Historical Fiction:

(P) John, Paul, George, and Ben: By Lane Smith

This story looks at John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin.
Thomas Jefferson is also included but he was much more independent than the other 4. The book
examines all 5 as young sons before they became the Founding Fathers. John was valiant and
loved to write extremely large, especially since he had great handwriting skills. Paul was rowdy,
constantly ringing the bells, and the bells rang so loud he could not talk he could only yell.
George was the honest boy, he chopped down his fathers, but his father respected his honesty.
Ben was the smart one, possibly a little too smart as he would share his knowledge even when it
was not wanted. Tom was independent, he would never follow directions and he learned that he
wrote powerful words. The end has the review of the Founding Fathers as adults and what they
did to support the revolution. I liked this book because looking at history is a great way to learn
about how to deal with current events. I also like the book because it shows that even the most
important and powerful people of history were, at one point, kids trying to learn how to use their
talents.
Number the Stars by: Lois Lowery

Number the Stars was an unexpectedly light book about two girls, Annemarie
Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen. During WWII and the Holocaust,
Annemarie and her family take in Ellen Rosen as one of their own to protect her
from the Nazis. Unfortunately, the story takes an unexpected turn in events and
Annemarie is faced with no choice but to go and save Ellen. I really liked this boo
because it wasnt too heavy for a child to read. It isnt completely depressing but it
still covers all that the Holocaust was.
Freedom Summer

The story Freedom Summer takes place in 1964 when segregation was first
eliminated. Two boys are best friends with a lot in common, everything except for
one thing: one is white and one is black. When the community pool opens up for
everyone, regardless of race, the boys are the first in line. Sadly, however, it is
going to take more than a law for things to change. Hatred is everywhere at this
time in the south and the boys must find a way to get that to change. I really liked
this book because it gives children a clear understanding of what went on in the
1960s as well as what friendship really means.
Train to Somewhere

In this very sad story, a young girl, Marianne, is left orphaned by her mother who
claims she will be back for her one day soon after she has settled and started a new
life for them in the West. The orphanage travels by train and at each stop more and
more children are being adopted until its just Marianne. The last stop, to a town
called Somewhere, an older couple take Marianne to be their own. At first
Marianna holds out hope for her mother to return to her but she soon realizes that
this family can give her just as much love. I wasnt a very big fan of this book
because I thought it was much too sad. I didnt like how her mother just plain out
left her even if she did end up with a nice family in the end.
(C) Sara, Plain and Tall by: Patricia MacLaclan

This book is about Caleb and Anna, a brother and sister who lost their mother the
day after Caleb was born. Caleb does not really understand what happened and he
is curious about his mother and having a new mother figure. One day the kids
actually find out that their father put an ad out for a new wife and mother for his
kids, to which he got a response from Sarah, a woman from Maine. To find out
more Caleb, Anna, and Papa write a letter to Sara asking what she likes and
dislikes, if she has pets, all kinds of questions and so Sarah agrees to come to their
house for a month. When Sarah gets there all four of them begin to share their life
together. Sarah teaches the children a lot about how to take care of a home, how to
swim, and about her life before moving to them. Caleb and Anna learn a lot but
they also teach Sarah about things like life in the prairies, especially all the
animals, some of which Sarah had never seen before. The story then looks a little
more closely at Sarah and her struggles in adapting to her new life, luckily she
meets Maggie who moved from Tennessee. The two become very good friends and
supportive of each other as they both know what it is like to move. In the end
although it does not happen, the family stays together and Sarah and Papa get
married. I liked this book because it can relate to kids who have moved before and
also kids who have had a new step-parent come into their life.





(P) White Socks Only: By Evelyn Coleman

White Socks Only is about a young girl who wants to go explore her hometown on her own. Her
grandmother responds with a story about her childhood. She goes on to explain that one day she
went into town by herself to see if an egg would actually cook when it was left on a hot
sidewalk. As she is going through town she meets sees a lot of things like a man who supposedly
turns people into chickens if they act poorly and she sees that the egg actually did cook. After
she is done with exploring the town she stops at a water fountain that has a Whites Only sign
and she had no idea that it meant only white people could drink from it, she thought it meant that
she could not have any dark shoes or socks on her feet . After she drank from it, other African
Americans came up to it and drank from it until a white man started yelling at all of the people
who drank from it. That same man who turns people into chickens walked up took pointed at the
white man and took a drink. After that event, the white man was never seen again and the sign
was taken down. When she got home she told her mother what had happened and her mother
said she could go into town alone. I liked this book because it offered a look into the history of
race relations but put it into a fictional story to make it relatable.