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Dear
America: Voyage On The Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White
Hardcover from Scholastic Press ISBN: 054523834X Five years ago, Margaret Ann
Brady's older brother left her in the care of an orphanage and immigrated
to America. When the orphanage receives an unusual request from an American
woman looking for a traveling companion, Margaret's teachers agree that
she is the perfect candidate to accompany Mrs. Carstairs on the TITANIC,
so that once Margaret arrives in New York she will be free to join her
brother in Boston. But the TITANIC is destined for tragedy, and Margaret's
journey is thrown into a frozen nightmare when the ship collides with an
iceberg.
Margaret's diary records the unimaginable drama and anguish only a survivor
could comprehend.
PRAISE FOR DEAR AMERICA:
"More than a supplement to classroom textbooks, this series is an imaginative,
solid entre into American history." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"An impressive series that will challenge students to make connections
from prominent historical events to relevant life situations. . . . A wonderful
asset to the classroom as well as to home libraries." --CHILDREN'S BOOK
REVIEW SERVICE
"Engaging accessible historical fiction." --SLJ
"The Dear America diaries represent the best of historical fiction for
any age." --CHICAGO TRIBUNE
In her fictionalized journal, eleven-year-old Minnie Swift recounts
how her family dealt with the difficult times during the Depression and
how the arrival of an orphan from Texas changed their lives in Indianapolis
just before Christmas 1932.
To 11-year-old Minnie Swift, Christmas, 1932, is not going to be the
time of bounty she's used to. Instead, it has become the "Time of the Dwindling."
The Great Depression has changed everything: Minnie's father is working
fewer and fewer hours, her hungry family eats more and more aspic and "rumor
of pork" (high up on the Vomitron, a zero-to-ten scale Minnie and her brother
have invented to determine the vileness of their meager dinners), and a
tiny orphan girl has joined their family from Heart's Bend, Texas. Minnie
finds a worthy outlet in her daily journal, in which she records the sometimes
troubling, sometimes exhilarating experiences of one winter month in Indianapolis
during the depression. Nothing can subdue Minnie's lively spirit, although
the disappearance of her father challenges her sorely.
Kathryn Lasky's latest addition to the Dear America series is chock-full
of period details: Greta Garbo's hairstyle, The Shadow radio program,
Charlie Chan, Hooverville shantytowns, Buck Rogers, Amelia Earhart, and
phrases like yee gads and go-to-the-dickens. Minnie is an
exuberant and witty chronicler of her family life, as well as the world
outside. Young readers will come away from Christmas After All with
a strong image of life in the 1930s, and a sense of the resiliency and
ingenuity of many Americans during that deeply troubled time. A historical
note and photos follow the diary, providing background to help readers
understand the era in which the fictional Minnie lived. (Ages 9 to 14)
--Emilie Coulter
The
Dear America: The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson
Hardcover from Scholastic Press ISBN: 0545224187 With this sweeping tale of life
on the World War II homefront, Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson brings
her incredible talent to the Dear America series. When Pearl Harbor is
attacked, America is finally unable to ignore the wars raging in Europe
and Asia any longer. And one girl's entire life is about to change when
everything she knows is turned on its head. After the devastating attack
on Pearl Harbor, where her brother, a navy sailor, is stationed, Piper
Davis begins chronicling her compelling journey through one of history's
most tragic and unforgettable eras.
Piper's father is the pastor for a Japanese Baptist church, and when
its members are taken away to Minidoka, Idaho, to be interned, Pastor Davis
moves his family from Seattle to Idaho to be with his congregation. Piper
is jealous of her older sister, who gets to remain at home and go off to
work. Her brother, who survived the Pearl Harbor strike, is stationed in
the Pacific, while her brother-in-law is shipped off to Europe to fight.
Piper, meanwhile, hates her new life, but soon, through her budding friendship
with Betty, a Japanese-American girl who is interned in the camp, Piper
learns how it important it is to bear witness to the events that were bound
to change America.
PRAISE FOR DEAR AMERICA:
"More than a supplement to classroom textbooks, this series is an imaginative,
solid entre into American history." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"An impressive series that will challenge students to make connections
from prominent historical events to relevant life situations. . . . A wonderful
asset to the classroom as well as to home libraries." --CHILDREN'S BOOK
REVIEW SERVICE
"Engaging, accessible historical fiction." --SLJ
"The Dear America diaries represent the best of historical fiction for
any age." -- CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Deliverance Trembley lives in Salem Village, where she must take care
of her sickly sister, Mem, and where she does her daily chores in fear
of her cruel uncle's angry temper. But when four young girls from the village
accuse some of the local women of being witches, Deliverance finds herself
caught up in the ensuing drama of the trials. And life in Salem is never
the same.
The
Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory
Hardcover from Scholastic Press ISBN: 0545238021 Eleven-year-old Abigail Jane
Stewart's fictionalized diary about her life, family, friends, and neighbors,
and the sides they have to choose in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during
the height of the Revolutionary War, renders a vivid portrayal of one of
the most memorable and crucial winters in American history.
Abby's life with her family is quickly upended when they are awakened
by the unfamiliar sound of drums. General George Washington is leading
the Continental soldiers into their winter encampment at Valley Forge,
PA.
Hardship is a constant companion for soldiers and citizens alike throughout
the winter, and in her diary, Abby pieces together the beauty, pain, and
blessings of this long, revolutionary winter.
