegance and detail, a fitting tribute to a majestic vessel."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/

George Washington and the Founding of a Nation

George Washington and the Founding of a Nation

Written by: Albert Marrin

"This engaging biography presents a thorough look at the life of the first president as well as clear presentations of the people and events that shaped his world. A good portion of the text focuses on Washington's military career, including details of individual campaigns and battles. The general's courage, bravado, and intangible leadership qualities emerge through descriptions of his wartime actions and through the words of those who fought with and against him.

The harshness of war comes through in sometimes gruesome detail, showing the cruelty that prevailed on both sides. Washington unhesitatingly orders the execution of mutineers from his own army, judging that a more merciful decision would have cost more in the long run. Marrin clearly admires his subject, yet carefully discusses his flaws and errors. The author raises questions and presents differing views without interrupting the flow of the narrative. Well-chosen quotations, many from Washington's own writings, enliven the text as well. Numerous historical drawings, paintings, and etchings help to bring the period alive."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/gwash.htm
http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/george_washington.html

A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy

A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy

Written by: Jim Murphy

"In the summer of 1776, Joseph Plumb Martin was a fifteen-year-old Connecticut farm boy who considered himself "as warm a patriot as the best of them." He enlisted that July and stayed in the revolutionary army until hostilities ended in 1783. Martin fought under Washington, Lafayette, and Steuben. He took part in major battles in New York, Monmouth, and Yorktown. He wintered at Valley Forge and then at Morristown, considered even more severe. He wrote of his war years in a memoir that brings the American Revolution alive with telling details, drama, and a country boy's humor. Jim Murphy lets Joseph Plumb Martin speak for himself throughout the text, weaving in historical backfround details wherever necessary, giving voice to a teenager who was an eyewitness to the fight that set America free from the British Empire."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.americanrevolutioncenter.org/
http://www.lesdwebquests.org/wquest/teacher.htm

Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride

Written by: David Hackett Fischer

"Paul Revere's midnight ride looms as an almost mythical event in American history--yet it has been largely ignored by scholars and left to patriotic writers and debunkers. Now one of the foremost American historians offers the first serious look at the events of the night of April 18, 1775--what led up to it, what really happened, and what followed--uncovering a truth far more remarkable than the myths of tradition."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/
http://www.earlyamerica.com/paul_revere.htm

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence

Written by: Russell Freedman

"Known for his stellar biographies and superb nonfiction, Freedman now offers a fine book about the creation of one of the nation's most important historical documents. The first five chapters vividly bring to life the events that led to Colonial uprising and revolt. The next three chapters describe the Second Continental Congress, formation of the Continental Army, Battle of Bunker Hill, and drafting of the Declaration by Thomas Jefferson.

The final chapter discusses the impact of the famous document at the time it was written and its continuing importance, and offers practical information about its preservation, storage, and display. The author points out the important roles women, slaves, and free blacks played in the Revolution, but is also careful to note the restrictions placed on these groups by the white male majority. Quotations from journals, essays, speeches, letters, and songs of the day add color to the compelling narration. Many bold reproductions, in color and black and white, supplement the text. A must for every collection."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=787_type=Book_typeId=2637
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/american_revolution.htm

Crossing the Delaware: A History in Many Voices

Crossing the Delaware: A History in Many Voices

Written by: Louise Peacock
Illustrated by: Walter Lyon Krudop

"The Revolution did seem nearly over in the harsh winter of 1776. The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, had suffered many defeats and had made many retreats. Now the soldiers found themselves encamped on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, across from three Hessian regiments occupying the town of Trenton, New Jersey. Tired, cold, ill-clothed, and ill-equipped to fight, most of them were ready to go home when their enlistments were up. Only decisive action could possibly win General Washington a battle -- and save the Revolution.

