Book Review: "dear America" Series

By Author: Fran Santoro Hamilton
Total Articles: 2
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Diaries of fictional historical characters (actually written by award-winning authors) bring history to life for young readers.
I am thrilled to have discovered this series -- at least thirty-five books strong -- published by Scholastic over the last few years. The books are written from the viewpoint of a fictional young person (not necessarily a child) in the format of a diary or journal. Although the original series featured the diaries of girls, spinoff series ("My America" and "My Name Is America") feature the journals of boys. The books are actually written by more than a dozen award-winning authors of children's books -- authors of the caliber of Patricia McKissack, Patricia Hermes, Karen Hesse, Barry Denenberg, and Laurence Yep. These authors are veteran researchers. In addition, most of them have written about topics of special personal significance -- perhaps dealing with their region of the country or their own family's experiences. One author, although an award-winner, was not well known. She is Katelan Janke, a fifteen-year-old who wrote Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards. ...
... As a sixth-grader Katie had won the 1998 Arrow Book Club/ Dear America Student Writing Contest with her five-page diary entry about a young girl surviving the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Scholastic editors were so impressed with Katie's writing ability that they engaged her to write this book in their series. Katie spent more than two years on her research and writing. In addition to the diary itself, most of the books include an epilogue that tells what happened later in the characters' lives, a historical note that provides background information on life in America during that period, and approximately ten pages of photographs, drawings, documents, and maps that further aid visualization of the story. Occasional inclusion of songs and recipes involves additional senses in experience of the era. Some of the books describe major events of U.S. history -- colonization, the Revolutionary War, westward expansion, the Civil War, wars of the twentieth century. Some events have several diaries, providing multiple perspectives. Other books simply explore the lives of people in various circumstances -- a railroad worker, a black cowboy, a teacher on the prairie, a mill worker, a miner, etc. Not only do these books bring history to life for their readers, they also help to develop an appreciation for ancestors' experiences and to open avenues of discussion with family members or friends who might have lived through those times. In addition, the books provide excellent models of journals for young writers to emulate. I heartily recommend them! About the Author A parent and former teacher, Fran Hamilton is the author of Hands-On English, which gives quick access to English fundamentals and uses icons for parts of speech (for anyone 9 years or older, including adults). Fran also publishes LinguaPhile (a free monthly e-mail newsletter for people who teach and/or enjoy English) and Acu-Write (a free weekly e-mail tip sheet for people who want to improve their writing of English). Both are available through Yahoo Groups.