Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

Brothers, E. L., Gillan, L. R., etc. (Producer), & Rozema, P. (Director).  (2008).  Kit Kittredge: An American Girl [Motion Picture].  United States of America: HBO Films. 

Plot description:

The movie begins May 2, 1932.  Kit wants to be a reporter and has been taking stories to the local newspaper since she was ten.  Several homeless children, Will and Contee, show up at Kit’s house and ask Mom if they can perform work in exchange for food; Mom tells them to come back in the morning but gives them some food as they leave.  One day, Kit and Ruthie see Kit’s dad at the soup kitchen where they are volunteering.  Later that night, Dad explains how the bank took his car dealership and the cars, yet reassures his family that they will be alright.  Later on, Ruthie’s house is robbed; many people believe Will robbed the house, yet Kit doesn’t believe Will would steal.  How will Kit and her family get through the depression, and will Kit discover the real person who robbed Ruthie’s house?

Brief Review: 

I greatly enjoyed this movie.  I liked how the movie ties in classical items, like the world’s fair.  The movie not only portrays the historical events and conditions at the time, but it also highlights values that are important in today’s society, including those surrounding friends and family.  This movie also shows how one should always have hope and to never give up on dreams, even in the direst circumstances.  Furthermore, the movie contains great music that complimented the story.  It seems to fit the time period, which adds much to the feel of the film.  All in all, I feel this was a well-rounded film that would entertain many young girls.

Genre Label:

Based on Book; Movie, Great Depression- Historical Fiction;

Interest Level: 

4^th – 6^th grade; story has a life lesson for everyone though

Similar Items:

American Girl series movies and books

Leah’s Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich

The War Within: A Novel of the Civil War

Bibliographic information: 

Matas, Carol.  The War Within: A Novel of the Civil War. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001, p. 151. 

Brief plot description:

The War Within takes place in Mississippi during December 1862 and January 1863.  Hannah begins the story on the first night of Chanukah where Joanna has invited two Yankee soldiers to join them even though the family is Confederate.  One of the men Captain Mazer is a Jew and Joanna really likes him.  That night the Captain tells the family that General Grant has made a law that states that all Jews must leave the Confederate states, but Captain Mazer promises that they will be safe.  Eugenia and Hannah plan a party where they invite the Yankee soldiers in hopes of getting them drunk before a fight with the Confederates.  The Confederate Army burns the Yankee supplies, but the fire threatens Hannah’s home.  After they return home, they are informed that they must leave and go to Cairo, Illinois.  What will happen to them along the way?  Will their story end happily?        

Brief review:

I like the format of the book because it is written in a diary form.  One confusing part is that the story starts in what seems like the prologue but should be a dated entry in the diary.  I believe that this book would be great to use during a Civil War unit because it shows how a little common thread could lead to a whole family changing their view of the war.  It also does a really good job of telling what happened to another group of people that were singled out.  I never knew that the Jews were told to leave the south by General Grant.  With this different view some people could come to the conclusion that both sides of the war discriminated against their fellow citizens.  Overall, I really liked this book because of the historical information.   

Genre label:

Historical Fiction, Jewish

Reading level/interest level:

5^th-8^th grade

Character names/descriptions:

Hannah – 13 years old, Jewish, southern lady

Joanna- Hannah’s sister

Simon- Hannah’s brother, in army

Leon- Hannah’s brother, in army

David- Hannah’s brother, at home

Henry- Hannah’s brother, at home

Jule- Hannah’s personal servant

Father- Chief Commissary for the Confederate Army

Wife- Holding down the general store

Eugenia- Hannah’s friend

Miss Douglas- Hannah’s teacher

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Torn Thread by Ann Isaacs

Amelia’s War by Ann Rinaldi

Sarny: A Life Remembered by Gary Paulsen

Bright Freedom’s Song: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Gloria McLendon Houston

Awards:

Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library

Sydney Taylor Honour Book

Geoffrey Bilson Honour Book

Finalist, McNally Robinson Book for Young People

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award

Finalist, Lamplighter Award

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Bibliographic information:

Hopkinson, Deborah.  Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt.  Borzoi Book, 1993, illus. Ransome, James, p. 34.

