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300 pp.
| Dial
| March, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7352-2798-9$16.99
(3)
4-6
An unlikely pair of seventh-grade misfits, Oliver and Ella must research and make a history-project documentary about Civil War soldier Raymond Stone. Oliver's lunch buddy Kevin assists as they unravel the mystery surrounding this (fictional) young soldier who never saw battle and died of dysentery at Gettysburg. The engaging narrative explores tween relationships and emphasizes that heroism has many forms beyond courage in battle.
64 pp.
| Abrams
| March, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4197-1866-3$19.95
(3)
4-6
Kanefield's detailed account explains how one unmarried frontierswoman, poet and activist Suzy Wright, led political efforts that benefited Native Americans and others. Many images of documents and quotes from primary sources are worked into an illuminating narrative in which colonial Pennsylvania history frames Wright's story of fighting for human rights and justice. Bib., ind.
(4)
4-6
History's All-Stars series.
Illustrated by
Al Fiorentino.
Originally published in the Childhood of Famous Americans series, these fictionalized biographies are reissued with a new series name but are otherwise unchanged, dated-looking black-and-white illustrations and all. Focusing on events in each historical figure's childhood, the congenial narratives read smoothly with natural-sounding invented dialogue. Both books end "many years later..." with accounts of the subject's adult accomplishments. Review covers these History's All-Stars titles: Walt Disney and Betsy Ross.
48 pp.
| Walker
| January, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8027-2166-2$16.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Eric Velasquez.
In 1856, John Price and two other Kentucky slaves escape to Ohio, a free state. John and his friend Frank decide to settle in the welcoming town of Oberlin. When John is captured by slave hunters, hundreds of Oberlinians mobilize to rescue the fugitive slave. The story is compelling, but some overgeneralizing is unfortunate. Velasquez's static illustrations quietly extend the story. Reading list, websites. Bib.
249 pp.
| Milkweed
| September, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-1-57131-700-1$16.95
(4)
4-6
In late-eighteenth-century rural Pennsylvania, Hannah, a Quaker, and Eugenie, a young French noblewoman, make an unlikely pair; they bond in risking their lives to help several escaped slaves. Alternating chapters depict both girls' points of view and reveal the characters' growth. Though the writing is inexpert, the book lends an interesting perspective. An author's note explains the real-life inspiration. Bib.
201 pp.
| Peachtree
| September, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56145-597-3$15.95
(3)
4-6
In 1851 Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old seaman Lucky Valera is waylaid by his older half-brother and forced to work in a mill. Lucky makes a pact with a Quaker girl to assist fugitive slaves in return for her help getting him back on the seas. The blend of history and adventure makes for a compelling read. An author's note is appended. Bib.
(4)
4-6
Southerner Sarah Caldwell considered the Underground Railroad to be criminal. After moving to Indiana, Sarah's attitude toward slavery shifts when she spends time with abolitionists and befriends a teenage slave girl. Primary sources including photographs, illustrations, and maps enhance the historical perspective, but they interrupt the flow of the story. An afterword provides more information about the Underground Railroad. Bib., glos.
112 pp.
| ABDO
| January, 2008
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-60453-039-1$32.79
(4)
YA
Essential Lives series.
This series offers serviceable if bland biographies of people famous in a variety of arenas. The writing is straightforward, and frequent sidebars help with historical context. Some photographs and archival materials also break up the pages. The volume on the one contemporary subject in this group (Jobs) is less assured than the others. There are six other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Lives titles: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Steve Jobs, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lucretia Mott, and Zora Neale Hurston.
48 pp.
| Boyds/Wordsong
| September, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59078-456-3$17.95
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Floyd Cooper.
Quaker Prudence Crandall created a school for African American girls in largely white 1830s Connecticut. The school's short-lived history ended in violence. Alexander's and Nelson's sonnets, which take on the voices of individual students, create a portrait of a determined community of learners. Cooper's spacious landscapes ground the book, and his portraits have a quiet dignity and elegance.
Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2007
236 pp.
| Philomel
| June, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-399-24774-3$16.99
(2)
YA
Passed from one relative to another, Matt suppresses her feelings. When she meets her latest caretakers, a Quaker couple with a severely disabled foster son, she barely speaks. At school both a bully and a war-mongering civics teacher target her. By book's end, Matt has completed her transformation from silent victim to empowered hero, in a moving and satisfying conclusion.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2007
40 pp.
| Holt
| April, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8050-6770-5$17.95
(4)
4-6
Illustrated by
Bethanne Andersen.
