The Attack on Pearl Harbor an Interactive History

The reader can choose their own adventure as they learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students can take on the role of a Japanese pilot, an American navy sailor stationed at Pearl Harbor, or an American nurse. This book contains a few black and white photographs that help to add a realistic feel as you picture yourself in the attack.
As the reader makes decisions, they will gain a sense of what the attack was really like on a personal level. The last several pages contain a time line, other perspectives, Internet sites, and a glossary. This book could be a good pick to read aloud in the classroom, or a good title to suggest to history buffs or reluctant readers.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Beautifully written historical fiction about 14 yr. old Joe Michtom, child of Russian immigrants set in turn of the century Brooklyn. The family has invented the “teddy bear” inspired by Roosevelt and turned their small candy store into a bear factory. Immigrant family life is well represented as the extended family lives either within their block in Brooklyn or just over the Bridge.
Joe longs to visit exciting Coney Island, the new amusement park but always seems to have to work on bears, even the family has taken a back seat to these bears.
Joe falls in love, out of love, experiences loss, anger and frustration but is building his fine character all the while.
An unusual side story of orphan children that live underneath the Brooklyn Bridge parallels Joe’s story. It takes some reflection and thought to bring the two ideas together but the orphans strengthen the readers knowledge of the emotions and societal events of the time period.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN (library bind): 13-978-1-4169-1171-5
Price: $16.99 #pages: 346
Call number: FIC Had

Annotation:
Against the backdrop of the Triangle Waist Company Fire, one of the worst workplace disasters in history before 9/11, the threads of the lives of three young women are woven together telling a story of the struggle for women's suffrage, the plight of immigrants in America, and the fight for fair labor practices and decent working conditions. Bella is a new immigrant from Italy who has come to America for work to try to save the lives of her starving family back home. She must rely on others to help her with everything and she is cheated and victimized by most of them. Yetta, a Russian Jew, lives with her sister and is consumed with the new union movement. Jane, a bored socialite, begins to educate herself and is exposed to the young, immigrant working girls during their strike. Her encounter with Yetta during picketing eventually leads Jane to meet Bella and to translate a sad, devastating letter from Italy for her. Jane’s compassion for Bella’s situation stirs her to bring the young woman to her home to comfort and nurse her in her grief. When Jane eventually breaks from her father, she runs to the Triangle factory and her friends who shelter her. Finding a job as governess to the daughters of one of the Triangle owners, Jane learns first hand about the life of a working girl on the lower East Side. In the harrowing final pages, all three young women find themselves at the Triangle factory on the day of the fire. Sadly, many lives are lost. Margaret Haddix has always been able to write a good page-turner and this is no exception. Uprising reaches another level, however, because of her emotional involvement with the characters. As in her earlier book,Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, this one will haunt you long after the final chapter.
Recommended grade levels: 7 and up

The Daring Book for Girls by Miriam Peskowitz

There is so much information contained in these 279 pages. Everyone has some gaps in their learning and this is the book to fill those gaps. The book contains some information for a variety of ages: slumber pary games, famous women, how to change a tire, and Latin root words. There is something for every elementary and middle school girl.

Originally posted on the Best Books Blog by CWasserman at 1:15 PM on Jan 2, 2008

A Companion title to the The Dangerous Book for Boys