Searching for Sarah Rector

Bolden, Tonya. Searching for Sarah Rector. Abrams, 2014. 80pp. Lexile 1050.

In my experience, many kids care about the topic  of money, making a book about the once-wealthiest black girl in America inherently interesting to them.  Sarah Rector was the descendant of slaves owned by the Creek Indian nation, who took them from the South to the West.  After the Civil War, those former slaves became known Creek freedmen and each one, including children, received an allotment of land in the area that is now Oklahoma.  In 1914, when Sarah Rector was 12, oil was found on her allotment and she started receiving royalties from a drilling company.  Along with the new wealth came problems such as who could be trusted to be her financial guardian.  Bolden sets the story skillfully in historical context of the slavery and the West.  Since facts about Sarah Rector are sparse and not always reliable, Bolden shares her research process with readers.  A gorgeous piece of bookmaking, the volume integrates photographs and other graphics to convey time, place, and people. Back matter includes an author’s note, glossary, source notes, bibliography, and index.

Reading Information Std #3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.  One of the key elements in Rector's story is the relationship between the Creek Indians and their African-American slaves, including what happened after the Civil War.  Have students trace that relationship through this book, and also compare each group's relationship with whites.  Interested students might pursue research about the Seminole Indians and black slaves.

Bull's-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley

Macy, Sue.  Bull's-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley. 2001. 64pp. Lexile 1150.

With a figure as legendary as Annie Oakley, who was a superstar in her time, a biographer has to be careful to distinguish fact from legend—and point out when it’s impossible to be sure.  Macy does this well, especially about the different versions of Oakley’s childhood and the rumors that newspapers printed throughout her career. She addresses the issue in her Author’s Note, titled “Getting the Details Right.” The narrative focus is on Oakley's remarkable skill and international career but it also covers her personal life including her long marriage to fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler.  Historic photographs and other illustrations, printed in sepia, give a wonderful sense of the woman and of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.   Resources include a timeline; a list of books, videos, websites and places to visit; and an index.
   
Writing Std #8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information.  Use this short biography as a model of assessing the credibility and accuracy of sources.  Have students read the Author’s Note about getting details right and look through the text for examples of how she handles information that is hard to assess for accuracy.  Have them note her specific wording for such examples.

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West

 
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.