Looking for Newbery - Day 5

I'm a huge fan of the book Fever: 1793 and recommend it to any student that loves historical fiction. It has to be one of my all time favorite novels for upper grades. When I saw that Laurie Halse Anderson had another historical fiction novel getting all sorts of attention I had to read it.

Chains is about Isabel, a slave girl in Rhode Island who, instead of getting freedom upon her owner's death, she gets sold to a ruthless couple from New York. The mistress of the house has some serious anger issues and believes in strong discipline for her slaves and to make matters worse, Isabel's handicapped sister is sent away. Isabel meets up with a freed slave that fights for the American cause and he encourages her to spy on her new master who is identified as one of the leading Loyalists in New York.

Laurie Halse Anderson does an interesting job of taking the reader back and forth between what Isabel should do. She is torn between working for the American sympathizers for freedom or working for the British supporters for freedom. Both sides of the dilemma are presented in a believable way and I found myself changing my mind about what would happen at every turn.

I wasn't sure about this one as I was reading it, I thought it moved a little slow, but in looking back I realize now that the author does such a great job of developing a plot with so many twists and turns that it couldn't move any faster and be this good. Before you start, be warned it's just the first novel in the saga of Isabel. I wasn't aware of this when I started so I must admit I was a bit disappointed when the story didn't finish.

Interestingly, I saw a couple of reviews from middle school students who really enjoyed the book. So obviously there are kids out there who will enjoy this book. In my opinion it is for more of a middle school audience, so I'll continue to put Fever: 1793 in my students' hands.

Chains got 7 mentions according to the list at Fuse #8 the most of any title.

Independent Dames by Laure Halse Anderson

Fifth grade history teachers, you are going to love this book! One of the tough things about some of the history standards we had to teach was finding appropriate sources. We had to teach about the women's role in the American Revolution, and beyond Molly Pitcher, which I learned was a legend from this book, it was tough to find others.

Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Fever, another of my favorite historical fiction titles, has this new book illustrated by Matt Faulkner. So much information in so few pages. Each page spread discusses the different roles played by women in the fight for independence. Typical roles such as doing laundry, mending and sewing uniforms and non typical roles such as spying and posing as men and fighting. The author provides plenty of detailed examples of each and the illustrator provides colorful drawings with speech bubble depicting the "dames" in action. Kids are going to love the format, and I guarantee the teachers will learn right along with them.

Anderson includes the usual, Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, and Sybil Ludington. Also included are the unfamiliar Ann Bailey who enlisted under the name Samuel Gay in Massachusetts and reached the rank of corporal.

Who knew that at age 9 Susan Boudinot had her own "tea party" by dumping a cup of British tea out the window of the Royal Governor of New Jersey's mansion, and she didn't even hide behind an Mohawk Indian disguise!

Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman took forty warriors and delivered 600 baskets of food to the troops at Valley Forge and stayed behind to serve as a cook for General Washington, refusing payment.

These Independent Dames were heroes and this book is ABSOLUTELY a valuable resource to elementary history teachers.

More reviews at The Reading Zone, I.N.K., and Young Readers.