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Children's Books American Civil War

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Ash
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Children's Books American Civil War

Post by Ash » Fri July 23rd, 2010, 7:58 pm

Are there any children's books (HF or NF) that cover slavery in America? A friend has a 9 year old son who reads everything he got his hands on, and recently read a book about the Civil War and slavery that really affected him. He'd be very interested in either topic. He reads at a Jr Hi level, but he's still a little boy if you know what I mean. ( I did suggest Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, but we aren't sure if he can handle the older language)
Last edited by Ash on Fri July 23rd, 2010, 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Fri July 23rd, 2010, 8:35 pm

Irene Hunt's Across Five Aprils is pretty good (family in Illinois, some family members fight for the north, while one brother fights for the south). Does a good job of representing what the issues were for people on both sides with the focus on how people at home lived and what was on their minds while they waited to hear about their loved ones. I think it was also a Newbery book. I usually see it on the shelf for the 9-12 age group.

Another good Newbery is Rifles for Waitie. It's a rousing story of a young Kansas militiaman fighting in MO/AR/OK.

Celia Hayes
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Post by Celia Hayes » Sat July 24th, 2010, 2:28 am

Oh yes - Rifles for Watie (it's about the Civil War in the trans-Mississippi west,among the Cherokee) and Across Five Aprils IIRC is also pretty good, and widely available. (or at least it was, last time I checked..)
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rockygirl
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Post by rockygirl » Fri August 13th, 2010, 2:36 pm

War comes to Willy Freeman (HF)
To Be a Slave--Lester (NF)

The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox is a great book on slavery, but it is set in colonial America. I'm not sure if that would interest him.

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MLE (Emily Cotton)
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Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
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Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
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Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Fri August 13th, 2010, 5:20 pm

the Fires of Jubilee by Alison Hart. POV of a slave girl on life before and after freedom, very well handled. Factual without being overwhelming.
Jip: His Story by Katherine Patterson (Author of Bridge to Terebithia and Jacob Have I Loved). It is set in the north, but by the end of the book you realize that the child was abandoned there because his slave mother was recaptured and he was light skinned enough to pass for white.

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Wed July 13th, 2011, 1:59 pm

Spammer alert!
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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