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About Peacefield History

Peacefield History is filled with all topics teaching and history related. Follow me for trends in education, teacher tech tips, history related reading, and other more general musings.

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allisonreadshistory

You didn't think I would pass this book by, did yo

You didn't think I would pass this book by, did you? I mean, it's by the famous @toocoolformiddleschool. Meghan is well known in the Instagram world for her incredible insights into teaching and history, her books reviews, her adorable son Jenson, and her always well manicured nails. I've been a fan of hers for a LONG time. 😬 💅🏻⁠
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I originally read this book in the spring - before it was even released! I was sent a copy so that I could write a quick blurb for promotion. The thing was, I had to fit my review within one to two sentences! I freaked out! I was still teaching hybrid, and my pandemic brain was not functioning. After reading it cover to cover, I sent off a pathetic and generic sentence to the publishers as my brain just couldn't generate anything better at that point in time. The sentence appears right at the top of the reviews on Amazon and I just cringe that it exists. ⁠
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Therefore, I now submit my real review for consideration. At least this one will appear on my website? ⁠
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Meghan's book is perfect for kids in the middle grade level who might be curious about these individuals. It's also great for a teacher to utilize sections in the classroom. My favorite part of this book is that it was written by an actual middle school History teacher. Meghan has taught at this level for many years, and this book is written in a clever and engaging style that reflects that experience. There are many short biographies of famous Americans floating around the internet, however, Meghan's shines through the stack. The research she put into each biography and her experience teaching are reflected in every page.⁠
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My one caveat is that I know that Meghan can do so much more. I continually watch her stories because I know that I'm going to hear an enlightening and insightful perspective about any topic. When these books are written, the topics are chosen ahead of time, and the writers have to stay within fairly strict guidelines. I really hope Meghan will get the chance to write a book of her own choosing, as I know it will reflect her brilliance.

I have a weakness for any story centered around Br

I have a weakness for any story centered around British children sent to live in the countryside during WWII. I know that it's a common topic, but I just can't help myself. Bedknobs and Broomsticks anyone? The Chronicles of Narina? Unlike those fanciful tales, A Place to Hang the Moon is firmly centered in reality. Yet, this story still held a magical nostalgia and charm that I adored. The three children at the center of the story - William, Edmund, and Anna - have been recently orphaned, and they're sent to live with a family as evacuees. There is hope in this decision that they will find a family that will adopt them after the war's end.⁠
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I absolutely devoured this story. The nostalgia, the sweetness, and the character development are all there. The children are incredibly sympathetic and realistic all the same. While this story is historical fiction, the history lies very much in the background while the children's lives and experiences take center stage. Still, there is much to learn about the experiences of young evacuees during WWII and the hardships of daily life during that time. I even enjoyed the descriptions of the meals the children ate. I'm not sure this story has a place in the classroom, however, it is the perfect story to read to your children at bedtime. Like me, you might enjoy reading it all on your own!

Hi everyone! ⁠ ⁠ I need your help. I've been b

Hi everyone! ⁠
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I need your help. I've been busy cataloging tons of books on my website to create recommendation lists for teachers and parents. I'm really good at finding great books for U.S. History, however, I need to jumpstart my book list for World History. What middle-grade historical fiction have you used in your classes? These can be books that you've utilized in ANY FORM. I want a deep catalog of inspiration for teachers, and your recommendations will be a big help! Leave your suggestions below! Thank you so much!!! 📚⁠
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Allison - Peacefield History ⁠
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Copper Sun is a well-crafted story with impeccable

Copper Sun is a well-crafted story with impeccable research and accuracy. Amari is in her mid-teens when she is captured and sold into slavery along the African coast. She is shipped across the Atlantic ocean, sold to an enslaver, and gradually finds a place in the new reality she is forced to endure. This book is realistic in its depictions and traumatically sad as a result. One of the best aspects of this story is the awareness of the spectrum of freedom for women in this time. Amari is certainly in slavery, however, the other women she encounters - Polly, an indentured servant, or Mrs. Derby, the young wife of Amari's enslaver - aren't quite free either. Worthy of a read-aloud in any classroom, as long as students are made aware of the truth of the unflinching story that will be told. ⁠
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My only note is that it does read like a book written almost 20 years ago. I'm not sure why? Have you read this book? Does it seem a little dated to you?

