Freedom over me

Author and Illustrator: Ashley Bryan
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Newbery Honor, Correta Scott King Author and Illustrator Honor, ALA Notable Children's Books, Arnold Adoff Poetry Award, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature. Best Multicultural Books List, Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best, ILA Notable Books for a Global Society, Kirkus Prize Finalist, Maine Student Book Award Master List, NCTE Notable Poetry List, NCTE Notable Verse Novel List, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
Grade Level: 2nd - 5th

This book tells of the Fairchilds'  Estate, and was set in the 1800s. The estate owners are Mary and Cado; Mary speaks of her husbands death. She praises him for the apprenticeship of the slaves, and in turn the estate is running well. This book shares each story of the slaves underneath their estate that were being sold alongside animals: Mulvina, Bacus, Charlotte, Stephen, Jane, Qush, Betty, Athelia, John, and Peggy. Each person has a one page poem describing their life experiences and another page of their dreams. Charlotte, 30 years old and Dora, 8 years old, worth $400 dollars. Charlotte 'jumped the broom' with Bacus and later had a child. The other slaves helped with their daughter while they worked, now Dora is weaving basket next to Charlotte. In Charlotte dreams, she speaks of her basket weaving as an outlet from the world she stays in and a reminder of home, Africa.

I would not use this book in my classroom because it is not age appropriate. However, the stories of these slaves are very touching, and it brings a sense of realness and relevance to the reader. This book could be used to provide insight and perspective to students who are unaware about the real effects of slavery. An educator could use this book as a gateway to investigate and study the real history of slaves and slave owners; this book is one case of many instances during the 1800s.

Working Cotton

Author and Illustrator: Sherley Anne Williams. Carole Byard
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor
Grade Level: 1st - 5th

Shelan tells the story of the long days her and her family pick cotton. They wake when its cold and leave when its dark, Her dad picks so much cotton, her siblings try to have fun while picking, and Shelan helps her mom with picking cotton and the baby. A new field and a new day, Shelan sees children she longs to be friends with. After a long day, they eat lunch together and sparingly drink their water. Through this story, Shelan portrays her father as hope, and wanting to be better than her siblings. When the sun goes down, back on the buses they go.

I would not use this book in my classroom since it is grammatically incorrect, and might confuse the students. However, it is a great opportunity for older students to analyze why this might be the case. Since this book gives insight about a child's life as a slaves and the labor they must do, an educator could use this book for perspective. It would be a great way for students to realize diversity and history. Some discussion questions would be why does Shelan talk the way she does or what is the text inferring and implying?

Easter Fires

Author and Illustrator: Mary Dodson Wade, Patty Rucker

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards:

Grade Level: 2nd - 5th grade

The books tells of a family from Germany traveling across the sea to live in Texas. They were promised a land with a house; their whole life would be set. However, it did not work out this way. The settlers did not expect for no houses or no supplies. The men who came from Germany gather together and made friendly offerings to the Indians who preoccupied the nearby land. One night, Mama, Sofia, and Wilhelm were frightened by the fires on the top of the hills; so mama told them how the Easter Bunny boiled and decorated the eggs for Easter. After traveling from place to place, the family finally settled down after a peaceful treaty was made. 

I would not use this book in my classroom since it is not age- appropriate. However, this book provides insight on what life was like for settlers, the worries, and missions they had to complete. A great activity for students to make connections of history and the present day would be to reenact this book. Each small group creates a short skit of a chapter in this book, and act it out to the class. This engages students, and encourages them to actively learn history.  

Freedom In Congo Square

Author and Illustrator: Carole Boston Weatherford. R. Gregory Christie
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King Honor, Charlotte Zolotow Award, 2016 New York Times Best Illustrated Book
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 5th grade

Six days out of the week, the slaves labored; for a day without work and chores was unusual. But on the special Sunday afternoon, the slaves came together in New Orleans' Congo Square. Here at Congo Square, the slaves were free to be, enjoy music, dance, and sing. For half a day, the slaves were free. This book is very moving. It tells the history of slaves counting down the days they could come together. It also tells how some slaves tried to escape and the types of labor they endured.

I would use this book in my classroom. Although the topic may be viewed as a little mature, it is important children are exposed to the history no matter how tough it may be. I would use this book in my classroom as a read aloud. This book can be used in multiple classrooms and grade level due to the content. I think it would be appropriate for middle and high school students to use this book. This book could be used to interpret the content, the illustrations, start a discussion, be an introduction to a lesson and so much more.

The War That Saved My Life

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Genre and Theme: Historical Fiction, Forced Journeys of Transformation

Awards: The Scnieder Family Book Award, The Wall Street Journal's Best Children's Book, Publishers Weekly Best Books, The Horn Book Fanfare Book, Kirkus Reviews Best Books, Miami Herald's Best Books, and Newbery Honor Book

The War That Saved My Life is a book that takes place during World War II. Ada is a young girl who was born with a clubfoot which became developmentally worse as she grew up. Jamie, her younger brother, her abusive mother , and their flat was all she knew; Ada decided to sneak out with Jamie to evacuate. Ada's and Jamie's lives go through major transformations after meeting Susan. Susan's care for Ada and Jamie, the evacuees, left such an impression that when their mother came to retrieve them, it was a heart-wrenching altercation. Fortunately, the love between Susan, Ada, and Jamie saved them all. 

This historical fiction book would be great for grades 3rd - 8th grade, however anyone age will enjoy this read. I would not use this in my classroom due to the content and appropriateness. An educator could use this book to introduce and provide insight on what life might have been like during World War II. It provides a different perspective of the war, and a young girl overcoming struggles.