Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4^-8. These titles, part of the Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs series, attempt to introduce readers to the first-person accounts of actual Americans. Forten, a 16-year-old African American living in Massachusetts, describes her schooling, her participation in the antislavery movement, and her reactions to the capture and return of a fugitive slave. Richards, a 10-year-old living in western New York state, discusses her family and school life, daily activities in a small town, and her reactions to the burgeoning women's rights movement. Both volumes begin with an introduction explaining primary sources, and provide numerous sidebars that clarify terms or topics and offer related projects. The format, with many illustrations, is pleasing, and the use of two colors for the text clearly separates the primary material from the commentary. These are tailor-made for history lessons or creative writing classes exploring the diary form. For more titles, see the Series Roundup. --Kay Weisman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-These selected excerpts from diaries capture the daily lives, events, and emotions of three young people who lived through the turbulent years before or during the Civil War. Introductory overviews are followed by portions of the individuals' diaries, interspersed with informative sidebars and insets, sepia-tinted photographs and full-color reproductions, a craft or cooking activity, and an abbreviated time line. Younger readers will identify most closely with Berry's words in A Confederate Girl because of her age (10) and writing style. Bircher's diary chronicles his life at the age of 15 while Forten's journal begins when she was 16. Whether chosen for assignment use or personal reading, these volumes will hold the interest of youngsters and help them understand and identify with the events, places, and people in history. Additionally, they will give students experience with primary-source materials and expand the portraits of young people as presented in such works as Jim Murphy's The Boys' War (Clarion, 1990) and Candice Ransom's Children of the Civil War (Carolrhoda, 1998).-Janie Schomberg, Leal Elementary School, Urbana, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
These volumes present actual diary entries by eighteenth- or nineteenth-century American children, although the quality of writing varies according to the author's age and education. Sidebars offer background information, craft activities, and recipes. The books are illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, historical engravings, and reproductions. Time lines and websites are included. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