Have you seen Honest History pop up on your Instag

Have you seen Honest History pop up on your Instagram feed? Their tagline is, "a magazine for young historians." I know that if this had existed when I was a kid, I would have read every issue cover to cover!⁠
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When I saw that a book had been released by Honest History I immediately requested a preview. History is Inventive does a deeper dive into the stories of several of the famous inventors and really lays out the complexity of that invention. (Spoiler ______ invented the _______ is never the whole story.) Knight pulls from a wide breadth of history and picks topics that will interest a wide variety of children. Surgery? Makeup? The telescope? Alternating current? All are discussed and each passage includes unique details that I've not seen elsewhere. If anything, this book will make kids want to know more about many of the topics, and do some more investigation on their own!⁠
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I'm also a sucker for well done graphic design and the layout of this book is quite appealing also. This book is perfect for a curious kid.

This book takes place in the post-Civil War era. L

This book takes place in the post-Civil War era. Libertie is born in Brooklyn, and she is raised by her mother, who is a physician. (This portion of the story is based on actual history. There was a black woman doctor practicing in Brooklyn during this time, and she did have a daughter.) Libertie is trained by her mother to become a doctor also, although her enthusiasm towards the practice is lacking. The darkness off Libertie's skin compared with the lightness of her mother's complicates the story also, as Libertie questions whether she also wants to practice medicine.⁠
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Although the topics of Reconstruction and the issues surrounding that era are a part of the story, they don't take center stage. Really, this book is more about the trauma of the boundaries that surround those who are legally free, and how it can manifest itself in many forms. The end of slavery didn't mean automatic happiness and "liberty" for Black people. Colorism, race, feminism... all these ideas push and pull the characters. I really enjoyed reading a book from the perspective of free Black people immediately after the Civil War, as it is not one that is commonly written. The way that language is used in this text renders it almost surreal and dreamlike. An imaginative, distinct, and absorbing read sure to land on many best books of the year list.

I love a good audiobook. I have miles (literally)

I love a good audiobook. I have miles (literally) of lawn to mow each summer, and I take a walk every single day. There just aren't enough podcasts out there to sustain me! When I saw a new Karin Tanabe book pop up on Netgalley, I quickly requested the title. ⁠
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I had lots of thoughts about this book, but I don't want to post any spoilers. If you happen to read this book, please message me! As a childfree person, I want to know how mothers of littles felt about this story.⁠
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A Woman of Intelligence, by Karin Tanabe ⁠
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The main character of this novel is Katharina Edgeworth. She worked for the UN during WWII as a translator, and now she has settled down as a wife and mother. She is miserable in that role and wallowing in self-pity when she is recruited by the FBI to spy on a Communist organization centered in NYC.⁠
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This story is much more so about a woman that feels trapped in her marriage and motherhood. The history is there, however, it often reads like background noise to her personal story. She doesn’t really question the role she’s playing for the FBI, or whether Communism is really a threat. Really, she’s just excited to have a life outside of her apartment and away from her boys. I really wish the author had focused more on the history, as the setup for that history was really engaging. Instead, much of the book focuses on Katharina’s internal monologue.⁠
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If you’re looking for a book about motherhood and all of its trials, this is definitely a book for you. However, don’t pick up this book expecting to learn more about the McCarthy era. ⁠
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This book was provided to me by NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and MacMillian audio in exchange for an honest review.⁠

I’m pushing through some work today, but I had t

I’m pushing through some work today, but I had to take a bit of a break this evening. It’s finally NOT RAINING. The lawn is mowed and the garden has been weeded, so Friday’s are meant for relaxing, wine, and reading.

#bookstagram #reader #readinghistory #ireadbooks #historicalfiction #middlegradebooks #yabooks

Attack of the Turtle, by Drew Carlson⁠ ⁠ (Youn

Attack of the Turtle, by Drew Carlson⁠
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(Young Adult writing level - no content concerns)⁠
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Attack of the Turtle takes place during the Revolutionary War. Nathan Wade has grown up a Patriot and he is there when his cousin, David Bushnell (a real historical figure) invents the first submarine. ⁠
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With this story, the history was much stronger than the character development. The text was written with a fifth-grade mentality and a 7th-grade vocabulary. Really the kind of "gee-whiz" attitude of the main protagonist was a bit too peppy to seem real. Beyond that, the story was a bit thin for a full book. I think this book is great for that student who just loves anything about war, but it's just a book for the classroom shelf. Place it on the shelf and hand it out to that student who keeps asking you when you'll be teaching about World War II.⁠
#bookstagram #kidlit #bookstagrammer #amreading #bookworm #middlegrade #RevolutionaryWar #HistoricalFiction #middleschoolteacher #historyteacher #teachinghistory #socialstudiesteacher

