| Cover Photo | Title | Author | Subject | Reading Level | Interest Level | Comments |
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Twenty and Ten | Claire Huchet Bishop | History - World War II | 5.5 | Grades 1-12 | Twenty French children at a Catholic school in the mountains are asked to hide ten Jewish refugee children from Nazi soldiers. Short and powerful! Based on a true story. Also, a great read-aloud. (66 pages) |
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Across Five Aprils | Irene Hunt | History - Civil War | 6.0 | Grades 5-12 | This Newberry Medal Honor recipient is a realistic story about a young boy growing into a young man at the time of the Civil War. Based on the author's grandpa's experiences. (190 pages) |
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Early Thunder | Jean Fritz | History - American Revolution | 5.9 | Grades 5-12 | Set in Salem in 1774, there is conflict between Tories and Whigs, but I think there's more conflict within Daniel West as he decides where he fits in his world. (251 pages) |
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Johnny Tremain | Esther Forbes | History - American Revolution | 5.5 | Grades 5-12 | Excellent story! Although Johnny's family worships on Sunday, there is an interesting section concerning breaking the Sabbath or working on Sabbath. It would be important for the teacher or pastor to discuss Johnny's feelings about the consequences of his disobedience. This book is also great when taught as a combined language arts and social studies unit. (256 pages) |
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Shades of Gray | Carolyn Reeder | History - Civil War | 4.9 | Grades 5-12 | After his parents and siblings are killed or die, a 12-year-old boy is left in the care of an uncle whom he sees as a coward. He struggles with forgiveness and seeing an issue from a different perspective than what was taught in his home. (165 pages) |
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The Diving Bell | Todd Strasser | History - Spanish in Mexico | 5.0 | Grades 1-12 | Ruthless soldiers operate Spanish salvage ships and force natives to dive for treasures buried too deep for humans to recover. A native girl traveling with a friar comes up with an idea to save her village divers and help the enemy soldiers get the treasure. This story is fiction, but the idea was fact, and the salvage trips and conditions were also fact. While I have not personally read this book to students in grades 1-4, my daughter loved it at age 4 and played make-believe games with Culca as the heroine. (159 pages) |
| The Big Wave | Pearl S. Buck | History - Ancient Japan | 4.9 | Grades 3-8 | A village lives with respect for the ocean and fear of an impending tsunami. The boys in the story learn about bravery, moving on, and deciding what is important in life. This is a short boo, but very valuable. (64 pages) |
