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Multi-genre Thematic |
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Grade
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Novels Auch, Mary Jane. Journey to Nowhere. Mem and her family are uprooted from their Connecticut home and community when her father decides to move them to the wilderness of upstate New York. Mem and her family finally arrive at their destination having survived a series of accidents, threats by wild animals, and Mem falling off the wagon and becoming lost. Comparison of 1815 wilderness travel and travail by wagon with today’s interstate network gives the reader a opportunity to reflect on the process of living through conflicts which can disrupt your way of life, and the transformation of the people who survived the process. Upstate New York- a wilderness…what a concept. Avi. The Fighting Ground. Avi says that one day he saw a historical marker by the side of the road in New Jersey indicating that a skirmish had taken place on that spot during the Revolutionary War. He stated that he thought about the battle, and although it was a little battle, it had to make an impact on some people’s lives. From that historical marker, this book was born. Thirteen-year-old Jonathan knows how to shoot a gun, and wants to fight in the Revolutionary War, but his father won’t let him, stating that he is needed on the farm. Responding to the tolling of the alarm bell, Jonathan does become involved in the fighting, and is captured, changing his perception of war and right and wrong forever. Coller & Collier. My Brother Sam is Dead. The Revolutionary War created a new nation, and in the process tore families apart. Tim will soon have to make a choice…to be part of the American Revolution like his brother Sam, or to be a Tory and support the British government like his father and other people in his town. A war disrupts life completely, but when you have to make a decision as to which side you will support, and thereby fight against a member of your family, your actions will transform your life. (Newbery Honor Book) Collier & Collier. War Comes to Willy Freeman. Wille, a free black girl is faced with the potential of being returned to slavery when her father is killed by the Redcoats and her mother is taken as a prisoner to New York City during the Revolutionary War. Although she can disguise herself as a boy to search for her mother, Willie knows that because she is a free, black, female, her life is constantly in danger. Willie must be both wise and brave as she develops strategies to deal with the adversity she faces, strategies which will involve the help of other free members of the black community. Deford, Deborah and Harry Stout. An Enemy Among Us. Enemy…provides the opportunity to look at the American Revolution from two viewpoints that question individual responsibility and decisions made at a time of conflict. Margaret Volpert thinks she knows how she feels, for her Pennsylvania family are revolutionaries, her brother John seriously wounded in battle. Christian Molitor, paroled to Margaret’s father as a prisoner from part of the Hessian mercenary troops, finds himself increasingly emotionally involved with the Volpert family while he hides the fact that he is the one who wounded John. Attracted to each other, Margaret and Christian must examine where their loyalties truly lie, and make a decision about information he has about a pending battle that can severely damage the revolutionary forces. Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. When his hand is injured in a tragic accident, Johnny Tremain must make decisions that change his life from an apprentice silversmith to a horse-boy riding for a patriotic newspaper during the events leading up to the American Revolution. Messenger for the Sons of Liberty, he is transformed by his relationships with John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Dr. Joseph Warren, relationships that influence both his decision about his involvement in the revolution and about dealing with his disability. (Newbery Award winner) Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. A collection of twenty-four folk tales about animals, fantasy, and the desire for freedom handed down by African slaves before and during the Civil War period. Metaphors for the desire for freedom, these tales reflect qualities which helped slaves survive and strive. Whether animal or human, the characters solve problems in unique ways, and deal with inflicts that influence decisions and actions. Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. Reflecting experiences Hinton had while growing up, The Outsiders tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his friends and their conflict with the Socs, the kids with the good cars and a future. Condemned to a place in society because of their appearance and because of stereotyping, the greasers’ sense of isolation caused them to act out and make decisions that hurt, rather than helped. Hinton says that she wrote the book because she saw the trend of sharp divisions among groups in her school when she was 15, and felt that writing would give a voice to those marginalized by society. Hunt, Irene. No Promises in the Wind. Arguments between Josh and his father escalate as the Great Depression takes its toll on this poor Chicago family. Josh’s decision to leave home, partly to find work and partly to escape from his father, is complicated when his younger brother Joey comes along. To survive, Joey and Josh struggle to obtain money and food. As the elder brother, it is Josh’s responsibility to come up with strategies to solve their problems, and finally to deal with the disruptions that have impacted his relationship with his father, and determine which personal qualities he has which can help him deal with the turbulent 1930s. Judson, William. Cold River. When their father dies after a series of poor decisions and accidents during a canoe trip in the Adirondacks, Lizzy and Tim must struggle to survive and find their way home. Since each decision that they make about the strategy needed to survive can be successful or deadly, they must reconcile their individual points of view to work toward this common goal and use those personal qualities which will be most effective.