A variety of voices in a variety of forms -- a present-day narrator, the letters of a fictional soldier, and true accounts from the time -- are brought together with period images and Walter Lyon Krudop's dramatic art to make vivid the critical moments of Washington's crossing of the Delaware. Readers cannot help but come away with a new appreciation of what the Battle of Trenton means for us today."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://chnm.gmu.edu/acpstah/units_acps.php?acpstahid=3

Those Remarkable Women of the American Revolution

Those Remarkable Women of the American Revolution

Written by: Karen Zeinert

"Zeinert chronicles the many contributions made by women during the Revolutionary War. She describes the role of both patriots and loyalists; black and Indian women; Northern women as well as those on Southern plantations, showing how the war forced them to assume nontraditional roles, such as protecting the homefront and taking on men's duties like farming and keeping the books."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/women_american_revolution/
http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/femvets.html

Jump Ship to Freedom

Jump Ship to Freedom

Written by: James and Christopher Collier

Easy Readability

"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 soldiers' notes to buy his family's freedom.

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 certain slavery. Even if Daniel can manage to jump ship in New York, will he be able to travel the long and dangerous road to freedom?"

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.coloradocollege.edu/dept/hy/hy243ruiz/Research/revolution.html

War Comes to Willy Freeman

War Comes to Willy Freeman

Written by: James and Christopher Collier

Easy Readability

"Willy Freeman's life changes forever when she witnesses her father's death at the hands of the Redcoats and returns home to find that the British have taken her mother as a prisoner to New York City. Willy, disguised as a boy, begins her long search for her mother and luckily finds a haven at the famous Fraunces Tavern. But even with the help of Sam Fraunces and her fellow worker, Horace, Willy knows that to be black, female, and free leaves her open to danger at every turn. What will tomorrow bring?"

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/ushistory/revolution.html

My Brother Sam is Dead

My Brother Sam is Dead

Written by: James Collier & Christopher Collier

"All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam's smart and brave -- and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British -- including Tim and Sam's father. With the war soon raging, Tim know he'll have to make a choice -- between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats . . . and between his brother and his father."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.historyofredding.com/HRmbsd.htm
http://www.create.cett.msstate.edu/create/classroom/lplan_view.asp?articleID=196

Countdown to Independence: A Revolution of Ideas in England and Her American Colonies: 1760-1776

Countdown to Independence: A Revolution of Ideas in England and Her American Colonies: 1760-1776

Written by: Natalie Bober

"A thorough, balanced look at the events that led to the American Revolution. Starting in 1760, when George III took the throne, Bober describes how individuals, ideas, and actions eventually brought about the unexpected and far from inevitable emergence of a new nation. Chapters alternate between action in England and in the Colonies, providing a variety of viewpoints. Devoting more than 300 pages to just 17 years, Bober fleshes out many historical occurrences that are often oversimplified or even passed over in other children's books on the period. With the Stamp Act, for instance, she explores the reactions of many groups and individuals, revealing the practical, philosophical, and political arguments for and against its implementation. The personalities of key figures emerge in memorable ways, supported by direct quotes and engaging anecdotes."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.cvsd.org/american_revolution.asp
http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/index2.htm

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Written by: Elizabeth G. Speare

"Orphaned Kit Tyler, raised on the island of Barbados, is an outsider in her relatives’ stern Puritan community in Massachusetts colony. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond. But when Kit’s friendship with the “witch” is discovered, she herself is accused of witchcraft."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.create.cett.msstate.edu/create/classroom/lplan_view.asp?articleID=121
http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/Childrens_Literature/CHL0228.html

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark

Written by: Rosalyn Schanzer

Easy Readability

"A simplified version of the diaries of Lewis and Clark; in an introduction, Schanzer explains how she condensed much of the excitement and adventure of the 40 volumes into this one. The book follows the route mapped out on the end papers, beginning with President Jefferson's request that the two explore the west, and ending when Lewis and Clark return two years later to St. Charles (near St. Louis), long after everyone thought they'd died. In that time the two men discovered many new animals and plants, met with Indian tribes, and created new maps of the uncharted territories. Schanzer often breaks up the page into a series of vignettes with captions, effectively covering many of their experiences in a small space. Her drawings include portraits of the members of the expedition and other details that make an already authentic text all the richer."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/

