Historical fiction

From Read. Write. Think

The genre of historical fiction in the field of children’s literature includes stories that are written to portray a time period or convey information about a specific time period or an historical event. Usually the event or time period is about 30 years in the past. Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice, and Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Watsons go to Birmingham—1963 and Bud, Not Buddy. could have happened. Johnny Tremain, a 1944 Newbery Medal book. The primary setting is Boston in 1773. The book contains both real and fictional characters, real and fictional settings, and real and fictional events. The book is successful because of author Esther Forbes’s extensive historical research and knowledge of the time period and her skillful blending of history and fiction into a believable story.

Some well-known examples are Karen Cushman’s

In historical fiction, setting is the most important literary element. Because the author is writing about a particular time in history, the information about the time period must be accurate, authentic, or both. To create accurate and authentic settings in their books, authors must research the time period thoroughly. They must know how people lived, what they ate, what kinds of homes they had, and what artifacts were a common part of their lives.

Historical fiction books—whether they are picture books, transitional books, or novels—may have characters who are either imaginary or who actually lived during the time period. Settings also may be real or imaginary. The plot events may be documented historical events or they may be fictional. If they are fictional, it means that the author created the events for the telling of the story. The fictional characters, settings, and plot events must be portrayed authentically as if they actually

Booktalk Styles

A good booktalk should be like a movie trailer:

show just enough to get the reader hooked.

Don’t give away the ending!

1.     First person- Do the entire booktalk in the first person to show the point-of-view of the main character. Change your voice and speech patterns.

2.     Cliffhanger- The classic: when describing the plot, stop at a very exciting part to hook the audience.

3.     Questions- Build the entire booktalk around a series of “what if” questions.

4.     Quotations- Include a passage from the text that sets the stage for the story.

5.     Style- Recreate the style or mood of the book. This works well with science fiction, poetry and horror.

6.     Ripped From the Headlines: Relate the book to a current event of local news story.

7.     Now Playing: Link a book with a hot movie or another popular book with a similar theme or setting.

8.     The Scene Stealer: If one memorable scene surprises you, horrifies you, or makes you laugh hysterically, then try this angle. Variations include:

·        Action, Action- Tell about the most risky, frightening, or ridiculous thing a character does.

·        The Shocker- Cut to the chase: jump right into the most shocking incident.

·        You Disgust Me- Is there any scene that makes you pale/or inspire nausea? Use it.



Social Studies

Here is a general list of the social studies topics covered K-12.

901 Week 5

Holidays- are taught with greater depth each year

January- Martin Luther King, Chinese New Year

February- Black History Month, Presidents, Mardi gras

March- Women’s History Month, St. Patrick’s Day

April- Earth Day

May- Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day

June- Flag Day, Father’s Day

Sept- 9/11, Hispanic Heritage Month, Constitution Day (9/12)

October- Halloween, Day of the Dead, Fire Safety

November- Election Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving

December- Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan

K:      My neighborhood, my family

1^:            My community, school community- black lagoon series

Families in all cultures, Now and Long Ago, local region, needs and wants- red racer, US Flag

2:       US Communities- rural, urban and suburban communities, maps, monuments

3:       Communities around the world, calendars, countries, time lines, natural resources, earth’s continents and oceans, monuments

4:       Local history and government, explorers encounter America, native Americans of New York, Colony of NY- lifestyles, daily activities, folklore, revolutionary war in NYS, Bill of Rights, Jamestown, Roanoke

5:       US, Canada and Latin America- geographic, economic, social and cultural understanding, state reports, westward expansion, civil war, statue of liberty

6:       Eastern Hemisphere- Ancients Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece and Rome, Religions and belief systems of- Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity. Middle Ages, Renaissance achievements, Holocaust (genocide), supply and demand, United Nations, Human Rights

7:       Mayan, Aztec, Incan culture, Iroquoian and Algonquian culture, European exploration and colonization of the Americas, Colonies- life like in the colonies, Salem witchcraft trials, causes of the American revolution, articles of confederation, constitution, life in the new nation, age of Jackson, causes of the civil war, slavery

8:       Civil War, Industrial Society, city slums, child labor, immigration, cowboys and the west, Progressive movement (1900-1920), muckrakers, Spanish-American war, WWI, roaring twenties, great depression, WWII, Holocaust, Cold War, Vietnam War

9:       Ancient World- Civilizations and Religions

10:     England’s history- Korean War, Chinese Communist Revolution,

11:     US History and Government

12:     Economics, Participation in Government -pig

Coretta Scott King Award

The Coretta Scott King Book Award- is given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, that promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream. The award is designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace.

• Presented annually
•   Must portray some aspect of the African American experience, past, present, or future
• Must be written for a youth audience in one of the three categories: Preschool–grade 4, Grades 5–8, Grades 9–12
  
  The Bat Boy and His Violin written by Gavin Curtis and illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Grades K-3
  Reginald is more interested in practicing his violin than in his father's job managing the worst team in the Negro Leagues, but when Papa makes him the bat boy and his music begins to lead the team to victory, Papa realizes the value of his son's passion.
  
