Murphy, Jim. Across America on an Emigrant Train. 1993, available in paperback. 150pp. Lexile 1180.
In this outstanding book, readers take a journey across America by train in 1879 with 29-year-old Robert Louis Stevenson, starting in New York City and ending in California. The text uses many quotes from Stevenson’s writing to add color and detail about what it was like to travel in trains filled with mostly poor immigrants. Murphy expands beyond Stevenson’s journey to descriptions of various trains, how they worked, accidents and problems, the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, and the effect the railroads had on the countryside and Native Americans. Black-and-white etchings and photographs with useful captions show train workers, the scenery, the interiors and exteriors of many trains, and more.
Reading Std #3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. While Stevenson conveys the excitement of travel and the rich possibilities of the West, he also develops the theme of how Native Americans were treated as the West was settled and the railroads built. Have students look in the text for Stevenson's own words on the subject and how Murphy integrates them into the whole.
Levine, Ellen. Rachel Carson: A Twentieth-Century Life. 2007. Lexile 1060.
Rachel Carson's ground-breaking book, Silent Spring, was published 50 years ago, in September, 1962. It had been serialized a few months earlier in The New Yorker and
soon became a best-seller. This biography, an entry in the
"Twentieth-Century Life" series, skillfully blends Carson's personal and
professional lives, building to Silent Spring and its
impact. Themes about the value of nature and the importance of
persistence infuse the book. Carson, who was born in 1907, attended a
women's college in Pittsburgh where she was torn between majoring in
writing or science. She chose science but much of her career entailed
writing about science at the federal Fish and Wildlife Service and
through the books and articles that made her famous. She was known for
combining lyrical writing with meticulous, extensive
research. Many quotes from her voluminous correspondence and her books
demonstrate why she gained such a wide audience. In her personal life,
Carson was reserved but had a wide group of close friends and a sense
of adventure. Occasional black-and-white photos show her over the
years. Her story remains relevant because she sounded the alarm about
pollution and other ecological problems we still face. End notes,
bibliography, websites, index.
Reading Std #2: Determine central ideas or themes and analyze their development; summarize key supporting details and ideas. One
theme to consider is how sexism affected Carson's career and other
aspects of her life, which the author touches on repeatedly. Her
doctors knew Carson had breast cancer, which eventually killed her, but delayed telling her. According to the author, it was not uncommon
to "protect" women from bad medical news and tell it to their husbands,
but since Carson was single, no one was told.
Fleischman, Sid. The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West. 2008. 196pp. Lexile 1050.
Fleischman is best known for his entertaining historical fiction such as Newbery award winner, The Whipping Boy. In later years, Fleischman applied his high energy style to biographies of his heroes. His love of language is as evident in this biography as in his fiction, resembling Mark Twain's style. Even the title of this biography is catchy; it comes from posters for speaking engagements that read, "The trouble to begin at 8 o'clock." The account emphasizes adventures in Twain's life that informed his writing, from his childhood in Missouri to his stint as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. It moves to the West with Twain's attempts as a prospector and his work as a journalist. Well-chosen, often humorous, quotes and colorful anecdotes make for lively reading. The biography has open design and lots of attractive graphics including cartoons, photographs, posters, and illustrations from Twain's books. The famous story, "The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County," is reprinted in the back where there's also a timeline, source notes, bibliography, and index.
Reading Std #4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings; analyze role of specific word choices. Have students look carefully at Fleischman's colorful word choice. For example, in mentioning Twain's the date of death, Fleischman describes it as "the day the celebrated author snubbed out his cigar and moved in with the immortals." If you are studying Twain, have students make comparisons between his use of language and Fleischman's.
Blumenthal, Karen. Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America. 2005. 152pp. Lexile 1140.
This year is the 40th anniversary of Title IX, with good reason to celebrate. In 1972, 2 out of 54 girls played high school sports; today 2 out of 5 do. Title IX, one of the most successful federal laws of the twentieth century. This excellent chronological account uses charts throughout to show the law's effect over the years as schools reluctantly complied with the requirements for more equality for girls in sports (only one aspect of the law). Politicians, college administrators, and NCAA officials resisted, citing lack of girls' interest, an argument which was quickly proven false. Stories and sidebars highlight individual girls who wanted to participate in athletics but were denied because they were female, showing the unfair situation before the law--and until it was enforced. Although girls and women still face discrimination in athletics, the gains have been extraordinary. Photographs, cartoons, magazine covers, and memorabilia enhance this often moving narrative. Source notes, timeline, further reading, bibliography, and index.
Reading Std #3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. Blumenthal uses cartoons and comic strips throughout the book to add humor and insight. Have students analyze changes over time, if any, in the cartoons--the first one is from 1909--in political content and approach.
Dendy, Leslie A., and Mel Boring. Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold "Test Pilots" of Science & Medicine. 2005. 224pp. Lexile 1100.
Ethical considerations have increasingly prevented scientists from conducting dangerous experiments on other people. Some have solved this problem over the years by using themselves as guinea pigs. Here are ten scientists in different eras and different areas of research who did just that, hoping to learn more and, in some cases, to end deadly diseases. Some died in the process. They experimented with infectious diseases, extreme heat, swallowing food in wooden capsules, radiation (in the case of Marie Curie), and more. One of the most dramatic set of experiments, illustrated in a series of photographs, came from Air Force flight surgeon and scientist, John Paul Stapp, who researched deceleration by accelerating up to 180 mph on a sled on steel rails, then stopping with stunning force. He broke an arm, ribs, and his back in the process of improving aviation and car safety. The ten chapters make science exciting while raising thought-provoking questions about research on humans.
Web tie-in: As of fall 2012, Youtube features a video originally aired on the History Channel titled "Colonel Stapp Takes a Lot of G's," with remarkable footage of John Paul Stapp's experiments with deceleration in which he risked his own life many times. Be warned, some students will not want to watch the examination of him after one of his runs (in the last 25 seconds of the video), which shows his eyeballs bleeding.