⁠ Blood on the River: James Town 1607, Elisa Ca

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Blood on the River: James Town 1607, Elisa Carbone⁠
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(Middle Grade writing level - realistic violence, otherwise no content concerns)⁠
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This book was excellent. It is a model of how historical fiction should be written. This story centers on the founding of Jamestown and the struggles the first colonists faced trying to establish the colony. The main character is Samuel Collier, a real figure who traveled to the first settlement as a boy. Not much is known of his actual story, so that part of the story is fiction that surrounds the history of Jamestown. Collier's is written in a way that really made me see the history between the early colonizers and the Native Americans as a relationship between real humans, and not two-dimensional archetypes. The historical information is well researched and incorporated into the novel in a way that reads naturally. ⁠
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This book could be utilized as a full class reading, as a text with a series of historical texts for literature circles, or I could even see a teacher reading sections of the book to the class each day. There's a lot of history to investigate surrounding this text, and it could center as a basis for an inquiry unit also. ⁠
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The only issue I have is not really an issue with the book at all. Rather, it was that this book told a story that has been told many times before. I do hope to read more stories about Native American life that doesn't center around their interactions with English colonizers. I'd love to see more stories that are written independently of that interaction. Still, that is not a criticism of this book, but more of the publishing industry in general. (If you have a suggestion, please let me know, and I'll add it to my list!) ⁠
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There is a sequel to this book (Poison in the Colony: Jamestown 1622) that I will definitely check out soon.
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#bookstagram⁠
#book #middlegrade #whattoread⁠
#booklover #booknerd #historicalfiction #classroomreads #historyteaacher #lovereading #stayathomeandread #currentlyreading #bloodontheriver #puffinbooks⁠

Today's my birthday, so I headed off the local boo

Today's my birthday, so I headed off the local bookstore to purchase a new book or so for myself. Do I need more books? Nah. Still, it is my birthday, so no rules apply. I picked up one read for myself, and two to review for this account from the library. 📚⁠
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Which one should do you think should dive into first? (Of course, ignoring the stack on my nightstand...)⁠
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📚 ♥️ Allison⁠
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My first two books reviews! (All book reviews will

My first two books reviews! (All book reviews will be compiled in roundup blog post at the end of the month.)

Shame the Stars, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

(YA writing level - a good amount of violence, also quite a few very adult situations)

This book is set during the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. On the U.S. side of the border, skirmishes have broken out between Tejanos and the Texas Rangers, as the Rangers sought to trample the rights of the Tejanos through a war of terror. The main protagonist is Joaquin Del Toro, a Tejano who has fallen in love with Dulcena Villa. The plotline follows loosely along with the structure of a Romeo and Juliet romance (without the death of the two main characters), however, really the plot is more focused on the tension between the Rangers and the Tejanos.

All the Stars Denied, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

(YA writing level - some violence, otherwise no content concerns)

A sequel to Shame the Stars, this book tells the story of a girl named Estrella Del Toro, who is living in Texas during the Great Depression. Estrella and her family are caught up in the deportations of Mexicans (both citizens and noncitizens) during that time. This book explores how the racist "repatriations" impacted a typical family.

Both of these books are well written, and they do their best when they discuss the often untold history. Both stories cover topics that receive only a cursory glance in most American history classes. The first was more of a love story, while the second was a story about a family. My only issue was that neither really explain what life was like before historical events unfold. As result, I found it difficult to form a connection with the characters. Both become outraged (with good reason) about the events surrounding them almost immediately. However, because it’s so immediate, they come across as two-dimensional. Also, if a reader is unfamiliar with either topic, it would be really difficult for them to understand the historical detail. Beyond that, I thought that these books would make a great addition to any classroom library for the historical information alone.

Hello. If you’ve visited my account lately, you

Hello.

If you’ve visited my account lately, you’ve probably noticed that my “look” has changed a bit. I both love and hate the internet, and my desire to share my full life on here has been reduced by a number of factors in recent years. (At some point over the past few months I’ve made this account private, then not private, and then I deleted all my posts and highlights. There’s been a bit of waffling.😂) I still want to maintain a presence over here, so I decided to change things up a bit.

This Instagram page will now be focused on reading, specifically, historical fiction and nonfiction. I plan to read and review titles for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and plain old adults from time to time. Backlist and new releases are all up for grabs. Each month I’ll post a roundup on my blog and discuss my favorites. I LOVED reading when I was younger, and I want to make it a priority in my life again. I really look forward to sharing my favorite books, and just talking about them!

(This does mean that some topics will be left off the table, so if you’re here for my hot takes on current events or teaching ideas, make sure to follow my blog, as those topics will still be discussed there.)

If you decide not to stick around, that’s perfectly fine. If you do however, as a bonus, you’ll get to see the slow progression of my hair color as I gradually grow out my gray hair! (I’ll still post selfies from time to time.)

Thanks for reading and being here with me.

♥️ Allison

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