Sugar lives on a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana. She and all those who live in the old slave shacks on the plantation with her are free-- technicaSugar lives on a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana. She and all those who live in the old slave shacks on the plantation with her are free-- technically-- since President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but it sure doesn’t feel like free. They do back- breaking every day in the sugar cane fields, often from dawn and into the night. Sugar hates sugar.
Sugar is always getting into trouble because she’s a dreamer and just a tiny bit rebellious. She wants to be good, she really does. But she misses her mother, who died on New Year’s Day. Mister and Missus Beale take good care of her, but she doesn’t want to stay on the plantation forever. She dreams of seeing other places, going up north with all the other former slaves who have left them, like her friend Lizzie. The only other child around to play with is Billy Wills, the son of the plantation owner. Sugar knows friendship with Billy is forbidden, but they’re both adventurers who are willing to stretch their boundaries—and the rules-- for friendship.
I enjoyed getting to know Sugar, Bill, and the Beales, and Bo (Beau), who arrives of the halfway through the book. I learned a few things about sugar cane, and some history about how Chinese workers were brought in to work on the southern plantations after the slaves were freed. I had no idea. I found this book really interesting and I will definitely recommend it to third to fifth graders, especially those who are wanting to read books from the Sequoyah master list.
2016 Oklahoma Sequoyah Children’s Book Award Master List ...more
This small picture book makes the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination accessible to middle elementary readers. While there is not a tremendous amThis small picture book makes the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination accessible to middle elementary readers. While there is not a tremendous amount of detail, and some events are represented as fact when history has never proven them to be so (Mary Surratt's involvement in the plot against Lincoln, despite her conviction and hanging, is still in doubt by many experts, for example), there is still enough here to keep young readers involved in the story.
My biggest problem with this book is the quote attributed to Edward Stanton upon the president's death. While it is possible that he said of the president, "Now he belongs to the angels," most historians believe the proper quote to be, "Now he belongs to the ages." To find the word "angels" there instead of "ages" was a big surprise to me. I suppose the author thought the quote would make more sense to children with the word "angels", but that is just my guess.
It's far from perfect, but it's still one of the best books about Lincoln's assassination that I have read for young children, so it will find a permanent place in my school library collection....more
I'm a big Lincoln fan. Wasn't sure how I'd like this book.
Loved it.
Leave it to Lane Smith to use humor in a book about Lincoln's ghost. This book is I'm a big Lincoln fan. Wasn't sure how I'd like this book.
Loved it.
Leave it to Lane Smith to use humor in a book about Lincoln's ghost. This book is a totally fun way of introducing Abraham Lincoln to kids. So many springboards: his presidency, his humor, how the country turned out after his death, his dreams of death and rumors of his ghost haunting the White House. Kids love that ghost stuff.
Pair this with Maira Kalman's Looking at Lincoln, another favorite of mine....more
Kids growing up in America learn about Abraham Lincoln in school. Well, they learn a few things about him. 16th President, fought slavery, really tallKids growing up in America learn about Abraham Lincoln in school. Well, they learn a few things about him. 16th President, fought slavery, really tall, high hat, that kind of stuff. This book told me something about my favorite president that I didn't know: he was a jokester.
I really enjoyed reading some of the jokes Lincoln told during speeches or in personal conversation. I love that he chose humor to defuse tension, gain attention, or get his message across.
I've always thought that I would've liked Abraham Lincoln if I'd had the chance to know him. Now I'm quite sure of it. Just like him, I know how to work hard, but I, too, "would rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh." I don't care what he looked like. He was my kind of man.
Kids should get the chance to see this side of our 16th president. They need to know he was more than just a face on a five-dollar-bill....more
Tillie Pierce was a real girl who experienced the Battle of Gettysburg first-hand. This book is a brief, fictionalized account of the Civil War througTillie Pierce was a real girl who experienced the Battle of Gettysburg first-hand. This book is a brief, fictionalized account of the Civil War through the eyes of a child.
