Historical Fiction Book Review - A Classic Work of Historical Fiction

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Sarah-Plain-and-Tall/Patricia-MacLachlan/e/9780060241018/?itm=2, accessed November 12, 2008.

Bibliography
MacLachlan, Patricia. 1985. SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 0060241020

Plot Summary
Set in the 1880’s, SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL is the story of two siblings, Anna and Caleb, who are living without a mother after she dies during childbirth. Jacob, Anna and Caleb’s father, has put an ad in the newspapers for a wife and receives and answer from a woman named Sarah who lives in Maine. She writes the family that she will come for a month’s time “To see how it is.” She tells the family “I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall.” She also tells the children that she sings, which they haven’t done since they lost their mother. The children are very receptive to Sarah’s nurturing and attention and soon start to worry that she will miss her home in Maine too much to stay with them. As the seasons change and the children grow more attached to Sarah, readers will hold their breath in finding out if Sarah does indeed decide to stay.

Critical Analysis
This piece of historical fiction is written in a gentle poetic rhythm that flows to create a story of family relationships in their fragile beginnings. Anna and Caleb fall in love with Sarah through her letters even before she arrives from Maine. The characters dialogue with one another though simple, gives us much insight to each ones personality. Anna, the thoughtful one, Caleb, who Anna describes as “loud and pesky,” but in reality is very insecure, Papa, the quiet one, and Sarah, who is “strong” and “willing to travel” but who also has a mind of her own.

MacLachlan describes life on the prairie with such detail that students will feel as if they have been there. In one scene in the book the children have just gone swimming with Sarah in the cow pond, “We climbed the bank and dried ourselves and lay in the grass again. The cows watched, their eyes sad in their dinner-plate faces. And I slept, dreaming a perfect dream. The fields had turned to a sea that gleamed like sun on glass. And Sarah was happy.” MacLachlan has said that her story is based on a true event in her family’s history, which gives the book that much more credibility.

The story flows flawlessly and would be wonderful read aloud to younger students. Older students will enjoy reading it on their own and discussing it as a class. Many concepts, such as mail order brides, will be new to the students, whereas life in the late 1800’s will be at least familiar to most. Although short, the book is a touching story for those who prefer quality to quantity.

Review Excerpt(s)
JOHN NEWBERRY MEDAL WINNER 1986 – For the Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children
SCOTT O’DELL AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FOR CHILDREN 1986
BOOK LINKS: “All the elements-setting, character, plot and voice-are exquisitely woven together in a tightly written, highly accessible story. The language is spare, yet lyrical.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Starred Book Review: “A book that is filled with wisdom, gentle humor and the practical concerns necessary for a satisfying life.”

Connections
Invite students to write an original story of what they think happens after the story ends. What adventures might Anna and her new family have together? After doing this activity read the sequel to SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL, and see if any of your predictions were right.
Discuss in further detail this time in History. What big changes were taking place in America? What were some of the big inventions during this time?
Other books by Patricia Maclachlan:
SKYLARK. ISBN 0064406222
CALEB’S STORY. ISBN 0064405907

JOURNEY. ISBN 0440408091

BABY. ISBN 0440411495

Historical Fiction Book Review - Novel by Avi

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Barn/Avi/e/9780380725625/?itm=1, accessed November 10, 2008.

Bibliography
Avi. 1994. THE BARN. New York, NY: Avon Books. ISBN 0380725622

Plot Summary
Avi has written a touching historical novel set in the spring of 1855, in the Willamette Valley, Oregon Territory. Nine-year-old Benjamin has been called home from boarding school by his sister, after their father has taken ill. In the story we meet Nettie, the oldest and the only girl in the family, Harrison, thirteen and the strongest of the three, and Ben, nine, who has gone to Portland to attend school because he is extremely bright. Their mother died of diphtheria a year before and now their father has been struck by palsy. In an effort to save their father, the three siblings set out to fulfill their fathers dying wish, building a barn on their Oregon farm.

Critical Analysis
In this well written piece of historical fiction, Avi shows his readers how complicated things can become for families long ago when tragedy struck. The story is told through the eyes of Ben, the youngest in the family. Ben, who has shown great promise as a scholar, has returned home from boarding school in Portland, where he was sent to live in order to fulfill his mother’s last wish.

Through the story, the author does a superb job of introducing its readers to just how difficult life could be for immigrants who settled in the ample, fertile farmland of the Willamette Valley. Ben has lost his mother to diphtheria, and a brother on the hard journey to get to this valley. The land is fertile, but hard to manage with few people and animals to do the work. There are days of endless rains that threaten the crops and the animals that they do have. The details of the house in which they live will leave the students with a real sense of what it would be like to live in a place with no real floors or walls, where the water leaks in when it rains, and where your mattress is made of hay covered with cloth.

The characters in the story seem real and will be easy for students to relate to. The concept of living on a farm is something that most children have heard about beginning in preschool. With their father lying ill, readers will root for the three siblings to get the barn built in an effort to save their fathers life and will revel in the details of what a painstaking process it was. The story would be a great read-aloud. It is short and easy to understand so that stopping for discussion throughout the reading will not confuse listeners. It would also be a good choice for older students who may not be strong readers.

