Bessie Smith and the Night Riders by Sue Stauffacher

Based on a real incident that happened near Concord, N.C., this story about Bessie Smith will fit well into the 8th grade social studies curriculum as a picture book for older readers. In 1927 Bessie Smith was touring the country by rail. She was performing in a tent outside of Concord when night riders from the Klan showed up and tried to scare her off. She "cussed" them and refused to leave, so they gave up and left her alone. The author embelishes the facts a bit, using a young girl who admires Bessie's singing as the main character and adding some dramatic fictional events around the edges of the true story. Bright, swirling, colorful illustrations will also attract readers.

Penny from Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm

Eleven year old Penny lives with her mother and her maternal grandparents following the death of her father. She also spends a lot of time with her father's extended Italian family including several uncles who dote on her, a cousin Frankie who is always in trouble and a grandmother, Nonny who always dresses in black. It's the summer of 1953; polio keeps her from the swimming pool; her mother is dating the milkman; and the two families barely speak to each other. Filled with humor, drama and some suspense about her father and how he died, this is great storytelling with characters it's a pleasure to spend time with.

Grades 5-8

Counting on Grace, by Elizabeth Winthrop

A story just like this one could have taken place in any mill town in North Carolina. It is a gripping narrative of a spunky heroine named Grace Forcier. She lives in a textile mill town in Vermont and works with her mom as a doffer in the spinning room. The author describes the many hardships of the textile workers while weaving Grace's story of self-discovery and growth all the while. She and her friend Arthur are the best readers in school and Miss Lesley their teacher wants to keep them out of the dangerous mill. She is fired for her meddling and Grace is given the substitute teaching position. The Lewis Hine photo on the dusk jacket is of a real mill rat from 1910 - an "anemic little spinner in North Pownal Cotton Mill." In this book Grace writes a letter to Mr. Hine about working conditions for children in the mill and he arrives and takes pictures to document the terrible conditions . You will remember Grace long after you put this book down - she is the star among many wonderfully drawn characters. This book will be an excellent companion to Bread and Roses by Katherine Paterson and of course, Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor. SLJ starred review.

Grades 5 - 8

Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata

A powerful story of a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Before Pearl Harbor Sumiko works with her uncle's family on a flower farm in southern California and dreams of owning her own flower shop. When the war starts Sumiko's family is split apart and she is moved to a camp in Arizona - a camp located on a Mojave reservation. There she works with a neighbor, Mr. Moto, to grow an award-winning garden and she befriends Frank, a young Mojave. Through her friendship with Frank, she sees the injustices perpetrated on the Native Americans and tries to reason out the very difficult decisions her family has to make. Students will relate to and understand Sumiko's feelings at each step of her amazing story. The author's father was interred at the Poston camp and she writes a moving and well written testimony to the courage and perseverance of Japanese Americans during this dark period in American history. SLJ starred review.

Grades 5 - 8

Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson

Sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks sees an unexpected inheritance of her uncle's homestead claim in Montana as a chance to stake out a life for herself after being sent from distant relative to distant relative following the death of her parents. The requirements to own the claim seem overwhelming: build and fence and cultivate 40 acres within the ten months remaining plus pay the final fees. With the help of neighbors and against the background of World War One, Hattie sets out with determination and a feisty spirit to do what needs to be done to own her own piece of land and sky. The strength of this story is the clear-headed and sometimes poetic narrative as well as the intricate weaving of plot themes: letters to an uncle and a "friend" fighting abroad, the wartime mistrust and fear of sedition and Hattie's courage to stand up against it, and the strength of Hattie's character.

Grades 5-9

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

In free verse form Roy tells the story of her aunt's life and her family's survival in the Lodz ghetto in Poland during World War II. Her Aunt Syvia entered the ghetto at the age of four and was liberated the day before her 10th birthday. She was one of twelve children to survive the ghetto. Through a child's voice we learn the horrors of living in the ghetto and picture of survival for those 800 of 270,000 who lived to tell this story.
It is amazing the compassion and passion Roy evokes in such spare text.
Recommeded for 4-7 grades.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

The story opens with 11-year old Maud Flynn singing in the outhouse of the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans. Attracted by her beautiful voice and small size, elderly Hyacinth Hawthorne adopts Maud and takes her home to the other old maid Hawthorne sisters. Soon Maud learns that she will be expected to participate in the family business of duping the bereaved through sham seances. At first Maud has little problem with this arrangement, eager as she is for Hyacinth's love and approval. Later, she meets a wealthy victim of her deception and begins to feel guilty. A near-tragic fire reveals who really loves "plain, clever, and bad" Maud, and the happy ending is assured. As promised in the title, melodramatic touches abound, but so do charming turns of phrase. The strong, likeable heroine and the remorseless villainess and their story are well worth the time it takes to read the 389 pages.

Blood On the River: James Town 1607, by Elisa Carbone

The story of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown is told from the point of view of twelve-year old Samuel Collier who serves as a page to Captain John Smith. The harsh circumstances of the journey and settlement, the controversial character of John Smith, and the relationships with the native Americans are seen through the eyes of the young Samuel.

This is an outstanding example of historical fiction including a map, afterword, Author's Note as well as sources for each chapter. Actual quotes introduce each chapter.

Many of the descriptions of the harsh conditions, illness, and violence are quite visceral. Grades 5-8.

Visit the author's website for more information and a study guide:
www.elisacarbone.com

El Lector by William Durbin

El Lector is an historical novel set in the hispanic community of Ybor City in Tampa, FL in 1931. The story revolves around a family steeped in cigar rolling business that was a crucial part of Tampa's economy. Central to the story, and the culture, is The Lector, a man whose job it was to read to the cigar rollers all day as they worked. Bella, the teen-aged granddaughter of the current Lector, is coming of age in a tumultuous era. The advent of the radio seems to pose a threat to her family and the culture of the Lector, while labor issues are wreaking havoc in the community, as well.
Durbin does an excellent job of painting a picture of the hispanic immigrant community in Depression Era Tampa, as well as tell an engaging story of family, culture, and the need and ability to change.

Recommended grade levels: 4th-8th.