American-born Patience Wright was a noted wax sculptor--and spy--during the Revolutionary War era. Living in London, she funneled information back to the fledgling democracy. Wright's story is unquestionably compelling, but the narrative doesn't capture its drama completely; the author's note is more engaging. Gouache and pastel illustrations are intricately detailed and provide much of the book's interest and energy. Timeline. Bib.
312 pp.
| Candlewick
| April, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-3144-4$16.99
(2)
YA
Will Heywood and Susanna Thorn, the young Quaker lovers from No Shame, No Fear, resume their story, told in alternating voices and played out against the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. The book meanders down soap opera–like paths laid over historical events. Still, Susanna and Will are so essentially nice that readers will want to make sure they survive.
Reviewer: Vicky Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2007
32 pp.
| Holiday
| February, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1709-3$$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Leonard Jenkins.
Hallie describes the day in 1839 when she discovers two runaway slave girls hiding out in her neighbors' home. Hallie's narration isn't always convincing, but her dilemma is: should she listen to her well-meaning, law-abiding father or to her conscience? Jenkins's brooding, collage-style, mixed-media art helps flesh out the characters. Reading list, websites.
293 pp.
| Candlewick
| October, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-7636-2505-1$15.99
(3)
YA
A love affair between Quaker Susanna and merchant's son Will plays out against the persecution of Friends in seventeenth-century England. In alternating chapters, the young lovers recount their seemingly doomed romance and their own journeys of faith. The briskly paced narrative weaves early modern social customs and Quaker religious beliefs with an engrossing plot and a moving love story.
64 pp.
| Carolrhoda
| April, 2003
|
LibraryISBN 1-57505-176-1$$22.60
|
PaperISBN 0-87614-931-X$$5.95
(4)
4-6
Creative Minds Biography series.
Illustrated by
Lisa Harvey.
Born in London in 1644, William Penn rebelled against his naval-officer father by joining the Society of Friends. Living through the Protectorate, plague, and Great Fire, he emigrated to establish the colony of Pennsylvania on land granted by King Charles II. Swain recounts Penn's life in accurate details that sometimes overwhelm the trajectory of the narrative. Black-and-white drawings accompany the text. Bib., ind.
209 pp.
| Putnam
| March, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-399-23713-5$$18.99
(4)
4-6
In antebellum Virginia, Evvy's fourteenth birthday means she must become a lady, but this spirited eldest of six daughters resents the trappings. Over the next four years, the family boarding school, Quaker relatives, family secrets, the Underground Railroad, and the war itself allow her feminist tendencies to flourish. Many characters represent multiple issues--possibly too many of both--but the narrative is tight. Bib.
167 pp.
| White Mane
| May, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-57249-248-1$$17.95
(3)
4-6
A motherless girl in Puritan Boston, Hannah finds herself drawn to the teachings of the Quaker heretic Mary Dyer, who is persecuted by the town fathers for speaking her conscience and eventually hanged on Boston Common. Ignore the cheap book design: this story features a compelling protagonist and a thoroughly researched and clearly evoked historical period. Bib.
(2)
YA
During WWII, fourteen-year-old Jubal Shoemaker's older brother decides to register as a conscientious objector--a decision that reverberates throughout their small Pennsylvania town. The many voices in the novel offer various perspectives of the conflict. Jubal's earnest quest to define himself is solidly placed within a year of turbulence for his Quaker family, a particular experience of the war infrequently portrayed.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2001
48 pp.
| Carolrhoda
| October, 2001
|
LibraryISBN 1-57505-480-9$$21.27
(3)
K-3
On My Own Biography series.
Illustrated by
Smith Kimanne.
This brief, easy-to-read biography focuses on Quaker Prudence Crandall's fight to run a school for black girls against the wishes of the bigoted townspeople in Canterbury, Connecticut. The text and adequate color illustrations provide readers with a glimpse at life for women and minorities in the pre-Civil War north. An author's note, afterword, and chronology are included.
202 pp.
| Holiday
| October, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-8234-1543-0$$16.95
(4)
4-6
Laura knows little about the lives of her family's slaves until she visits her Quaker aunt and uncle and becomes involved in their work for the Underground Railroad. To help a young woman to freedom, Laura dons a disguise and travels north as her "sister." The telling is rather tepid overall, but the story does include a few exciting scenes.