Brief plot description:

Sweet Clara, the main character, lives on a slave plantation where she picks cotton.  The other slaves are worried about how hard Clara is working and how it will affect her health.  Aunt Rachel works in the Big House, and starts to teach Clara how to sew with great care so that she could become a seamstress for the master’s wife.  Clara sews several things and Aunt Rachel shows her sewing to the master’s wife.  Missus like her work and tells her she is working in the  Big House.  From the leftover pieces she makes a quilt that turns out to be a map because she hears stories about how slaves are using the Underground Railroad to escape from slavery.  Clara remembers the map and she and Jack escape across the Ohio River.  Clara leaves the quilt at Aunt Rachel’s house so that many other slaves can escape. 

Brief review:

I liked this book very much because it shows one girl’s determination to escape slave life and to become free.  It also shows that she is not selfish because she leaves her quilt behind for others to follow to freedom.  I believe this is the main idea that the children should get from this book.  I think that the book could be use starting in second grade and ending in fifth grade.  It would be read by the youngest tweens.  I would suggest using it during Black History month or when talking about slavery.  I really liked the illustrations because they do a wonderful job of showing the characters in the life of slavery. 

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

4^th- 5^th grade

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Abraham’s Battle: A Novel of Gettysburg by Sarah Harrell Banks

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Subjects/themes:

Black History Month

Slavery

Awards:

Reading Rainbow Review Books

Texas Bluebonnet Master List

Kentucky Bluegrass Master List

IRA Children’s Book Award for Younger Readers

The Barn

Bibliographic information: 

Avi.  The Barn.  Avon Books, 1994,  p. 106. 

Brief plot description:

Benjamin has been at a school in Portland.  His father has an accident and he must return home to help on the farm in Willamette Valley, Oregon Territory.  His father is suffering from palsy and the doctor told them he is bad off.  Nettie and Harrison do the field work on the 320 acres while Benjamin takes care of their father.  Ben asks him a question and tells him to respond by closing his eyes which he does.  This simple movement brings hope to Benjamin and his brother and sister.  When they ask father about building a barn he responds with a yes.  The three of them begin the preparation for the barn.  Building the barn actually takes more than a week.  What will happen to the family, especially father?    

Brief review:

I believe that this book is very moving and that it tells of the hardships one faces while living in Oregon Territory during that time.  I think that this book could be read by fourth through fifth grade.  I would use it when talking about expansion or when talking about farming.  I believe that the idea that children should get from this book is that you should not give up on a person that is dying because they are still there and they can hear what goes on around them.  I really enjoyed this book because it talks about the hardships that families faced in the territories.   

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

4^th- 5^th grades

Subjects/themes:

Hardships

Oregon Territory

Character names/descriptions:

Benjamin – nine years old

Nettie - fifteen years old; Benjamin’s sister

Harrison- thirteen years old; Benjamin’s brother

Tod Buckman- proposed to Nettie

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O’Dell

Hard Gold: the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859

Awards:

ALA Notable

IRA Teacher’s Choice

Bank Street Children’s Books of the year, “outstanding”

American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists

New York Public Library, Best Books of the Year

Booklist, Best Books of the Year

Editor’s Choice, Booklist

CCBC Choice

VOYA Outstanding Book

ABC Children’s Booksellers’ Choice

The Journal of Finn Reardon: A Newsie New York City, 1899

Bibliographic information: 

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.  The Journal of Finn Reardon: A Newsie New York City, 1899.  Scholastic, Inc, 2003, p. 156.

Brief plot description:

Have you ever heard the story of the Newsies?  Finn goes to school during the day and goes to Newspaper Row afterward to get the Evening Journal to sell.  He says that he doesn’t cheat his customers like some other newsies do.  Finn feels that Racetrack, his best friend, is his brother since he only has sisters.  In a good week he can make about $1.20.  The family still has problems with money and is forced to move.  A house fire breaks out down the road due to a change in gas.   Finn lies that the fire is in the paper, but is caught.  Mr. Jack Watkins, a freelance reporter, who had written the story for the Journal.  Finn then tells Mr. Watkins about the newsie’s strike which has come up because they are being cheated papers.  What will become of the strike?  What will become of Finn Reardon?      

