WSD 8th Grade East Coast Tour
Suggested Reading List
| Allen, Thomas. George Washington, Spymaster. Washington, DC. : National Geographic, 2004. The author traces Washington's use of spies to make a convincing case for the pivotal role that espionage played in defeating the British. Laced with details about invisible ink, codes, and double agents, the discussion sometimes draws parallels between eighteenth-century deceptions and the methods and vocabulary of modern espionage. This books links to our tour of The Spy Museum in Washington, DC. (Lexile 1100) |
 |
| Anderson, Laurie. Fever, 1793. NY, NY: Aladdin Publishers, 2000. In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. ( Lexile 580) |
 |
| Blackwood, Gary. The Year of the Hangman. Boston, MA: Dutton Children's Books, 2002. In 1777, having been kidnapped and taken forcibly from England to the American colonies, fifteen-year-old Creighton becomes part of the political unrest there that may spell defeat for the patriots and change the course of history. (820 Lexile) |
 |
| Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. NY, NY: Bantam Books, 1983. During his service in the Civil War, a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war. (900 Lexile) |
 |
| Gauch, Patricia. Thunder at Gettysburg. Honesdale, PA: Boyd Mills Press, 2003. Fourteen-year-old Tillie is sent to accompany a neighbor to Weikert's farm when the fighting at Gettysburg gets too close to home, and instead finds herself trapped in the battle that raged for three days, from July 1-3, 1863. (Lexile N/A) |
 |
| Lyons, Mary. Dear Ellen Bee: A Civil War Scrapbook of Two Union Spies. NY, NY: Atheneum Books, 2000. A scrapbook kept by a young black girl details her experiences and those of the older white woman, "Miss Bet," who had freed her and her family, sent her north from Richmond to get an education, and then worked to bring an end to slavery. Based on the life of Elizabeth Van Lew. (780 Lexile) |
 |
| Massie, Elizabeth. 1609: Winter of the Dead, A Novel About the Founding of Jamestown . NY, NY: Tor, 2000. Orphaned thieves Nat and Richard, believing rumors that the land of Virginia is paved with gold, jump at the chance to travel to the New World as laborers on a merchant ship, but they are forced to rely on their wits for survival when faced with the realities of frontier life. (Lexile N/A) |
 |
| O'Dell, Scott. The Serpent Never Sleeps: A Novel of Jamestown and Pocohontas. NY, NY: Fawcett Juniper, 1989. In the early 17th century, Serena Lynn, determined to be with the man she has loved since childhood, travels to the New World where she meets John Smith. (880 Lexile) |
 |
| Paulsen, Gary. Soldier's Heart. NY, NY: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1998. Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat. (1000 Lexile) |
 |
| Rappaport, Doreen. Victory or Death! Stories of the American Revolution. NY, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 2003. A collection of true stories which recount the experiences of men and women who lived during the American Revolution. (810 Lexile) |
 |
| Rinaldi, Ann. Cast Two Shadows. NY, NY: Harcourt, 1998. In South Carolina in 1780, fourteen-year-old Caroline sees the Revolutionary War take a terrible toll among her family and friends and comes to understand the true nature of war. (610 Lexile) |
 |
| Rinaldi, Ann. Or Give Me Death: A Novel of Patrick Henry’s Family. NY, NY: Harcourt, 2003. With their father away most of the time advocating independence for the American colonies, the children of Patrick Henry try to raise themselves, manage the family plantation, and care for their mentally ill mother. (530 Lexile) |
 |
| Rinaldi, Ann. Sarah's Ground. NY, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004. In 1861, eighteen-year-old Sarah Tracy, from New York state, comes to work at Mount Vernon, the historic Virginia home of George Washington, where she tries to protect the safety and neutrality of the site during the Civil War, and where she encounters her future husband, Upton Herbert. (Lexile N/A) |
 |
| Roop, Pete. Eye for an Eye. NY, NY: Jamestown Publishers, 2000. At the dawn of the Revolutionary War, Samantha Byrd must decide whether or not to seek revenge and join the troops in fighting. (Lexile N/A) |
 |