HappyCamper Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm trying to come up with recommendations for fiction books that relate to colonial America - it can be from the period Columbus landed through the founding days of our great nation. The longer the better - I have a real bookworm who loves to dig into a good, long read. We are trying to get a list of more on the page-turning side than educational. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 One book I found interesting was Sargent Lamb by Robert Graves. I am not sure if there is any *adult* content. I liked that it was from a very different point of view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I really liked The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. There is a sequel, but I haven't read it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 Thanks for the great suggestions for new books!:001_smile: I have ordered them from our local library and am looking forward to their arrival. Any other suggestions would be welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm trying to come up with recommendations for fiction books that relate to colonial America - it can be from the period Columbus landed through the founding days of our great nation. The longer the better - I have a real bookworm who loves to dig into a good, long read. We are trying to get a list of more on the page-turning side than educational. TIA! Not sure what age you're looking for. I was enthralled with the books by Jeff Shaara (Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause). However, it has been several years since I've read them, so I can't speak to any adult content. Carry On Mr. Bowditch starts out in colonial times, then moves forward. Guns for General Washington was a favorite of my kids when we last studied US history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 One of my all time favorite young adult fiction books is "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi. Don't know if it exactly fits in that time period, but it is historical fiction. Talk about a page turner! Very suspenseful and well-written. It won the Newberry Award, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 One of my all time favorites is The Witch of Blackbird Pond, set in 1687. Not sure if that meets your needs, but I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) Agree with: Witch of Blackbird Pond Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Add: Calico Bush My Side of the Mountain Johnny Tremain Lower level but still good to gobble up if they haven't read them: Toliver's Secret Justin Morgan Had a Horse The Matchlock Gun Pheobe the Spy Mr. Revere and I Ben and Me Amos Fortune, Free Man I'm not big on more modern books, but my dc have been reading Douglas Bond books lately. He has a series set in the early Revolutionary War: The Faith and Freedom Trilogy - Guns of Thunder, Guns of the Lion, and Guns of Providence. Edited March 1, 2011 by angela in ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Thank you so much for the terrific suggestions (especially the warnings to check re: appropriate content for a middle school reader)!!! My son is such a lucky kid. Now its time to dive into some great books!:hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I recently read Fever 1793 and thought it was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. It is completely age appropriate for middle school...no lovey stuff like in some of the other books for this time period/age group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks JadeDone! Its the lovey-stuff that I am trying so hard to avoid.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 One of my all time favorite young adult fiction books is "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi. Don't know if it exactly fits in that time period, but it is historical fiction. Talk about a page turner! Very suspenseful and well-written. It won the Newberry Award, too! Oh, I loved this book! I need to get my hands on another copy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 One of my all time favorite young adult fiction books is "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi. Don't know if it exactly fits in that time period, but it is historical fiction. Talk about a page turner! Very suspenseful and well-written. It won the Newberry Award, too! Definitely second (or third) this one!! Awesome book! Also would like to add "Blood on the River: James Town 1607" by Elisa Carbone. 400 years ago, a boy fought to survive in James Town... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 I picked up True Confessions . . . . at the library and I was very sad to see the time frame was a bit late to fit in the category -- but I am going to read it myself! :D Thanks for all the suggestions. Let the reading begin!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I did "Black Crows and White Cockades" by Christine Swager as a read-loud when we last did that period, so it should work for middle school as an independent read.We both enjoyed it. It's going to be harder to find, as it's an independent press. There's also a sequel (which I recently found, but haven't yet read) and she's done one other young adult novel about Cowpens, another Southern Revolutionary battle (again, I haven't read it). http://www.sandlapperpublishing.com/ChristineSwager.htm I did it in place of Johnny Tremain, because of the local connection and the female protagonist. I was also looking for something to balance the New England focus of so much of the Rev War material. So many battles were fought in North and South Carolina, but not much is commonly studied about those, at least in the younger grades. There is a story about the relationship growing between the male and female protagonists, but nothing that I found concerning even for my then 3rd grader (and I'm on the pretty conservative side regarding romance in kids' lit). The story: This is a story about a young girl living near Camden, South Carolina during the occupation by the British during the American Revolution. Although fictional, the story is woven around historically accurate facts that include Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Lord Cornwallis, Banastre Tarleton, and even includes a young Andy Jackson and his mother who nursed sick and wounded American prisoners who were kept on board ships in Charleston Harbor. Mrs. Jackson died from a fever she contracted conducting this "mercy mission." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I really liked The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. There is a sequel, but I haven't read it yet. :iagree: Avi's Charlotte Doyle is excellent, of course, but this one is really something different. It's one of those YA novels that can be read by adults or teens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I'm trying to come up with recommendations for fiction books that relate to colonial America - it can be from the period Columbus landed through the founding days of our great nation. The longer the better - I have a real bookworm who loves to dig into a good, long read. We are trying to get a list of more on the page-turning side than educational. TIA! I am going to go WAY out on a limb here and mention "The Williamsburg Series" by Elswyth Thane. I read this series LONG years ago and do not remember much of it. In fact, it is on my list to re-read this year. I don't recall it being heavy on history, and there were romances involved. I first learned about this series because a college professor who taught young adult lit classes for education majors ALWAYS made this series required reading for her course. Many of her students trekked over to the public library (where I worked) to borrow this set. This series is not catalogued as a young adult series. It is typically with the adult fiction. A couple reviewers on Amazon mentioned that they first read the series at about age twelve. Here is what wikipedia has: Thane is most famous for her "Williamsburg" series of historical fiction. The books cover several generations of two families from the American Revolutionary War up to World War II. In later books, the action moves from Williamsburg to New York City, Richmond, Virginia and England. The novels are, in chronological order: • Dawn's Early Light (1943) • Yankee Stranger (1944) • Ever After (1945) • The Light Heart (1947) • Kissing Kin (1948) • This Was Tomorrow (1951) • Homing (1957) Before I started this post, I read the first couple reader-reviews of each book on Amazon. For the last book, a reviewer posted this: "Although I am not a historian, I have not ever encountered a historical event in one of Ms. Thane's books that was contradicted by any history I have read. She makes history immediate and real by showing how characters you care about are affected by historical events. The history is background to the story; although it contributes significantly to the plot, I never felt I was being lectured. Characterizations ring true; I came to care deeply about the people in the story." Not sure if this series is what you are looking for, and I realize it goes beyond the time limit in which you are interested, but thought I'd mention it anyway . . . :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Touchmark (I forget the author) but maybe it's more for girls, as the main char. is a girl-- she wants to be a pewterer but can't because she's a girl, eventually she gets to. It's the revolutionary war era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Seconding Sarah Bishop. I have fond memories of opening & devouring this on December 25, 1994. I'm checking out this thread for ideas for myself! I had forgotten how much I loved reading historical fiction from this era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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