The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-but-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony

The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-but-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony

Written by: Cheryl Harness

Easy Readability

"Instead of a standard biography, Harness chronicles the history of the Plymouth Pilgrims from their troubles in England to their first years in North America, with the focus on Standish. Separating documented history from speculation, the narrative explains religious movements, introduces key figures, and gives a balanced account of Pilgrim-Indian relationships. In contrast to many Pilgrim histories, the tone is casual (e.g., "Without Squanto the translator, these English wouldn't be able to go around getting cozy with everybody, messing up the balance of power.") Harness' familiar detailed pictures appear here as prints. A bibliography of resources is appended, along with lists of Mayflower passengers, recommended Web sites and places to visit. A reader-friendly approach to history."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/MylesStandish.php

1607: A New Look at Jamestown

1607: A New Look at Jamestown

Written by: Karen Lange

Easy Readability

"In 1994, scientists unearthed important new evidence about the original Jamestown fort. The work is ongoing and has changed many established ideas about the early settlers. 1607 incorporates these findings and offers a fascinating look at archaeology in action. Color photographs of costumed interpreters and re-created buildings from the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum depict both English and Native American ways of life. Varying perspectives of the period are represented, including evidence that suggests that Native women married English settlers and lived at the fort; how the arrival of English women changed the dynamics of the settlement; and the importance of indentured servants versus the relatively small presence of African slaves. Attractive, engaging, and informative, this title should be in every collection."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=269
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/page2.html

Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage

Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage

Written by: Peter Arenstam, John Kemp, Catherine O'Neill Grace, & Plimoth Plantation

Easy Readability

"Plimoth Plantation and the National Geographic Society come together to tell the true story behind the legendary voyage of the Mayflower. A meticulously researched work, Mayflower 1620 offers children a compelling, fresh account of this much-told story.

Vibrant photography of a rare reenactment using the Mayflower II leads readers imaginatively into the narrative. The vivid and informative text explores the story behind the exhibits at the living-history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Primary sources record what the voyagers wore, what they ate, and telling details of their journey. First-person accounts reveal the hopes and dreams they carried. Readers share in the long hours at sea, and in the dangers faced after landfall. Extensive end notes, a map, a detailed chronology, and a bibliography round out the full story of the Mayflower.

Readers experience a new look at this seminal historical event through the eyes of those who now regularly inhabit the world of the pilgrims—the actors who interpret the Pilgrim Voyage. This eye-opening book teaches children the value of closely reexamining everything we think we know."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.plimoth.org/

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

Written by: Jean Fritz

Easy Readability

"The history of the Lost Colony is more than a simple tale of settlers who disappeared, leaving a cryptic message behind. Fritz weaves the tangled threads of historical records, the multiple voyages, and the large cast of significant figures into a single narrative that enables children to envision the main events as well as many colorful details. The presentation is surprisingly traditional in some ways, from a Eurocentric reference to America as the "newfound land" to the anecdote (undocumented, as the appended notes acknowledge) about Sir Walter Raleigh's laying his coat across a puddle for Queen Elizabeth. In four chapters, Fritz discusses the English exploration of the region, the settlement on Roanoke Island, the mysterious disappearance of the colonists, and the conjectures, hoaxes, and evidence that have fueled speculation about the colony for 400 years."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/mystery/roanoke_files/frame.htm
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/roanoke1.htm
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_Roanoke.html

Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus

Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus

Written and Illustrated by: Peter Sis

Easy Readability

"The 15th century comes vividly alive in this splendidly original picture book about Christopher Columbus. The straightforward text combines documented fact and legend, while the pictures show Columbus' gradual emergence from a fortress of medieval belief as he begins to realize his dream of finding a new route to the Orient."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/columbus.html