Locomotive by Brain Floca 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

If your child likes trains this is the book for them. A family is moving out West, the year is 1869, the transcontinental railroad has just been completed, and they will be traveling by train. The book gives insight into the passenger experience through the eyes of a young boy traveling with his mother and sister. It describes all the sights along the way as well as what it is like living on the train over the course of the multi-day trip. Details are given about the mechanics of the train and what it takes to keep it moving. The jobs of the men working on the great machine are told simply and accurately. Younger children will find the story about the family moving out West fascinating. Older children will appreciate the history of building the train and the details of how a steam engine works.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Atheneum
Age Level: 2-8 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Medal

 

Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

“Belle Prater’s Boy” is a historical fiction novel set in the 1950’s. The story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in the heart of coal county. Woodrow’s mother is missing, and his father can no longer take care of him, so he’s sent to town to live with his Grandparents. Gypsy, his cousin lives next door, and both sixth graders are keeping secrets. Woodrow secret is about his mother disappearance and Gypsy’s is about her father’s death. These two characters are well developed, and they draw the reader into the story. The book has enough humor that the very serious topics don’t overwhelm the reader. A wonderful book for any middle schooler.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1996	Profanity: No
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.	Violence: Yes
Age Level: 10-14 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 4.4	Mature Themes: Domestic Abuse
Pages: 196	Suicide, Abandonment, Alcoholism
Stars: 5                                                        Series: 2 Books Awards: 1997 Newbery Honor

Paperboy by Vince Vawter 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The year is 1959 and an eleven-year-old boy called Little Man is living in segregated Memphis. His best friend has asked him to take over his paper route for the month of July. Little Man agrees to the job but is worried about having to talk to the customers, when he collects the weekly payment. He has a stutter that makes it difficult to communicate with people. Little Man not only has to interact with the customers on the route but the adult bully in the neighborhood is stealing from him.

There are a lot of serious and complicated concepts in the book, domestic violence, bullying, segregation, and brutality. Even with all these difficulties the book is heartwarming, and the drama keeps the reader engaged. For those readers who want to know what it was like for their grandparents growing up in the 50’s this book is a great snapshot of that time in America.

 

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2013	Profanity: No
Publisher: Delacorte	Violence: Knife Fight
Age Level: 10-12 years	Sexual Content: Mild
AR Level: 5.1	Mature Themes: Racism,
Pages: 224	Domestic Violence, Bullying
Stars: 5 Awards: 2014 Newbery Honor Series: 3 Books

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

 

“Across Five Aprils” is an historical novel that takes place during the Civil War. Jethro Creighton is a nine-year-old boy living in rural southern Illinois when the Civil War breaks out. He watches as his brothers go off to war and he is left at home to take care of the family farm. He endures many hardships over the next five years, his father’s heart attack, the family barn burns down, always worrying about the crops and if his brothers will come home from the war.

The book is hard to read whether you are an adult or a middle schooler. The words are written as they are pronounced but the dialect is 1800’s farm county which takes a couple of chapters to catch on to what the characters are saying. The author gives a lot of details about the battles and Generals. The history is accurate but it’s easy to lose interest in the story. I was much more focused on how the family was going to survive the war then which General fought what battle. The book is a classic, but your child will need encouragement to finish it. A book for the student in your family.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1964	Profanity: No
Publisher: Follett Publishing Company	Violence: War
Age Level: 12-16 years	Sexual Content: No
AR Level: 6.8	Mature Themes: Racism
Pages: 223
Stars: 5 Awards: 1965 Newbery Honor

The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

“The Black Pearl” is a classic and should be read by every middle schooler. Ramon Salazar wants to be a great pearl diver like his father and to find the largest pearl in the sea, the Pearl of Heaven. As with most who desire treasure, there is a price to pay and Ramon pays with the life of his father.

The text is straightforward, and the storyline flows effortlessly. The book should be an easy read for any 10–13-year-old. “The Black Pearl” is an adventure novel with lots of suspense that keeps the reader going page after page until the book is finished. My only complaint is that the illustrations are dark and hard to decipher but otherwise this book has a place in every home library.

Published In: 1967
Publisher: Dell
Age Level: 10-13 years
AR Level: 5.4
Pages: 96
Stars: 5
Award: 1968 Newbery Honor

Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm 🟊🟊🟊🟊

The year is 1899 and 12-year-old May Amelia has a rough life. She is the only girl in a family of 8 children, in fact she is the only girl in the community of Nasel. Her Pappa is always telling her “Don’t Get Into Mischief May Ameila” and to be a “Proper Young Lady”. All she wants is to go fishing and run around the logging camp with her brothers. May Amelia might get some help from her mother who is pregnant, and May Amelia is hopeful that it will be a baby girl.

The book is written without quotation marks when the character is talking, making it sometimes hard to follow the dialogue. I like May Amelia, she is both tough and compassionate. Her character develops over the book which makes her endearing to the reader. This historical fiction is a wonderful insight into Pioneer Life at the turn of the century. If your child likes historical fiction this is a great addition to your home library.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 1999	Profanity: None
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.	Violence: Murder
Age Level: 10-13 years	Sexual: None
AR Level: 4.8	Mature Themes: Death of a Baby,
Pages: 253	Aging, Prejudice
Awards: 2000 Newbery Honor Stars: 4

Number the Stars by Louis Lowry 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

The year is 1943 and in Copenhagen, Denmark the German troops are beginning to “relocate” the Jews. Annemarie Johansen’s best friend Ellen is Jewish and the rabbi at her synagogue has informed his congregation that the Nazis are coming for them. Annemarie’s family takes in Ellen, and they pretend that she is their daughter who died a few years earlier. As events become more dire for Ellen’s family Annemarie’s family plans to smuggle the Rosen’s out of Denmark and into Sweden.