Brief review:

I like this book because it tells the story of a boy that believed that he was not being treated fairly and that to change it he had to do something.  I think that the main idea is to stick up for what you believe in and to help your family when needed.  I think that the book could be read by fifth through eighth grade on an individual read.  I think that the book could be used when discussing children working during old times, workers being treated unfairly by employers, and the history of newsies.  This book is a great resource because of the historical note, photographs, author notes, and acknowledgments included.  They provide the reader with more information. 

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

5^th-8^th grade

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, A Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 by Kathryn

The Traitor: Gold Mountain Chronicles: 1885 by Laurence Yep

Shades of Gray

Bibliographic information: 

Reeder, Carolyn.  Shades of Gray.  Avon Books, 1989, p. 165.

Brief plot description:

Shades of Gray is about a boy named Will Page who lives in Virginia during the Civil War.  His family supports the Confederacy.  Will’s family faces some hardships that send Will to live with his aunt’s family.  He takes three very important things with him including the family Bible.  Her family has decided to stay out of the war which doesn’t make Will happy and doesn’t have much money.  While living with his aunt, Will has to pull his own weight with the upkeep of the house including checking the trap lines.  The town does not believe that Uncle Jed was right about not fighting, but they ask him to help fix the mill.  Finally Will realizes that he respects his Uncle even if he hadn’t fought.  What happens when a Yank comes to the house?  Will Will find a place with his aunt’s family?

Brief review:

I really liked this story because it tells of a family’s difficult time after the Civil War.  It also shows how a boy can realize the true meaning of the Civil War was fighting for what one believed in and that not fighting was not wrong.  This is the main idea that students should get out of this book.  They should also get that everyone suffered from the Civil War.  Shades of Gray can be used in fifth through seventh grades.  I would use it when talking about the Civil War or any other war.  I really liked this story because I am interested in learning about the Civil War, and how it affected the families of both sides.    

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

5^th -7^th grade

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

A Ballad of the Civil War by Mary Stolz

The Journal of Rufus Rowe: A Witness to the Battle of Fredericksburg: Bowling Green, Virginia, 1862 by Sid Hite

Sound of Jubilee by Sandra Forrester

Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Subjects/themes:

Civil War

Family

Awards:

ALA Notable Children’s Book

Scott O’Dell Award

Bank Street Children’s Book Award

IRA Young Adults’ Choices

Character names/descriptions:

Will Page

Father

Mom

Brother

Sister

Sister

Fred - Will’s family slave

Lizzy- Will’s family slave

Callie- Will’s family slave

Aunt Ella

Uncle Jed

Meg- cousin

Beth- cousin

Sam- cousin

Enos- cousin

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Bibliographic information: 

MacLachlan, Patricia.  Sarah, Plain and Tall.  Harper Trophy, 1987.  p. 64.

Brief plot description:

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a story about a family living on the prairie, a widow and his two children.  Jacob receives a letter from Sarah who saw an ad in the newspaper from Jacob for a wife.  The family wants Sarah to come and live with them so they each write her a letter.  Jacob goes into town to get Sarah, and Sarah brings gifts for the children.  They show Sarah around the farm.  Sarah tells the children that she wants to learn how to ride a horse and drive a wagon which the children see as her wanting to leave.  A storm comes and they hide in the barn, but Sarah goes back out to save the chickens.  Sarah goes into town, and the children become worried that she won’t come back.  Will Sarah stay or will see leave the family? 

Brief review:

I believe that Sarah, Plain and Tall could be used for the grades of fourth through sixth.  With these students the book could be used in a prairie unit or in a family unit.  In the prairie unit it could be used as a way to show how men put ads in the paper to get a wife. It also gives a realistic picture of life of the prairie.  For a family unit the book could be used to show how a family reacts to another parent joining the family.  The main idea is that one can accept a new parent into the family even if they loved their past parent.  Although the book is not long it addresses some serious issues in a straightforward manner that students can relate to even with the prairie setting.  I felt that this book was very good because of the emphasis it places on the family.   

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

4^th- 6^th grade

Character names/descriptions:

Jacob - father

Anna - oldest child of Jacob

Caleb - youngest of Jacob’s children

Sarah - a mail order bride 

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Skylark, Caleb’s Story, More Perfect Than the Moon, and Grandfather’s Dance by Patricia MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall Series)

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Fine Start: Meg’s Prairie Diary, Book 3: Kansas, 1856 by Kate McMullan

Subjects/themes:

Prairie life

Awards:

Newbery Award

New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year

ALA Booklist “Best of the 80s”

Garden State Children’s Book Award, New Jersey

Charlie May Simon Book Award, Arkansas

Christopher Award

Number the Stars

Bibliographic information: 

Lowry, Lois.  Number the Stars.  Yearling Book, 1989,  p. 137.

