Set #4 - Historical Fiction

The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963

Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. New York: Delacorte.

Kenny’s family, the Weird Watsons, live in Flint, Michigan. Kenny is a fourth grader who is often bullied by the king of the fourth grade, Larry Dunn. Kenny has a younger sister named Joey and an older brother named Byron. Kenny is happy when Rufus moves to town because he thinks that Rufus will be the new target for bullies, but he and Rufus become fast friends. Byron stays in trouble, and when his parents hit their breaking point, they decide to take Byron to Birmingham to live with his strict grandmother. The whole family travels to Birmingham, where Byron surprisingly changes his behavior. When a local church is bombed, the family fears that Joey was one of the fatalities from the bomb. Joey eventually returns home safely, but the family is forever changed, especially Kenny and Byron. Curtis tells the story in a youthful manner as it is from Kenny’s point of view. This book is filled with humorous family moments, but it is also a heartwarming tale of a family who remains strong in a time of intolerance.

See an interview with Christopher Curtis here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okkk4iYlUvU

We are the Ship

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

The narrator describes the trials and tribulations encountered by young African American athletes as they struggle to make a living doing what they love most: playing baseball. Baseball greats, such as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, persevered through major struggles of the time, including segregation and the Great Depression. The author uses the theme of perseverance throughout the book to describe the change in beliefs towards these men. Though these baseball legends were once hated because of the color of their skin, they overcame their struggles through hard work and perseverance to open door to the major leagues for future African American athletes.

See an interview with Kadir Nelson here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km5vbhrKJ8E

 

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! 

Schlitz, L. (2007). Good masters! Sweet ladies! Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Members from a medieval village tell their stories of survival during the middle ages. The members from this village come from different socioeconomic backgrounds ranging from family members of a lord to a family of beggars. Even though the villagers come from different social classes, they all encounter struggles which make it difficult to survive the medieval times. The author provides background information on major historical events that took place during this time period, to provide readers with a better understanding of the setting and plots of each storyline within the book.

See an interview with Laura Amy Schlitz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWFHOk-xGYU

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Historical Fiction

Cardell, S. (2008). Children's literature in action: A librarian's guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Chapter 6 provides an overview of historical fiction for children.  Historical fiction is defined as a story that has a historical setting that occurred the at least one previous generation. Children often think of history as boring, so historical fiction books are considered hard to market to young readers. However, when well written with exciting plots and characters, historical fiction can be just as exciting as contemporary realistic fiction novels. Historical novels can be used as a supplement to history lessons. These books can provide students with a better understanding of historical events as readers can relate to the characters and their experiences. When shared in an enthusiastic manner, historical fiction books can make young readers excited about history. Types of historical fiction books include United States history, world history, historical series and historical fiction books. It is not uncommon for authors of historical fiction to combine their stories with another genre such as fantasy or poetry. The Magic Tree House series is a popular collection of books which are considered as historical fantasy. Well-known authors of historical fiction are Laurence Yep and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Evaluative criteria for historical fiction include characters, plot, setting, theme and style. Characters and themes of this genre should be relatable even though the stories take place in the past, while the setting should be easy to imagine from vivid descriptions provided by the author. The plot should include accurate information of the time period described. Awards for historical fiction include the Scott O’Dell Award and the Jane Addams Book Award. One way to encourage deep thinking and verbal responses are to have students research and answer questions from the historical characters point of view. Drama, museums and guests speakers can also be used to help engage and excite children and historical events. I enjoyed reading this chapter because I learned how to help students become excited about history. I considered history as a boring subject when I was growing up, and I feel that I would have enjoyed my history classes more if historical novels would have been included more often in the curriculum.