Best Historical Book in the 1900s :)

[Homeschoolingmy3boys]

I have been trying to decide what is the best book that would be set in the 1900s that would really captivate 7-8th graders.  Something that would really speak to the time period and be lasting.  I am trying to find nothing too graphic or anything that has too much of an "agenda" in it and would be considered more of a classic.  I would love any ideas.  Thank you!

[Rosie_0801]

Are you talking about the decade 1900-1910 or the entire 20th century? The latter would be a rather big ask. What *could* cover a century with so much change?

[Quarter Note]

For a WWII era book, we loved Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan.  (It will be easy reading for 7th to 8th graders, but the story is definitely captivating.)

 

"Based on a true story, this is a tale of brave schoolchildren who outwitted the invading Nazis by sledding 13 tons of gold bricks down the mountain in Norway to a ship waiting to take the country's gold to America for safekeeping. "

[Homeschoolmom3]

5 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Are you talking about the decade 1900-1910 or the entire 20th century? The latter would be a rather big ask. What *could* cover a century with so much change?

The focus could be on any of the time period since that is the time of study in our history but I was hoping more of the Great Depression but truly I am open to any historical fiction that really left an impact on you that you have read based on any of that time period.  Thanks!

[Xahm]

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the book that jumps to mind from having read it about that age as a child. It certainly helped me understand history better and I think would fall under the "classic" heading as much as anything written about the last century could.

[Homeschoolmom3]

33 minutes ago, Xahm said:

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the book that jumps to mind from having read it about that age as a child. It certainly helped me understand history better and I think would fall under the "classic" heading as much as anything written about the last century could.

Yes, I agree that is a good one but we read that in our last history rotation.  😞

[Xahm]

14 minutes ago, Homeschoolmom3 said:

Yes, I agree that is a good one but we read that in our last history rotation.  😞

Are you looking for things at about that same level in terms of maturity? When you say "nothing too graphic," does that include sex, language, and violence, and what is too much? If your kids were handling Roll of Thunder just fine years ago, I may have been interpreting "nothing too graphic" too protectively. 

[Homeschoolmom3]

26 minutes ago, Xahm said:

Are you looking for things at about that same level in terms of maturity? When you say "nothing too graphic," does that include sex, language, and violence, and what is too much? If your kids were handling Roll of Thunder just fine years ago, I may have been interpreting "nothing too graphic" too protectively. 

Since I teach a class, I have to be extra cautious so that would include sex and language.  I don't mind some violence as long as it isn't extreme violence.  I'd love to find one of the economic difficulties of the times and for kids to see that life is not all smiles and rainbows.  😛 I also want them to really get a good handle of the times.  I can also look at the time period of 1960s and beyond as well, we are already reading a lot on civil rights so if I can focus on other hot topics during that time I am open to any suggestions.  As of now, just looking for any novel that really impacted you or your kids during that era.  It is a difficult time frame to find some good living books.  Thanks!

[Xahm]

13 hours ago, Homeschoolmom3 said:

Since I teach a class, I have to be extra cautious so that would include sex and language.  I don't mind some violence as long as it isn't extreme violence.  I'd love to find one of the economic difficulties of the times and for kids to see that life is not all smiles and rainbows.  😛 I also want them to really get a good handle of the times.  I can also look at the time period of 1960s and beyond as well, we are already reading a lot on civil rights so if I can focus on other hot topics during that time I am open to any suggestions.  As of now, just looking for any novel that really impacted you or your kids during that era.  It is a difficult time frame to find some good living books.  Thanks!

I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok in high school. While it's written for adults, it's about teenagers and has no bad language, violence, or sex. If the kids aren't strong readers it might feel too slow paced, but it's setting is simultaneously extremely familiar and extremely foreign, at least to"white bread Americans" like me, so it's intensely interesting. There's a lot there to think about and discuss. 

[cabercro]

If you want something from the earlier part of the century, I really enjoyed "Uprising" by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It's a fictionalized account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911). Depending on what your class entails, there is a series of historical role-playing video games called Mission US that I use with my students. The "City of Immigrants" game pairs very well with Uprising. 

[Nichola]

“Nothing to Fear” by Jackie French Koller is set in New York City during the Great Depression. I haven’t re-read it as an adult, so it’s possible that there are content considerations I’m not remembering, but I don’t recall any. I read it several times in jr. high and loved it. It does cover some weighty topics, such as kids begging for food, unemployed fathers, Hoovervilles, and Prohibition. As I recall, there is also a neighbor family in the book whose dad came home “shell-shocked” from WWI, and there is some discussion about the difficulties the family faces because of that. But there are also humorous parts in the book that balance out the seriousness. It was one of my favorite books when I was about 13, and I can still remember historical facts I learned from reading it.

[Homeschoolmom3]

4 hours ago, Nichola said:

“Nothing to Fear” by Jackie French Koller is set in New York City during the Great Depression. I haven’t re-read it as an adult, so it’s possible that there are content considerations I’m not remembering, but I don’t recall any. I read it several times in jr. high and loved it. It does cover some weighty topics, such as kids begging for food, unemployed fathers, Hoovervilles, and Prohibition. As I recall, there is also a neighbor family in the book whose dad came home “shell-shocked” from WWI, and there is some discussion about the difficulties the family faces because of that. But there are also humorous parts in the book that balance out the seriousness. It was one of my favorite books when I was about 13, and I can still remember historical facts I learned from reading it.

Great, thank you I will look into it.

[ScoutTN]

OP, do you want American history or anywhere?

If other cultures are in, When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park is good. A fave with my kids. Middle grade reading, but plenty to discuss.

[ScoutTN]

Goodreads will curate a list for you by decade. 😎

[Homeschoolmom3]

12 hours ago, Nichola said:

“Nothing to Fear” by Jackie French Koller is set in New York City during the Great Depression. I haven’t re-read it as an adult, so it’s possible that there are content considerations I’m not remembering, but I don’t recall any. I read it several times in jr. high and loved it. It does cover some weighty topics, such as kids begging for food, unemployed fathers, Hoovervilles, and Prohibition. As I recall, there is also a neighbor family in the book whose dad came home “shell-shocked” from WWI, and there is some discussion about the difficulties the family faces because of that. But there are also humorous parts in the book that balance out the seriousness. It was one of my favorite books when I was about 13, and I can still remember historical facts I learned from reading it.

Great, thank you

 

[Homeschoolmom3]

1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:

OP, do you want American history or anywhere?

If other cultures are in, When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park is good. A fave with my kids. Middle grade reading, but plenty to discuss.

Mostly looking for American history...thanks!