Brief plot description:

Number the Stars takes place during the Holocaust in Denmark in the village of Copenhagen.  In the story there is the Johansen family that includes Lise, Annemarie, and Kristi.  The town of Copenhagen has a curfew of eight o’clock since the Germans have been there for the past three years.  Peter brings news that many Jewish shops are being closed down by the Germans.  The Rosen family is Jewish, and Ellen comes to live with the Johansen’s to be safe.  Peter takes her parents somewhere else to be safe.  The families then meet at Uncle Henrik’s house.  What happens while they are at Uncle Henrik’s house?  Will the families survive the war?

Brief review:

I really enjoyed this story because it shows how a family overcomes a war to help a family in trouble.  I believe that this book could be used in a fourth through eighth grade class.  In these grades it could be used when discussing World War II or the Jewish culture.  The book illustrates the sacrifices some people are willing to make in order to overcome injustice and evil.  I believe that the main idea of Number the Stars is that one should never discriminate against another and that if someone is discriminating against others that you should step up and help them fight.  I really enjoyed this book because I enjoy reading things about war and the way the Jews were treated during the Holocaust.

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level:

4^th- 8^th grade

Character names/descriptions:

Lise Johansen– eldest, not Jewish

Annemarie Johansen- 10 years old, middle child, not Jewish

Kristi Johansen- youngest who is in kindergarten, not Jewish

Uncle Henrik – lives on water overlooking Sweden

Ellen Rosen- Annemarie’s friend; Jewish

Peter Neilse - Lise’s finance

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Jacob’s Rescue: A Holocaust Story by Malka Drucker

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Behind the Bedroom Wall by Laura Williams

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Subjects/themes:

World War II, Jewish culture

  

Awards:

Newbery Award

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

ALA Notable Children’s Book

Maine Student Book Award

Kentucky Bluegrass Master List

Kansas William White Master List

Sydney Taylor Book Award, Association of Jewish Libraries

Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List

The River Between Us

Bibliographic information: 
Peck, Richard.  The River Between Us.  Scholastic Inc, 2003, p. 164.

Brief plot description:
The River Between Us starts out with a look at 1916.  The reader is introduced to Howard Leland Hutchings who is traveling with his father and two twin brothers.  The family is headed for Grand Tower, Illinois to see some family members.  The story then goes back in time to 1861 and the time of the Civil War.  The main characters are Cass, Tilly, Noah, and Mama, the Pruitt’s.  Tilly’s dad is a river man who has not come home for some time.  The town that they live in is in the midst of the Civil War because it sits on the Mississippi River.  Some special guests arrive in town, Delphine Duval who is well dressed and Calinda a black girl.  The Battle of Bull Run leads the town to join the side of the Yankees.  Will Noah decide to join the fight?  Who really are Delphine and Calinda?

Brief review:

This story is set-up in a different way than most stories.  It begins in the present and then goes to the past and then back to the present.  The book ends with A Note on the Story where the author tells the reader about how he got his information.  Throughout the story there are signs of Southern Illinois dialect, for example, et and Paw.  Since Delphine is from New Orleans there is a great deal of French spoken.  Illinois students would enjoy reading this book because there are several cities mentioned that they have probably heard of including Cairo and Quincy.  In the book are also some songs of the time.  This could be used when talking about the Civil War, the effect of war on families, the effect of racism on society, or different dialects/languages. 

Genre label:

Historical Fiction

Reading level/interest level: 
Sixth through Eighth grade; some concepts may need to be discussed

Similar materials in style content, theme or characters:

Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi

A Ballad of the Civil War by Mary Stolz and illustrated by Sergio Martinez

           

Subjects/themes:

Civil War, history, mystery, racism, family

Awards:

Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
National Book Award: Finalist

ALA Notable Book

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Riverbank Review Children’s Books of Distinction

Booklist Editor’s Choice

NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

IRA Book Award

Book Sense 76 Top Ten Selection

Parents’ Choice Award

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