  
  
  The Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper. Grades 7 and up
  Sixteen-year-old Jericho is excited when he and his cousin, Josh, are invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school. Just being a pledge wins him the attention of Arielle, whom he's been too shy even to talk to before now. But as the secret initiation rites grow increasingly humiliating and force Jericho to make painful choices, he starts to question whether membership in the Warriors of Distinction is worth it.
  
  
  
  Copper Sun  by Sharon Draper. Grades 8 and up.
  Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves. This book is taught in our 7^th grade honors classes.
  
  
  
  Ellington Was Not a Street  by Ntozake Shange and illustrated by A. Nelson. Grades 3-8
  A beautifully illustrated poem in which Ntozake Shange recalls her childhood growing up in the company W.E.B. Du Bois, Dizzy Gillespie, and other great African-American men who were instrumental in changing American culture and society
  
  
  
  Money-Hungry by Sharon G. Flake. Grades 5-8
  All thirteen-year-old Raspberry can think of is making money so that she and her mother never have to worry about living on the streets again.
  
  
  
  The People Could Fly: The Picture Book By Leo and Diane Dillon. Grades 5-8
  A retelling of twenty-four African-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom.
  
  Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Grades 5-8
   An African-American family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand. This sequel of the 1977 Newbery Medal, Let the Circle be Unbroken, can be read as a stand-alone.
  
  
  
  Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier. Grades 3-6
  This is an illustrated account of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, and the subsequent bus boycott by the black community. 
  
  
  
  Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. Grades K-3
  The book recounts the dream adventures of eight-year-old Cassie, who flies above her apartment rooftop looking down on 1939 Harlem. This stunningly beautiful book was originally created as a story quilt.
  
  
  
  Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys written by Elizabeth Fitzgerald and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Grades 1-4
  In the post-Civil War South, a young African American girl is determined to prove that she can go to school just like her older brothers.
  
  
  
  Who Am I without Him? Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives by Sharon G. Flake. Grades 6 and up
  A collection of stories about girls trying to define themselves while struggling to remain relevant to the boys in their lives.
  
  Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and  T.R. Simon. Grades 5-8
  A fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston's childhood with her best friend Carrie, in Eatonville, Florida, as they learn about life, death, and the differences between truth, and pretending.

Selecting multicultural books

Please read this short article:
http://www.4children.org/issues/1997/september_october/beyond_good_intentions_selecting_multicultural_literature/

Multicultural chick-lit

Abdel-Fattah, Randa.

Does My Head Look Big in This? Grades 8 and up

At the start of the new semester at her elite prep school sixteen-year-old Amal Abdel-Hakim decides to wear a hijab, the Muslim head scarf, to show her dedication to the Muslim faith to the surprise of her supportive family and friends.

Alegria, Malin.

Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico. Grades 9 and up

During the Memorial Day weekend seventeen-year-old Sofie Mendoza sneaks across the border with her friends to attend a house party in Tijuana, Mexico. After the wild party Sofie is denied re-entry into California because her documents are false and she is temporally forced to live with her Aunt Luisa while her immigrant parents try to find a legal way to send Sofie back.

Daswani, Kavita.

Indie Girl. Grades 8 and up

After not getting a summer internship at the magazine Celebrity Style, sixteen-year-old Indria “Indie” Konkipuddi goes against her Indian-American parent’s wishes and agrees to baby-sit the editor, Aaralyn Taylor’s toddler. Indie gets closer to her dream of becoming a fashion reporter when she discovers information that could help save the struggling magazine.

Davidson, Dana.

Played. Grades 9 and up

To secure his place in an exclusive fraternity Ian Striver, one of the biggest players at Cross High School has three weeks to seduce Kylie Winship, a plain but sweet junior. After Ian wins the challenge he confesses that he is really in love with Kylie. 

Dhami, Narinder.

Bindi Babes. Grades 6-9

When their meddling aunt moves in from India, Geena, Amber and Jazz Dillion team up to marry her off. After the match making fails the sisters break their unspoken agreement not to discuss their mother and with help of their aunt the entire family starts the healing process.   

Goldschmidt, Judy.

The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez. Grades 6-8

After moving to Philadelphia, twelve-year-old Raisin Rodriguez keeps a private blog to keep in touch with her two best friends. When Raisin forgets to logout at Franklin Academy, her secrets about trying to fit in are revealed to the entire school.

Hayden.

A Matter of Attitude. Grades 8 and up

Fashionable fifteen-year-old Angela Jenkins is so desperate to become a designer that she agrees to pay Shayla Mercer to make sure that Angela is elected Kressler High’s director of the holiday fashion show.

Martinez Wood, Jamie.

Rogelia's House of Magic. Grades 7- 10

In Southern California fourteen-year-old Marina Peralta, Fernando Fuego and Xochitil Garcia grow closer while they learn how to control their psychic powers from Xochitil’s grandmother Rogelia Garcia who is traditional Mexican healer.

