When I was younger, I never cared for historical fiction books (except, of course, for my beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder). However, in the last few years, I've discovered the wealth of historical fiction books available for the nine and up set. One of the greatest of these discoveries has been the Dear America series. The most recent book in this series is called Christmas After All: The Depression Diary of Minnie Swift.
This book by Kathryn Lasky is written in the form of adolescent Minnie's diary entries. Minnie lives in 1932 with her parents, three sisters, and brother. At the beginning of the book, her family is increased by one with the arrival of Willie Faye, an orphan from Heart's Bend, Texas, whom her family has agreed to take in.
To this point, Minnie's family had been spared from many of the Depression's worst effects. Her family still has their house and her father still has his job. However, things are starting to get tight. Minnie's mother is closing off room after room in the house to save on coal. Minnie's father spends less and less time at work, until one day he doesn't go at all. Minnie can't remember the last time she had more meat for dinner than is contained in a dish called "Rumor of Pork."
Minnie worries a lot. She worries about her family's financial situation, about her increasingly-reclusive father, about tiny Willie Faye's being accepted at school, and about Christmas. Some things are beyond her control, but Christmas is one thing she can do something about. She sets out to make sure that, in spite of everything, Christmas will be a happy time in her house.
There have been large numbers of books that have been written about historical periods like the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II. However, books about the Depression have been scarce. That's why I was so happy to see this book. Kids today have grown up in a society of excess and satisfied wishes, so I think hearing about leaner times is very beneficial for them. This book, and the Kit series of American Girl books, are the only Depression books I've seen for kids thus far, but hopefully more will be written in the wake of their success.
The Dear America series has been around for about five years now, and contains about 30 books thus far. All of the books follow the format of the diary of a girl living through one of history's most significant times. They are written by many different authors. I think this is better than all of them being written by one author, as it helps ensure that the author has some expertise in the subject matter. The author of this particular book is Kathryn Lasky, who has also written the diaries of a Pilgrim girl and a Jewish immigrant girl.
The diary format is one that I feel is particularly effective in getting girls to understand history. Based of several conversations I've had with my boyfriend, I've kind of come to understand that many boys can relate better to dates and battles and such than many girls can. However, many girls can come to understand the significance of historical events better if they hear about them from the perspective of "someone" who was there, even if "someone" is a fictional character. I know this was the case for me. I could read as many history textbooks as I could find, but still not really understand something until I was able to put myself in the shoes of one who lived through it.
The Dear America series has been so successful that it has inspired three similar series from the same publishers (and actually featuring many of the same authors). The American Diaries series is the same idea, but written for the 2nd-4th grade set. The My Name is America series is historical diaries written from a male perspective. Some of my male students read the diaries of soldiers from various wars hoping to read cool battle stories and came out with a much different perspective on war. The Royal Diaries series is fictional diaries of past female royalty as youth--Victoria, Cleopatra, etc. Most of the books are available only in hardcover for about $10.95.
Christmas After All is written at approximately a mid-fifth grade reading level and would likely be enjoyed by most girls (and some boys) in grades four and up. I highly recommend both this book and the entire series as an excellent way to help kids learn about history.
Recommended:
