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History books that your kids want to read over and over again


Aludlam
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I'm trying to put together a list of history books (biography, era, classic stories, wars, civilizations, etc, etc, etc) that are SOOOO good that we will want to read them over and over again (no particular historical timeframe). Are there books on your shelves that are worn out b/c the kids keep pulling them out again? I want to know what they are! I'm looking for books that my kids can read or that I can read to them (8yo and 5 yo). Any books that you would group into a "history" catagory, but only the ones that you simply love!

 

thanks

Angela

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Dd loves the Foster books (World of Columbus and Sons, Abraham Lincoln's World, George Washington's World, etc) and COFA biographies the best of any series. She also likes The American Story quite a bit.

 

The ones I see her pull out most often, though, are the Eyewitness books. She complains that she "doesn't have enough of them"!

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D'Aulaire's Greek Myths--my dd has read this over and over again for years.

Don't Know Much about the Kings and Queens of England

The American Girl Series especially if you have girls: Felicity's World, Josephina's World, Kaya's World, Molly's World, Kirsten's World, Addy's World, Kit's World

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Well, I can't say this one is worn out because we just read it for the first time, but I thought it was fabulous: Bold Journey by Charles Bohner, a novel about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Excellent; I don't know why I've never seen this on a reading list!

 

Johnny Tremain is, IMHO, the best example of historical fiction I've ever read.

 

D'Aulaire's Greek myths and the Sutcliff Iliad and Odyssey, as others have said.

 

Also, the "Museum in a Book" books, which have pull-out replicas of source documents so you can look at what they actually looked like; for instance, Meriweather Lewis' journal. We have one on Lewis and Clark, one on the Declaration of Independence, one on the presidents. Here's a link to what I mean:http://www.amazon.com/Lewis-Clark-Trail-Discovery-Interactive/dp/1401600751/ref=pd_sim_b_3. I actually think if you got enough of these, you could practically make a whole history program of them! Wonderful for hands-on learners like my middle dd.

 

These are not all necessarily for your kids' current age group, but I'm assuming you're also investing for the future.

 

Great thread - thanks!

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Guest Cindie2dds

All of the d'Aulaire books and Jean Fritz have been wildly popular. Thank goodness since we are going to be using them again. I noticed you had a 5 year old. What I have done is made a photocopy of one of the non-color pages in the d'Aulaire books for them to color while we read.

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Worn out from so much use? In our house, that's definitely the Horrible Histories set of books. Not a day goes by when one of them isn't being read, re-read, and thoroughly loved.

 

I'm so happy to hear this, since I just broke down and bought the whole Blood-Curdling Box. Should be here any time now that the ash cloud over Europe is dispersing... :)

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I'm so happy to hear this, since I just broke down and bought the whole Blood-Curdling Box. Should be here any time now that the ash cloud over Europe is dispersing... :)

 

Me too! I can't wait--I think the kiddos are really going to like these. :001_smile:

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Hello ~

 

My DD 11 loves The Story of . . . by H.A. Guerber. Christine Miller has combined and expanded some of Guerber's work. You can find them at Nothing New Press. She also has enjoyed the following titles:

 

The Door in the Wall

The Whipping Boy

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Detectives in Togas

Mystery of the Roman Ransom

Mara, Daughter of the Nile

Tirzah

American Girl Books

Thanks for this post -- very helpful!

 

 

Dina :001_smile:

Edited by Dina in Oklahoma
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I'm looking for books that my kids can read or that I can read to them (8yo and 5 yo). Any books that you would group into a "history" catagory, but only the ones that you simply love!

 

thanks

Angela

 

At 5 (and 6 and 7) my son likes the "You Wouldn't Want to Be" series. I like them, too, so I don't mind reading them over and over.

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Some are kind of twaddly, but my dd10 likes the Royal Diaries and the Dear America diaries.

Along with many mentioned already--esp the Little House series. She's read that, IDK, maybe 12 times, all the way thru! Little House in The Big Woods was her first chapter book.

 

I also like Frances Hodgson Burnett's Secret Gardens et in Yorkshire, early 1900's, I believe, and A Little Princess, set in London. These have also been read multiple times at our house.

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My kids have enjoyed the If You Lived... books, and the You Wouldn't Want to Be... books. They've pretty much outgrown them now, but will still pick them up from time to time.

 

My DS has read almost all of the "Who Was..." Biographies and enjoys those.

 

Also, these were a hit from our curriculum this past year:

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Calico Captive

Toliver's Secret

Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia

Amos Fortune

Call It Courage

Misty of Chincoteague

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Books my 5th grade daughter has really liked this year:

Fever 1793

Chains (Laurie Halse Anderson)

Blood on the River Jamestown 1607 (Elisa Carbone)

Stealing Freedom (Elisa Carbone)

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Witch of Blackbird Pond

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Rascal by Sterling North

Colonial Voices Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters (picture book poetry)

Currently reading Rifles for Watie and she's really liking it

 

She loves Elisa Carbone and I have a third novel on deck to start next called Storm Warriors. I've read it and think it will be a favorite as well.

 

Not a children's book, but we did First We Have Coffee by Margaret Jensen as a readaloud and it was a BIG hit. It's about a Norwegian immigrant family.

 

http://www.amazon.com/First-Have-Coffee-Margaret-Jensen/dp/1565074246/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272895858&sr=8-1

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I second the IF YOU LIVED series. My kids both love them.

 

The Clyde Robert Bulla books, although historical fiction are awesome reads. I couldn't put them down when I preread them for dd.

 

Holling Clancy Holling's books are great for geography, as well as we love the Sleeping Bear Press State books...E is for Empire for New York, L is for Lincoln for Illinois, etc...

 

We have also stumbled upon A Pioneer Sampler and The American Story. I thought these were terribly engaging.

 

For little kids there are a bunch of books by Stephen Krensky. Some picture books and some are early readers.

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