Mo'Nique.

Beacon Hills High. Grades 7- 10

After getting into Millwood High with her three best friends thirteen-year-old Eboni Michelle Imes is nervous to start over in Los Angeles where big girls don’t exactly fit in. However, Eboni quickly makes new friends at her prestigious school and even runs for student council president against one the most popular girls in her class.

Na, An.

The Fold. Grades 7- 10

During the summer before her senior year of high school Joyce Kim’s Aunt Gomo offers to pay for eyelid surgery to make Joyce look more American and perhaps as attractive as her older sister Helen.

Osa, Nancy.

Cuba 15. Grades 6 and up

Despite growing up in family that pumps with Cuban pride Violet Paz agrees to have a  Quinceañero as long as she can change certain parts of the traditional ceremony.

Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa.

Haters. Grades 9 and up

Sixteen-year-old Pasquala “Paski” Archuleta struggles to fit in at her new school in Orange County California while having physic visions about the reigning queen bee, Jessica Nguyen, who she competes against in the regional mountain bike race.

Multiculturalism history in children's literature

·       

Multiculturalism is a set of beliefs based on the importance of seeing the world from different cultural frames of reference and on recognizing and valuing the rich array of cultures within a nation and within the global community” (Parkay & Stanford, Becoming a Teacher.  2004, p. 244).

·        Undeniably, this concept is critical in the classroom.  Students need to view and understand the world from multiple perspectives.

·        Multicultural children’s literature is an effective way to explore the goals and ideals of   multiculturalism this is where librarians can help.

·        Multicultural Literature is defined as literature about racial or ethnic minority groups that are culturally and socially different from the white Anglo-Saxon majority in the US whose largely middle-class values are most represented in American Literature. (Donna Norton, Through the Eyes of a Child: an introduction to children’s literature)

·        In 1992, Rudine Sims Bishop wrote an article “Multicultural Literature for Children: Making Informed Choices.”  In it the author points out that “the percentage of books about people of color continues to hover between one and two percent, but as the numbers of children’s books have increased, so has the quantity of multicultural literature.

Benefits of Multicultural literature in the library include:

·        ML puts emphasize cultural equality and respect

·        Through ML children who are members of a racial or ethnic minority  groups realize that they have a cultural heritage of which they can be proud.

·        This pride helps improve their self-perception and develop cultural identity

·        Learning about other cultures allows children to understand that people who belong to racial or ethnic groups other than their own are real people with, feelings emotions and needs similar to their own.

·        ML broadens understanding of history and geography,

·        ML works as bibliotherapy to cope with issues of abandonment, neglect, being bullied

History of Early Multicultural Books: The Snowy Day and Stevie marks the beginning of the movement for multicultural themes in the children’s literature hemisphere. 

          The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962) is often regarded as the first book to break the barrier into multicultural children’s literature.  This Caldecott Medal picture book shows an African American child as the story’s protagonist that was inspired by a photograph in Life magazine, Keats asserts that the protagonist, Peter, is an ordinary child that many other children can relate. Because the story does not focus on race, it considered culturally neutral- the Black characters seemed exactly like Whites, they were accepted as ‘ universal’

          Seven years later, Stevie by John Steptoe (1969) represents African Americans culture on a more specific level. In the story, a young boy, Stevie, stays with his family while his mother goes to work during the week.  The dialect in the story alludes to aspects of African American culture because the g’s in words are dropped and slang is used. 

          Since The Snowy Day and Stevie hit circulation in the 1960s, the market for multicultural children’s literature has grown significantly.  Many other cultures are represented in literature whereas these two groundbreaking books solely reflect African American culture. 

·        Currently, there is a dilemma in multicultural children’s literature concerning cultural authenticity. The debate focuses on the following question: Can authors write a book that portrays a culture other than their own? 

·        Thelma Seto (1995) writes one of the most direct assaults of this issue in her article “Multiculturalism Is Not Halloween.”  She argues “it is morally wrong for Euro-American writers to ‘steal’ from other cultures in order to jump on the multicultural bandwagon, unless they have direct, personal experience in the country where that culture originates – more than simply being a tourist or doing research in the library” (p. 93).  She compares authors who do this to Halloween as they are temporarily masking their true cultural identity. 

·        Jacqueline Woodson (1998) writes in her article: “Who Can Tell My Story?”  “Some say there is a move by people of color to keep whites from writing about us, but this isn’t true.  This movement isn’t about white people; it’s about people of color.  We want the change to tell our own stories, to tell them honestly and openly” (p. 45).  Although she poses a solid argument in that passage, her article contradicts one key factor in the debate.  She explains that she has a unique story and that no one but she should be allowed to tell that story, but as a black author she writes stories involving white characters and situations that have never happened to her directly. 

 ·        When evaluating multicultural children’s books ask yourself: “Does the literature display sensitivity to the concerns of the culture portrayed?” “Do they show variety in physical features among the people of any one group, or do they all look alike?"