PRAISE FOR DEAR AMERICA:
"More than a supplement to classroom textbooks, this series is an imaginative,
solid entre into American history." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"An impressive series that will challenge students to make connections
from prominent historical events to relevant life situations. . . . A wonderful
asset to the classroom as well as to home libraries." --CHILDREN'S BOOK
REVIEW SERVICE
"Engaging, accessible historical fiction." --SLJ
"The Dear America diaries represent the best of historical fiction for
any age." -- CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Dear
America: Standing in the Light by Mary Pope Osborne
Hardcover from Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 0545266874 One of the most popular Dear
America diaries of all time, bestselling author Mary Pope Osborne's STANDING
IN THE LIGHT is now back in print with a gorgeous new cover!
Catharine Carey Logan and her family have enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous
life as the Quakers and Delaware Indians share a mutually trusting relationship.
Recently, however, this friendship has been threatened by violence against
the Indians. Then, Catharine and her brother are taken captive by the Lenape
in retaliation. At first, Catharine is afraid of her captors. But when
a handsome brave begins to teach her about the ways of the Lenape, she
comes to see that all people share the same joys, hopes, and fears. Osborne
crafts a thrilling story of romance and danger and remarkable courage.
January 19, 1917The picket line has been going on for over a week! And
people said they would not last a day and the weather still has not broken.
What's more is news of the picket is spreading and more and more women
are coming from other parts of the district and some from as far away asMaryland
and Virginia. President Wilson felt so sorry for them in the cold that
he invited them in for coffee but they refused. They said they would only
come in to talk about a federal amendment for the women's right to vote.
No coffee! This made me think of Sojourner Truth's words about men who
help lift women into carriages and over mud puddles--that of course is
the easy part, just like giving them coffee. Giving them the vote is the
hard part.
In the late 1870s, many young teachers traveled West to earn money and
make a new life for themselves, despite the schools being inadequate at
best. Some returned home, unable to endure the hardships of prairie life,
but others were more committed to their work. Sarah Jane Price stayed,
braving the rough conditions of the West. Written by Newbery Honor Author
Jim Murphy, this is Sarah Jane Price's story.
"Land of the Buffalo Bones" is the diary of Mary Rodgers, known as Polly.
Promising religious freedom and fertile land, Polly's father, Reverend
Rodgers, moves their Baptist community from England to the Minnesota prairie.
After a treacherous journey across the sea and across this country, Polly
finds that it is no paradise at all. Written with incredible heart and
compassion, insight and sensitivity, Marion Dane Bauer has created one
of the most sophisticated and courageous characters DEAR AMERICA has seen.
A
Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska, Lattimer, Pennsylvania,
1896 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Plucky Anetka is determined to thrive in her new life in an arranged
marriage to a Pennsylvania coal miner. In spite of the fact that her husband
doesn't love her, his three daughters still mourn their dead mother, and
she has left behind everything she knows and loves in Poland, this 13-year-old
redhead rolls up her sleeves and gets down to the backbreaking business
of keeping house.
Working conditions in the mines are horrendous and the labor movement
is rumbling; nearly every day, wives watch in frightened yet resigned anticipation
as the Black Maria, the "death wagon," rattles down the street to the newest
widow's door. When the Black Maria shows up at Anetka's shanty just a few
months after her wedding, she must dig deeper into her reserves of strength
to carry on. Luckily, a young man named Leon has been patiently waiting
in the wings. Their relationship is sweetly immature--until the very end,
she persists in trying to convince herself she can't stand him because
he teases her.
The fact that there are no real surprises in Susan Campbell Bartoletti's
historical novel will not detract from readers' enjoyment of the story.
The emphasis is on the historically accurate descriptions of coal mines
in Lattimer, Pennsylvania, during the late 1890s. An informative author's
note, photographs, notes to a coal-mining song, and even a tantalizing
recipe for potato dumplings round out this fascinating portrait of a grim
time in history. As with the other titles in the immensely popular Dear
America series, A Coal Miner's Bride is written in the form of a diary.
(Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter - Amazon.com
A
Light in the Storm : The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island,
Delaware, 1861 (Dear America) by Karen Hesse
This engaging addition to the successful Dear America series follows
the adventures of Amelia Martin, a lighthouse keeper's daughter living
on an island off the coast of Delaware in 1861. Amelia helps her father
keep the light and her mother keep the house, but she cannot keep their
marriage together. Newbery Medal recipient Karen Hesse (Out of the Dust)
cleverly personifies the conflict between North and South, abolitionist
and secessionist, Union and Confederacy in the troubled marriage of Amelia's
parents. Amelia watches, powerless, as the relationship disintegrates:
"I feel as if I am the Light in my family. I must keep my hope burning,
so that Father and Mother, even in the darkness that seems to engulf them,
might find their way back."
The broken marriage provides a powerful example of the way the Civil
War tore apart families and friendships. Girls will thrill to Amelia's
descriptions of her tomboyish responsibilities as lighthouse keeper and
family breadwinner, her burgeoning love affair with a local boy, and her
friendship with her abolitionist uncle. While some of the language and
details seem anachronistic, Hesse has crafted a remarkably elegant tale
of "girl as emotional beacon," tirelessly watching as her world crashes
on the shoals. (Ages 9 and older) --Claire Dederer - Amazon.com
