Book Bundle
Focus on Historical Fiction
In the first feature dedicated to book
reviews, this Book Bundle highlights reviews of historical fiction novels that can be utilized in upper elementary to middle school classrooms.
Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys, 2011
NY: Philomel Books.
- Appropriate grade level: 6th
- Independent reading level: 3.6
- Rating:
- Genre: Historical fiction
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a heart-wrenching historical novel that takes place in the 1940's during World War II. The story begins in Lithuania and chronicles the journey of Lina as she is transported from her home to a labor camp in the Soviet Union and ultimately to a prison camp in northern Siberia. Lina, a typical 15-year-old Lithuanian girl, is preparing to leave for art school when the Soviet secret police barge into her family's home and change all of their lives forever. Lina and her family are just a few of thousands of people deported from the Baltic states for crimes they did not commit. Throughout the novel, Lina and her fellow prisoners learn the true meaning of courage, hope, and love as they struggle to survive in the inhumane conditions of Siberian labor camps. This novel shows the battle of hatred and revenge versus love and forgiveness that was waged within the hearts of those who endured this travesty.
Ruta Sepetys wove a masterful story that kept my attention until the very end. She created characters that seemed to come to life through the pages. I found myself crying at the pain and tragedies the characters experienced, and I never ceased to be amazed at the joy and forgiveness they managed to find in the midst of such darkness. With Sepetys's exquisite writing, it would be difficult for students to not empathize with the characters, especially when they realize a majority of the characters' experiences are based on horrors that happened to real people.
While the novel's AR reading level is 3.6, the youngest age I would recommend read this book would be 6th grade. While Between Shades of Gray is an incredible literary work, it accurately portrays the atrocities that occurred during and after World War II, and some of the issues addressed may not be appropriate or necessary for younger students to learn about. I feel that this book would be an incredible resource beginning in the middle school years. Not only are the students more capable of understanding the magnitude of the tragic situations, but it would also connect well with any art, social studies, or language arts classes taught in these upper grades.
Love From Your Friend, Hannah
by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky, 1998
NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
- Appropriate grade level: 4th-6th
- Independent reading level: 5.3
- Rating:
- Genre: Historical fiction
Love From Your Friend, Hannah by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky is an excellent historical fiction novel that tells the riveting tale of a young girl named Hannah struggling to live both physically and socially during the Great Depression in the 1930's. Hannah and her parents manage and live in the back of the Grand View Restaurant in Grand View, New York. Besides trying to make ends meet during the Depression, Hannah is also distraught when her best friend Aggie moves away. Determined to find a dependable pen pal, Hannah begins writing to a boy named Edward
Reviewed by Beka Sharp, a junior elementary/middle school social sciences education major from Roach, MO
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