Keehn, Sally. I Am Regina. Akin to this area’s story of Mary Jemison, Keehn’s novel relates another fictionalized true story of a young woman captured by Indians in Pennsylvania, whose father and brother are killed while her mother is away at town. From 1755-1762, Regina struggled to keep her identity alive by remembering the language, stories and hymns of her home, an identity that faded as she was assimilated into the lifestyle of the tribe of which she was a member and with which she forged a new identity. Along the way, Regina had to make a variety of decisions which impact her life and her future, decisions which were influenced by the increasing importance of her relationships with the members of her tribe and by the realization that they were being betrayed by the whites with whom they associated. London, Jack. Call of the Wild. Kidnapped from his home and sold as a sled dog during the Yukon Gold Rush, Buck struggles to adapt and survive. Becoming the leader of a hardworking team, Buck’s strength and courage become legendary, but he struggles against the primal desire to return to the wild, a desire to which he surrenders, and becomes a leader of a wolf pack. Buck demonstrates personal qualities which help him deal with conflict and change, personal qualities which are also demonstrated through his relationships with the varied humans in his life and his actions toward them. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal, Lowry's thought-provoking fantasy challenges adolescents to explore important social and political issues. The Giver trains twelve-year-old Jonas as the next Receiver of Memory, the community's receptacle of past memories. This seemingly utopian society (without pain, poverty, unemployment, or disorder) is actually a body- and mind-controlling dystopia (without love, colors, sexual feelings, or memories of the past). (Zaidman, Laura M. ALAN Review) Jonas has personal qualities which cause him to make decisions that impact not only his own life, but the community as a whole. (Newbery Award winner) Lunn, Janet. The Root Cellar. Orphaned and sent to live with unknown relatives on a farm in Canada, Rose flees into an old root cellar and emerges 100 years earlier, in the 1860s. There she becomes involved with Susan and her brother Will, children from the past. Since time moves differently in the root cellar, Susan and Will age quickly on each visit. When Will fails to return from the Civil War, Rose and Susan must go to Washington, DC to rescue him. Rose’s relationships with Susan and Will, and decisions she must make as she and Susan attempt his rescue, transform Rose. McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. Moccasin Trail. Jim Keath has lived for six years as a Crow Indian when he learns that his two younger brothers and a sister are journeying west to take up land. Although Jim finds it difficult to fit in with the family he hasn't seen since childhood, and though they are wary and distrustful of him, Jim feels his duty is at their side. But slowly, as they survive the dangerous trek west, the perils of frontier life, and the kidnapping of their younger brother, Jim and his family realize that the only way to survive is to accept each other and truly reunite the family. (Barnes & Noble.com) Paulsen, Gary. Woodsong. Newbery Honor author of Hatchet, Paulsen recounts both his initiation into sled dog training and racing, a process which drew on the personal qualities that have helped him deal with life-threatening situations, and the problem solving strategies that helped him survive the demands of the Iditarod dogsled race. This intense competition, with the extreme physical and emotional demands on both the driver and the dogs necessitates a bond with the pack and the ability to make choices that will save your life and the life of your team. Peck, Robert Newton. Fawn. An Indian boy, the son of a Jesuit priest, observes the savagery of the French, English, and Indians at the time of the Battle of Ticonderoga in 1758, and tries to save his father from what could be a terrible fate. Fawn must take into consideration both his responsibility to his community and to his father, drawing on personal qualities to help him make decisions. Richter, Conrad. Light in the Forest. Captured by the Lenni Lenape Indians at age four, and raised by the warrior Cuyloga, John Butler renamed True Son, is torn by conflict when he is returned to his white family. Identifying with the man and tribe which raised him, Butler rebels against white society and its expectations, and wants to return to the world he knows. Escaping from the family farm, his discovers the irreconcilable conflict between the two worlds, leaving him with the questions of who he is, where he belongs, and what his responsibilities and choices truly are. Rinaldi, Ann. The Fifth of March: a story of the Boston Massacre. Fourteen-year-old Rachel Marsh, the indentured servant of Boston’s John Adams in the 1770s, becomes friends with a British soldier. This soon causes her to become caught between loyalty to America and loyalty to her friend, when, on March 5th at the Boston Massacre, her friend shoots a Bostonian. Torn between her loyalties to the Adams family, her growing and developing sense of Americanism, and her bonds of friendship, Rachel must make decisions that can transform her life, decisions about her responsibility to her American community and friends, and her responsibility to and for herself. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. Captain Flint’s buried treasure and the map showing its location draw young Jim Hawkins, Dr. Livesey and the Squire, and the pirate, Long John Silver, into an adventure and a conflict over who will be the victor, and to whom belong the spoils. Jim, Dr. Livesey and the Squire must draw on a variety of problem solving strategies and personal qualities if they are to survive Silver’s determined desire to attain and keep the treasure. Rogues and villains, murder and gold, greed and loyalty, transforming situations.
Drama
Short Fiction
Poetry
Nonfiction
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