The Courage and bravery that Annemarie’s family displays in the book is amazing. The question I always ask myself about the Holocaust is would I have the fearlessness to help, or would I sit back and watch? “Number the Stars” puts this question front and center. The suspense in the book is real along with the menacing actions of the Germans.

This book is most definitely on the must-read list for my grandchildren. With the passage of time, I hope that the horrors of the Holocaust are not forgotten. One way to keep the next generation aware is through books like “Number the Stars”.
                                                                                    
Published In: 1989
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Age Level: 9 -11 Years
AR Level: 4.5
Pages: 160
Stars: 5
Awards: 1990 Newbery Medal Winner

It Rained Warm Bread by Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

“It Rained Warm Bread” is a holocaust story as experienced by a 13-year-old boy, Moishe. He is a Jew living with his family in the city of Kielce when the Nazis marched into Poland. When the Nazis first came to Kielce the family hides in a family friends barn. When that becomes too dangerous for the famer, they go to the Jewish Ghetto and from there they are separated into different concentration camps. Moishe is moved from camp to camp where he is always hungry, cold, and tired. At the end of the war, he is placed on a Nazi death march and survives by playing dead.

The story is told in verse and is a true account from a holocaust survivor. It is horrific and at the same time hopeful. Moishe never gives up hope. So many of the historical fiction books about the holocaust are from a girl’s perspective. It was refreshing to find a book on this topic that could resonate with my 10-year-old grandson. The books depiction of the Nazis cruelty and atrocities left him asking how people could treat each other that way. This is a must read for middle school students.

Relevant Information	Content Review
Published In: 2019	Profanity: None
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.	Violence: Holocaust
Age Level: 9-13 years	Sexual: None
AR Level: 3.7	Mature Themes: War, Prison, Cruelty
Pages: 148
Stars: 5

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

“The Wednesday Wars” is a historical fiction novel set in 1967. The Vietnam War is raging, all the youth want to be “flower children” and appearances are everything in a small town. Holling, a 7th grade student, thinks that his teacher Mrs. Baker hates him. On Wednesdays all the students go to either Hebrew School or Catechism. Holling the only Presbyterian in the class is left alone with the teacher that hates him. Over the course of the year a relationship between student and teacher and friendship becomes a possibility.

This book has it all humor, tragedy, historical references, and a happy ending. Both adults and students will enjoy Holling’s exploits. I remember the 1960’s and the book is spot on. I recommend it to all middle school students.

Published In: 2007
Publisher: Clarion Books
Age Level: 10-14 years
AR Level: 5.9
Pages: 264
Stars: 5
Award: 2008 Newbery Honor

Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

“Ophie’s Ghosts” is precisely the type of book I would have loved as a middle-schooler. It is a historical novel that has suspense, ghosts, a haunted mansion, and murder. It is beautifully written and keeps the reader engaged page after page.

The novel takes place in 1922 and living in the deep south was a hard and dangerous place for an African American family. Opie’s father is brutally attacked and beaten to death. After his death Ophie realizes she can see ghosts. Succeeding her father funeral Ophie and her mother move to Pittsburg to live with relatives. In the north Ophie and her mother find jobs working for a wealthy Pittsburg family in an old manor house filled with ghosts. Ophie struggles with her gift but eventually figures out how to help the sprits move on to the next level. Ophie befriends one of the spirts that has had one of the most atrocious crimes committed against her and this puts Ophie’s own life in danger.

The author does a wonderful job of putting the reader into 1920’s Pittsburg. The injustices of the times were real against the blacks and the books teaches some of the history of racism. Ophie never gives up and is always trying to do the right thing even when the advice she receives is contrary. This is a must read for any middle-schooler who appreciates this genre of novels.

Published In: 2021
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
Age Level: 9 -11 Years
AR Level: 6.3
Pages: 325
Stars: 5
Awards: 2021 Scott O’Dell Award

Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

"Sing Down the Moon” is a historical novel that highlights the atrocities enacted upon the Native Americans during the 1800’ s. Bright Morning a Navajo girl and her friend are captured by Spaniards while taking care of their sheep. They are taken to a Mexican town where they are sold to work as kitchen help. The resourceful and determined girl find a way to escape. With the help of her future husband, Bright Morning finds her way back to the tribe.

Soon after Bright Morning returns to the tribe another tragic event occurs, US soldiers destroy all the tribe’s crops and livestock. The US government is purposefully starving the Navajos in order to remove them from their land. Once the tribe surrenders, they start what is called the 300-mile “Long Walk” to Ft. Sumner. Bright Morning retells this event with a very real and harrowing narrative.

O’Dell’s writing style makes it easy to visualize the land the Navajos lived on but also understand their traditions and way of life. As you read each chapter you hope the Bright Morning finds a way to keep going. When I read a novel that has such life altering experiences for its characters, I wonder would I have been up the trials that she faced. This is a great introduction for young reader to learn about the Native American history and culture. Critics of the book claim that some of the historical facts are inaccurate but the book is Historical Fiction with the emphasizes on fiction. “Sing Down on the Moon” is a book I am putting on the list of must reads for my Grandchildren.

Fun Activity: American Indians have Pow Wows in major cities across the US. These are gatherings of First Nations tribes that showcase their music, crafts, culture and heritage. Try to find one in your area to attend.

Published In: 1970
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Age Level: 10+
AR Level: 4.9
Pages: 124
Stars: 5
Award: 1971 Newbery Honor Book