Tillie was excited about the battle coming to the land near her home. She was planning to sit at her attic window and watch the action. So exciting! When she was inadvertently thrown into the middle of the fray, though, her attitude changed quickly. Cannonballs flew overhead while Tillie and some of her neighbors fled for safety but were turned back because the battle had progressed. Back at a safe house, she fetched pail after pail of water for soldiers and cautiously eyed their wounds. War had come to her doorstep, and for the first time Tillie understood how ugly it was....more
When I walked into the theater to see the movie "Secretariat", I already knew Secretariat had won the Triple Crown. Still, my anxiety (and my pulse) iWhen I walked into the theater to see the movie "Secretariat", I already knew Secretariat had won the Triple Crown. Still, my anxiety (and my pulse) increased during every race scene, and I cheered every victory. I chalk that up to terrific storytelling and a great director. And that's the same way I felt about this book.
Obviously, I knew what was going to happen before I read page one, but I found myself hoping someone would stop arrogant and narcissistic John Wilkes Booth before he could carry out his plan. Ooh, that guy really made me mad. And that stupid, lazy, and irresponsible guard who left his post at Ford's Theater on April 14, I wanted to smack him. I gained new respect for players in the story I hadn't known much about before, lost some for others, and am still wondering what to think about others (Stanton, I've got my eye on you).
Barring some amazing historical discovery of hidden documents, we will probably never know much more about Lincoln's assassination than we do right now. O'Reilly and Dugard researched thoroughly (resources are referenced, though not in distracting footnotes) and included different theories of the events in their storytelling. Words and thoughts attributed to people in the book come from diaries and personal narratives written by those people or others involved. The authors have done a terrific job of turning history into a thriller. Battle scenes were dynamic and described as though they were being witnessed first-hand. (Of course, that's because those details came from diaries written at the time.) I guarantee, I retained more of the facts surrounding this event than I would have if I'd read a typical historical book on the subject.
I'd recommend this to anyone who is a Civil War buff, a Lincoln fan, or likes thrillers in general. This isn't a typical read for me, but I have the highest respect for Abraham Lincoln and all he stood for in the face of hatred and injustice, so I was interested in this book. I really, really liked it. When I started reading it, I went to the library and checked out a couple of big, coffee table-type books on Lincoln so I could find photos of people and places this book talked about. I read about the same events, the same theories. My guess is that many people who criticized this book harshly did so more because they have a personal problem with Bill O'Reilly than anything else. (Some reviewers here on goodreads complain about "many historical inaccuracies" but fail to mention any specifically, which lends credence to that theory, I think.)
The book is well-written, exciting, and kept me interested until the very end. The only problem was that this time, Secretariat was shot before he could reach the finish line....more
While the Grandma Dowdell books will always be my favorite of Richard Peck's novels, this one kept me interested enough to keep listening and caught mWhile the Grandma Dowdell books will always be my favorite of Richard Peck's novels, this one kept me interested enough to keep listening and caught me off-guard a few times. I think it will take a mature middle school-high school reader to stick with it, but the surprising and satisfying ending is worth it....more
Wow. This woman was a spitfire. Sarah Emma Edmonds grew up in the 1860's with a verbally abusive father who was never happy with her, no matter how haWow. This woman was a spitfire. Sarah Emma Edmonds grew up in the 1860's with a verbally abusive father who was never happy with her, no matter how hard she tried to please him. She thought he wanted a boy, so she tried to be a boy. He still wasn't happy. So Sarah left home. She heard that Union troops were needed, so she dressed as a boy, took the name Frank Thompson, and volunteered.
Sarah Emma/Frank wanted more excitement, so she volunteered to be a spy for the Union. She colored her skin dark with silver nitrate and snuck into a Confederate camp disguised as a slave, then reported back to the Union camp all the things she had seen. Another time she disguised herself as a woman (so yes, she was a woman disguised as a man disguised as a woman) to peddle wares to the Confederates.
Frank (Sarah) was a very successful and lauded spy for the Union until she came down with malaria. She knew she could not go to a military hospital, where her secret would be discovered, and by the time she recovered, Frank Thompson was considered a deserter. To go back to the army now would result in a courtmartial or worse.
