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From: robinsmith59 at comcast.net <robinsmith59>
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 11:40:05 -0600
I'm sending this again because I don't think it worked the first time for some reason. Sorry if you get it twice:
Thanks to Elizabeth (from that wonderful bookstore in Vermont, The Flying Pig) for reminding me of The Grape Thief. I had neglected to jot it down on my list, but it was one of my favorites, too. I like good, rich historical fiction, and this fit the bill. Strong on character and setting, it's a well-told tale of a time and place unfamiliar to many readers.
For the same reasons, I liked Delia Ray's Ghost Girl, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the Depression. It's a coming-of-age story of April Sloane and the one-room schoolhouse she attends. It's a totally entrancing story of a girl, a place, and a moment in time about to change forever.
Milkweed and The River Between Us have already been discussed and have won some of the mock Newbery awards. They are both superb historical novels, ones I can't wait to put into my classroom programs in 7th or 8th grade.
Sticking with historical works, some nonfiction books I have liked most are Jim Murphy's Inside the Alamo, Russell Freedman's In Defense of Liberty, and Deborah Hopkinson's Shutting Out the Sky. Murphy's An American Plague has, deservedly, gotten a lot of attention, but I also liked Inside the Alamo, a nicely designed, fascinating history, the way history books should be -- well documented, superbly written, full of interesting sidebars and archival materials. In Defense of Liberty is another example of fine nonfiction writing, a good match with such novels as Avi's Nothing But the Truth and Richard Peck's The Last Safe Place on Earth, which deal with first amendment issues. Best of all is Hopkinson's Shutting Out the Sky. It's another beautifully made book, full of archival photographs, including ones by Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine. Telling the story of tenement life in New York City from 188024, Hopkinson focuses on five immigrants and tells a very human story with humor and poignancy. The author loves finding the personal, individual voice in history, and she succeeds wonderfully here in bringing this period alive through her five young narrators, and her documentation is meticulous. It would be great to see this book and this author receive some attention this year for such a nicely written, nicely designed, important work.
Dean Schneider
Ensworth School
Nashville, Tennessee
schneiderd at ensworth.com
Received on Thu 18 Dec 2003 11:40:05 AM CST
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 11:40:05 -0600
I'm sending this again because I don't think it worked the first time for some reason. Sorry if you get it twice:
Thanks to Elizabeth (from that wonderful bookstore in Vermont, The Flying Pig) for reminding me of The Grape Thief. I had neglected to jot it down on my list, but it was one of my favorites, too. I like good, rich historical fiction, and this fit the bill. Strong on character and setting, it's a well-told tale of a time and place unfamiliar to many readers.
For the same reasons, I liked Delia Ray's Ghost Girl, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the Depression. It's a coming-of-age story of April Sloane and the one-room schoolhouse she attends. It's a totally entrancing story of a girl, a place, and a moment in time about to change forever.
Milkweed and The River Between Us have already been discussed and have won some of the mock Newbery awards. They are both superb historical novels, ones I can't wait to put into my classroom programs in 7th or 8th grade.
Sticking with historical works, some nonfiction books I have liked most are Jim Murphy's Inside the Alamo, Russell Freedman's In Defense of Liberty, and Deborah Hopkinson's Shutting Out the Sky. Murphy's An American Plague has, deservedly, gotten a lot of attention, but I also liked Inside the Alamo, a nicely designed, fascinating history, the way history books should be -- well documented, superbly written, full of interesting sidebars and archival materials. In Defense of Liberty is another example of fine nonfiction writing, a good match with such novels as Avi's Nothing But the Truth and Richard Peck's The Last Safe Place on Earth, which deal with first amendment issues. Best of all is Hopkinson's Shutting Out the Sky. It's another beautifully made book, full of archival photographs, including ones by Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine. Telling the story of tenement life in New York City from 188024, Hopkinson focuses on five immigrants and tells a very human story with humor and poignancy. The author loves finding the personal, individual voice in history, and she succeeds wonderfully here in bringing this period alive through her five young narrators, and her documentation is meticulous. It would be great to see this book and this author receive some attention this year for such a nicely written, nicely designed, important work.
Dean Schneider
Ensworth School
Nashville, Tennessee
schneiderd at ensworth.com
Received on Thu 18 Dec 2003 11:40:05 AM CST