The last chapter of the book gives us insight into what becomes of Ben. He writes: "It is alomost seventy years since that time. But every morning when I get up, the first thing I do is look at the barn. Like father promised: it's something fine to come home to. Still standing. Still Strong." Though not as long as some of Avi’s other novels, this piece of literature proves to be a thought-provoking, engaging piece of historical fiction.

Review Excerpt(s)
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Easily read in one sitting, this unembellished story proves to be as intimate as a diary, gracefully revealing its protagonist's keen intelligence, strong determination and secret fear of being separated from his loved ones.”
CHILDREN”S LITERATURE: “Avi shows how complicated family love can become when tragedy strikes. Ben, the hero, an extraordinary nine year old is sent from his 1855 farm to be educated so that he can fulfill the great promise his family sees in him.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The family relationships are well drawn, as the siblings react to each situation in their own way, though Benjamin's obsession with curing his father makes him a hard character to empathize with at times. Ultimately, the boy is forced to question his own additional motives for building the barn. While focusing mainly on his characters, Avi presents a vivid picture of the time and place, including fairly involved details about how the barn is constructed.”

Connections
This novel would be a great way to introduce students to the hardships of pioneer life in the 1800’s. Students could discover everything from how buildings were built to what the settlers ate and how they kept clean during this time in history.
Other books on life in the 1800’s:
Brink, Carol Ryrie. CADDIE WOODLAWN. ISBN 0689815212
Frazier, Neta Lohnes. THE STOUT-HEARTED SEVEN: ORPHANED ON THE OREGON TRAIL. ISBN 1402736177
Speare, Elizabeth George. SIGN OF THE BEAVER. ISBN 0440479002Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie (Little House Series). ISBN 0060581816

Historical Fiction Book Review - The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Green-Glass-Sea/Ellen-Klages/e/9780670061341/?itm=2, accessed November 9, 2008.

Bibliography
Klages, Ellen. 2006. THE GREEN GLASS SEA. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
ISBN 978014241149

Plot Summary
In this work of historical fiction by Ellen Klages, we meet Dewey Kerrigan as she is on her way to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to be reunited with her father, a mathematician and former professor at Harvard. The year is 1943 and World War II is in full swing. Los Alamos, a town that officially doesn’t exist, is home to scientists and mathematicians from all over America and Europe as they work on the biggest secret of the war, which they call “the gadget.” None of them know, least of all Dewey, how much “the gadget” is about to change their lives forever.

Critical Analysis
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages is a rare look into what life was like for children who lived in Los Alamos, New Mexico during the early 1940’s. The two main characters in the story, eleven-year-old Dewey, nicknamed “Screwy Dewey” because she is always building something, and ten-year-old Suze nicknamed “The Truck” because “she’s kind of big and likes to push people around,” are two outcasts who find themselves thrown together because of circumstances beyond their control. The two girls don’t like each other initially, but learn to rely on one other for support, comfort, and companionship.

Clearly written with attention to detail, this story will bring readers into the unfamiliar world of this secretive scientific community as seen through the eyes of the children and their families. The particulars of this era, the pastimes, music, and products, are well represented and add authenticity to the story as do brief appearances by some historic figures such as Robert Oppenheimer, affectionately known as “Oppie.” As the book progresses, ethics come into question for both children and adults as they learn the ultimate use of the atomic bomb.

The book, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2007, looks at a time and place in history that has rarely been explored before and shows us that children will be children no matter where they live. Readers will come away with a greater understanding of what took place during this time in history and will look forward to the sequel “White Sands, Red Menace”, out last month.

Review Excerpt(s)

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Klages makes an impressive debut with an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII. Writing from the points of view of two displaced children, she successfully recreates life at Los Alamos Camp, where scientists and mathematicians converge with their families to construct and test the first nuclear bomb.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: “All of the characters are likable, realistic, and well developed. Dewey is worthy of both empathy and respect, and readers can look forward to the sequel, which the author is currently writing.”
VOYA: “The Green Glass Sea is a wonderful representation of the hardships and little wonders of World War II. Suze and Dewey have their differences, but they become friends in the center of one of the most debated and notorious places of that era. Although Los Alamos is seen as the beginning of all the atomic bomb controversy and destruction, this novel gives the other side. Poetic and real, this one will keep you reading and leave you thinking.”

Connections
After reading the book do an in-depth study of Los Alamos, NM and what took place there during WWII. For Example: What was day-to-day life like for the children? Families had to use food coupons and gas coupons for every day necessities such as groceries. Why? The kids in the story talk about going to the PX for a coke. What was the PX?
Other books you may find interesting about Los Alamos:
Bograd, Larry. LOS ALAMOS LIGHT. ISBN 0374346569
Embry-Litchman, Kristin. SECRETS!: OF A LOS ALAMOS KID 1946-53.
ISBN 0941232271
Reeder, Carolyn. SECRET PROJECT NOTEBOOK. ISBN 0941232336