William Penn, Founder of Pennyslvania

William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania by Barbara Somerville is readable biography of Pennsylvania's founder. The book contains short chapters about Penn's life. Side bars contain additional information about the times and places in the account. Fascinating tidbits of information keep the history from dragging and paintings and photos add to the book's interest.

There are many biographies on Penn's life but this is one of the best I've found for the elementary student.

Aaron's Civil War

Aaron's Civil War by Romaine Stouffer is a true story of a young man facing the turbulent times of the American Civil War. Like every youth, Aaron confronted the question of whether he will accept the things his parents have taught him or choose his own path.

I don't know in which category to place this book. If I say that Aaron's Civil War is non-fiction, you may write it off as a  boring history. If I say that it is historical fiction, you may think that it is a romanticized story set in a historical setting. This book is neither.

Aaron's choice to chase the adventure and glory of war were in contrast to his Mennonite upbringing which taught him that taking human life was wrong. Aaron thought that enlisting in the army would be a quick way to make money and become a hero, but the horrors of war quickly brought regrets. The book chronicles Aaron's inner turmoil to find peace with God.

The author thoroughly researched the time period and extensively footnoted the book. The farming practices in rural Pennsylvania in the 1800's and the battles in Virginia that Aaron participated in are described in detail. A few fictionalized characters are added to supply detail but the book is true to the known facts of Aaron's life and the times he lived.

If you enjoy Civil War history, if you enjoy a well written story, if you are a youth struggling with your own personal civil war - read Aaron's Civil War. It is available from Christian Light Publications.

Jared's Island

Shipwreck, pirate treasure, camping with the Indians - Jared's Island  contains all the adventure a boy (or girl) can ask for.

I love the way Marguerite de Angeli combines a good story with a historical time period and was surprised to find one of her books I had never read. I've said that an elementary child could get a good overview of Pennsylvania history just by reading De Angeli's books. All her books are combined with her beautiful illustrations which make the story come alive.

Jared's Island  does not take place in Pennsylvania but on the Jersey shore. I chose to include a review of this book, not just because we loved it but because of all the facets that do describe life in Pennsylvania.

Jared shipwrecked while his shipped searched for pirates, a problem colonial Pennsylvania also battled. He was rescued by a Quaker fisherman and the book contains description of a Quaker meeting. When Jared went searching for pirate treasure, he met the Lenape Indians and lived with them for a time. The Lenape were called "Delaware" by the English and were the Indians around Philadelphia in Penn's time.

For a fun, fascinating story from colonial America, read Jared's Island. I believe it is out of print but there are still used copies available.

Visiting Johnstown

After our book club read The Johnstown Flood, we decided to visit Johnstown, instead of our regular book club meeting. Nothing beats seeing first hand, the location of a historical event.

There is two museums about the Johnstown Flood and we visited both of them. Both were informative. There was some repeat of information but both also covered items that the other did not.

If we could have only went to one museum, I would have chosen the Johnstown Flood National Memorial operated by the national park service. The Memorial is located at the dam at the site of the dam caretaker's farm. The park service did an excellent job in designing a building that blends with the farm and does not detract from the dam site.

My favorite display at the Memorial was of Victor Heiser, who escaped the flood on a floating roof. Included was his interview as an old man with David McCullough.

The video depicting the flood was well done, but in my opinion would have been too graphic for children.

The second museum, The Johnstown Flood Museum, is located in Johnstown, just down from the stone bridge where much of the worse damage occurred. The museum includes a relief map which helps picture the events on May 31, 1889 and where they occurred.

The Museum contained information on the rebuilding efforts and several of the other floods in Johnstown.  An Oklahoma house was part of the tour. The Museum itself is a Carnegie library which includes a gymnasium on the upper floor.

Since we had all read "the book," much of the two museums information was merely review. There is no way they could cover the detail of a 260 page book. But the seeing the setting and location of the flood helped us to understand the catastrophe better.

The Johnstown Flood

One of the most famous natural disasters in America, the flood of 1889 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania has been remembered by film and books for over a hundred years.

In The Johnstown Flood, David McCullough brings his love of research and detail, while weaving a riveting account of the people and events surrounding the bursting of the South Fork dam. Hardworking families, wealthy steel tycoons, ignored warnings, and tragic deaths combine in a readable volume.

My husband enjoyed this book enough to choose it for our book club to read. Many in the book club do not particularly care for history and this book was a challenge but they gamely joined in reading, The Johnstown Flood. We even took a field trip to Johnstown to see the setting of the book, but that is topic for another post.

If a good book leaves a reader hungry to learn more, then this one wins. Now I want to learn more about the Pennsylvania's coal industry, Andrew Carnegie and his steel crowd, and Clara Barton.

I wrote another view of The Johnstown Flood here.

Saving the Liberty Bell

Saving the Liberty Bell is based on a true story, told from the perspective of a young Pennsylvanian. The British will soon enter the city of Philadelphia and a few country farmers are asked to save the city's bells, including it's most famous.  

An easy to read book, Saving the Liberty Bell is a fun introduction to an little known event during the Revolution. 

Returning...

For the past months, I've been buried in medieval times, reading books about knights and castles.

But I'm emerging from the Dark Ages and hope to visit Pennsylvania history again.