Sarah decided to stay Sarah, and become a nurse. Later, she wrote down her memories of her time as the "Great Pretender". Quite a woman, she was. This book would be an entertaining and original addition to upper elementary studies on the Civil War....more
Aylesworth has adapted a campaign song from the mid-1800's to create this joyful celebration of Abraham Lincoln's life. Each verse of the song is abouAylesworth has adapted a campaign song from the mid-1800's to create this joyful celebration of Abraham Lincoln's life. Each verse of the song is about a specific event or stage in Lincoln's history; McClintock's pen-and-ink drawings of children performing a school play illustrate the scenes. The sheet music to the original song (sung to the tune of The Old Grey Mare) is printed on the end papers. An appendix gives a little more information explaining the hisorical events behind the verses. Though it's a very basic biography sparse on details, this would work well in lower elementary classrooms as an introduction to the iconic American, and in upper grades as a springboard to creative student biography reports on other great Americans....more
The more I read this, the more I like it. The story's a good one, what with one boy saving the life of another who will grow up to become the greatestThe more I read this, the more I like it. The story's a good one, what with one boy saving the life of another who will grow up to become the greatest U.S. President ever, but it's the moral Hopkinson speaks at the end that stays with me, and I stress it every time I read it: "What we do matters, even if we don't end up in the history books." This is the perfect story to hammer that thought home. Also, Hopkinson encourages reader participation by occasionally speaking directly to them. It works--the kindergartners I read to today responded with answers and yee-haws....more
While he may be romanticized a little for this picture book, still, Abraham Lincoln was a loving, patient father to his boys. More reasons he's #1 on While he may be romanticized a little for this picture book, still, Abraham Lincoln was a loving, patient father to his boys. More reasons he's #1 on my Greatest Americans of All-Time list....more
This title has three fantastic things going for it: 1. Abraham Lincoln's own words 2. Doreen Rappaport's writing 3. Kadir Nelson's gorgeous illustrationsThis title has three fantastic things going for it: 1. Abraham Lincoln's own words 2. Doreen Rappaport's writing 3. Kadir Nelson's gorgeous illustrations Nothing else is needed. Absolutely beautiful. ...more
History was never my strongest curriculum area. It was just list after list of names, places, and dates that tended to jumble together as the lists grHistory was never my strongest curriculum area. It was just list after list of names, places, and dates that tended to jumble together as the lists grew. Nothing was ever "alive" enough for me to gain an actual understanding of the events--what happened, who was involved, and, most importantly, why things happened.
Steve Sheinkin has changed that, first with King George: What Was His Problem? and now with Two Miserable Presidents. Combining historical fact with little-known anecdotes, quotes from letters and journals, and bits of trivia, he has--for me, at least--caused Civil War names to evolve into actual personalities, turned the places into more than background scenery, and changed a list of "events leading to the Civil War" into "ohhh, that makes sense, now I get it." And trust me, that is quite the accomplishment.
I would finish a chapter, then look at my husband and ask, "Did you know that more Americans died in the one-day Battle of Antietam than have died on any day in history before or since? Did you know the Emancipation Proclamation didn't actually free anyone? Do you know why Southerners hate William Tecumseh Sherman with a white-hot, passionate hatred?" Because I didn't know those things. You probably do, but I didn't.
Now, if I, as class Valedictorian (huzzah, huzzah) can struggle with understanding major American history events like the Civil War, it is possible that some of our students today struggle as well. They need someone to help them genuinely understand that history if they're really going to learn it. Sheinkin's collection should be placed firmly in the hands of every Social Studies and History teacher. And if you know a kid (from age 9 to 99) who is studying the Civil War, buy him or her this book. Read through it with him; you'll both enjoy it. Some of the stories are humorous, some heartbreaking, but all memorable. And with every page you turn, your student's understanding will grow. ...more
I knew nothing about Gettyburg's historical cemetery keepers, and I found the story interesting. This story takes place in the north but is told withoI knew nothing about Gettyburg's historical cemetery keepers, and I found the story interesting. This story takes place in the north but is told without a political slant, focusing instead on the human aspect and loss of life at Gettysburg....more
babyhippoface
>
Books:
civil-war-era
(15)
Loading...
