Set #4

 Curtis, C. P. (1995).   The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963.  NY:  Delacorte.

In this historical fiction story, the Watsons decide it is time to visit Grandma in Alabama. Byron, the oldest son, is a trouble maker and if he does not straighten out, he will be living with his strict Grandma. While visiting grandma, Kenny almost gets taken in by the whirlpool he was not suppose to go near. Luckily, Byron saves him. One day (while still at Grandma's), little Joey goes to church with a neighbor. The church gets bombed (racism), and everyone in the family rushes to go find her. She is not there, but when they return home, Joey is at home looking for them. Joey had left the church before the bombing. Even though Joey is okay, Kenny has a hard time dealing with everything going on; he even hides and won't talk to anyone. Byron (changed) talks to Kenny trying to make him feel better. Finally, Kenny accepts that the world is not perfect. The narrative is through the point of view of Kenny, who has a tough time dealing with the racism during the time period. This is believable for a boy his age going through these tough and not easily understandable times of the 1960s. The setting, Birmingham, Alabama, is authentic in this story. The bombing described really did happen on September 15, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. After reading this book with the class, research should be done on other types of segregation/racism hatred, what laws were passed to stop this, and what famous leaders tried to stop the hatred.  

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship  NY:  Hyperion.

We Are the Ship tells the story of what it was like to play Negro League baseball.  A generic narrator is used to tell the story beginning with 1920 and moving to 1947 when Jackie Robinson moved into the major leagues.  The characters are believable because the author has included powerful oil paintings that express the emotional feelings of the players themselves.  He also adds quotes from famous names in baseball that authenticate his voice.Teachers might want to have students visit a museum which could be done as a virtual field trip, or they might raise a question about other minorities in other sports.

Schlitz, L. A. (2007). Good masters, sweet ladies  Boston, MA:  Candlewick Press.

Laura Amy Schlitz’s Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village consists of a series of miniature stories set in England in 1255. This setting establishes the realistic backdrop for Schlitz’s style which is mostly verse, songs, and some prose. Each story has its own plot with realistic sounding characters from the Medieval period. Sprinkled throughout are just enough factual details to make the stories sound authentic. For example, she writes of Saint Winifred’s well and the healing power of the well, and of characters like Simon who wanted to fight in the Crusades, but he ends up becoming a monk because of money. The author tells Hugo’s tale of killing a boar and the nightmares that follow. All of the characters have a voice that seems appropriate for the Medieval setting. This book is sure to spark interest in the students, so have students research a topic in Medieval times.