Historical Fiction in Children's Literature
Thank you for stopping by She Reads Books today. I am so thrilled
you decided to stop by! Today I will be sharing my reviews on five historical fiction books in the If You Were a Kid During the... series in children's literature and how I would use
the books in my future classroom. I hope you enjoy my picks!
Book #1: If You Were a Kid During the Civil Rights
Movement by Gwendolyn Hooks
Book Review: If You Were a Kid During the Civil
Rights Movement may be a little complex for some readers but it is
nonetheless a great story about two kids who live during the Civil Rights
Movement. Mark and Connie are neighbors and together, they fight for equality
and freedom during this difficult time period. At the end of the story, the author includes a timeline of important events in African American history, and
she includes a page of terms that children may not know, and she explains those
terms. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to read to their
students and children because it teaches them about two brave children who
fight for a difference during the Civil Rights Movement.
Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to
use this book as a read-aloud to discuss this significant time in history and
to discuss how the times have changed or maybe how they are still, in a way, similar.
One lesson idea I have for this book is for my students to write about what
they think their life would have been like if they lived during this time in
history.
Below
I have attached the author's website, Twitter link, and a link to a read-aloud link in case you wanted to check
out the author or the story!
Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73RQLnVifEg
Book #2: If You Were a Kid on the
Oregon Trail by Josh
Gregory
Book Review: If You Were
a Kid on the Oregon Trail may be a little
complex for some readers, but it is nonetheless a great story about Josephine
and Stephen, who are traveling on the trail with their families. Josephine is traveling
along the Oregon Trail with her mother and her younger brothers, so they can be
reunited with their father and husband, who is at the time, somewhere out West.
Stephen is traveling with his family to Oregon and him and Josephine camp in
the wilderness and they try to adjust to their new lives. At the end of
the story, the author includes a timeline of important events during this
time in history, and he includes a page of terms that children may not know, and
he explains those terms. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to
read to their students and children because it teaches them about two children whose lives are uprooted in order to move out
West and it teaches them about how life was living and traveling along the
Oregon Trail.
Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to
use this book as a read-aloud during social studies time to discuss what the
Oregon Trail was and why people traveled it. One lesson idea I have for this
book is for my students to write about why they would move West and what they
would bring with them, and then they would present this to the class. This will
allow the children to practice their writing, grammar, and public speaking
skills.
Book #3: If You Were a Kid Aboard the
Titanic by Josh Gregory
Book Review: If You Were a Kid Aboard
the Titanic may be a little complex for some readers but it is nonetheless
a great story. It is about Alice and William who board the Titanic to move to
America. Alice’s family is not as well off as William’s family, but they still
look to have a great adventure aboard this grand ship. At
the end of the story, the author includes a timeline of important events during
this time in history, and he includes a page of terms that children may not know,
and he explains those terms. I recommend this
book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it
teaches them about two children’s lives as they board the Titanic.
Lesson Idea: In
my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud during
social studies time to discuss what the ship was, what happened, and why it was
going to America. One lesson idea I have for this book is to read it along with
a cruise ship book and have the students compare and contrast the two ships. I would
also like the students to write about how they think their time would be if
they boarded the Titanic.
Below
I have attached a link to a read-aloud in case you wanted to check
out the story!
Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpPc8Nhis7A
Book #4: If You Were a Kid During the
Civil War by Wil Mara
Book Review: If You Were a
Kid During the Civil War may be a complex read for some readers, but it is
sure to keep children engaged and listening. The story is about two friends,
Sarah and James, whose families are from Virginia and are fighting on opposite
sides during the Civil War, but they then come across a wounded solider. Together
they are faced with some difficult decisions. At
the end of the story, the author even includes a timeline of important events during
this time in history, and he includes a page of terms that children may not know,
and he explains those terms. I recommend this
book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it
teaches them about two friends who work together but it also teaches them about
the Civil War.
Lesson Idea: In
my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud during
social studies time to discuss what the Civil War was, what led up to it, what
the outcome was, and the impact that it had on the USA. One lesson idea I have
for this book is for the students to fill out a compare and contrast chart
based on how the North and South is alike and how the two are different (economies,
agriculture, industrial, society).
Below
I have attached a link to the author's website and Twitter in case you wanted to check out the author!
Website: http://www.wilmara.com/
Read-Aloud: https://twitter.com/authorwilmara
Book #5: If You Were a Kid at the First
Thanksgiving by Melissa
Sarno
Book Review: If You Were a
Kid at the First Thanksgiving may be a little difficult for some readers to
read and understand but it is nonetheless a great story about two people from
two completely different worlds coming together to help one another and then
becoming friends. The main characters, Miles (a boy living in Plymouth Colony)
and Aquina (an Indian), work together to help their families host the great harvest
feast. At the end of the story, the author includes a
timeline of important events during this time in history, and she includes a
page of terms that children may not know, and she explains those terms. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to
read to their students and children because it teaches them about two children
from different families who work together to help their families.
Lesson Idea: In
my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud during social
studies time and during the Thanksgiving holiday. One lesson idea I have for
this book is for the students to fill out a chart and diagram comparing and
contrasting the pilgrims from the Wampanoags (clothing, way of life, food,
shelter). I would also like them to sequence the events that happened involving
the pilgrims and the Wampanoags.
Below
I have attached a link to the author's website and Twitter in case you wanted to check out the author!
Website: https://www.melissasarno.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissasarno
I
hope that you enjoyed my book reviews and lesson ideas. I hope you
consider adding all five books to your classroom library if you have not
already!
Happy Reading,
Ashley
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