Literature By Time Period

Most people will remember Eric Liddell as the inspiration for the award-winning movie Chariots of Fire. But his life away from athletic competition was even more compelling and held an influence that reached all the way to a Japanese internment camp in China.

The American Revolution ignites a fire that rallies patriots to fight! Sandy M'Kethe, along with freeman Salem Poor, find themselves enlisted together in George Washington's army. An expert marksman with the longbow, Sandy's skill attracts the attention of the intrepid sea captain John Paul Jones. Sandy and Salem are bound for high-seas adventures. Together, can they navigate the guns of Providence?

This courageous Christian penned The Star Spangled Banner.  Francis Scott Key sowed seeds of aith to his family and friends all his life. The beauty of his words and the example of his Chritian life allow us to appreciate him today.

"From Sea to Shining Sea" (grades 6-12) is a recommended spine book for several TQ guides: " "Age of Revolution 1," and "Age of Revolution 2." What is a "spine book"? Remember, in TruthQuest history, no single book is "required," however, there are a number of books that are referred to to create an educational/historical spine in which your student can "hang" all his new-found knowledge. If you are using TQ history, you may find it helpful to include one or two of these in your study.

Cheryl Harness uses her wonderfully vibrant art and down-to-earth writing style to "chip away the marble" and present George Washington as more than a monument. We see George the adventurous boy, tromping through the woods with his dog and his hunting rifle; George the courageous military leader fighting alongside his men; George the cunning military strategist, outfoxing the British and forcing their surrender at Yorktown; George the brilliant statesman presiding over the Constitutional Convention; and George the President, wisely protecting our country from enemies foreign and domestic so it could grow strong. 

Dark allegory describes the narrator's journey up the Congo River and his meeting with, and fascination by, Mr. Kurtz, a mysterious personage who dominates the unruly inhabitants of the region. Masterly blend of adventure, character development, psychological penetration. Considered by many Conrad's finest, most enigmatic story.

When the great Velazquez was painting his masterpieces at the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, his colors were expertly mixed and his canvases carefully prepared by his slave, Juan de Pareja. In a vibrant novel which depicts both the beauty and the cruelty of the time and place, Elizabeth Borton de Trevino tells the story of Juan, who was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist.

Young Simon, recently and tragically orphaned, becomes a scribe in the following of the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II.

At the end of the 13th century, the oppressed Scots rebelled against England under the leadership of William Wallace, a scottish knight who fought for Scotland's independence, and Robert the Bruce, who was eventually crowned king of Scotland. This gripping tale of courage, loyalty, and ingenuity takes readers into heroic company with a fictional protagonist, young Archie Forbes, who fights alongside the legendary heroes.

Deeply shaken by the apprearance of a mysterious stranger in town and his impassioned pleas for the poor and downtrodden, the minister and five influential parishoners begin a year-long experience in Christianity. Each has resolved to conduct his life according to the precepts of Christ, applying His behavior to their own lives.  As each applies the maxim, "What would Jesus do?" to his personal life or business practices, the changes are astounding.  

Johnny Tremain is the Newbery Award winner by Esther Forbes. Set in Boston during the Revolutionary war, Johnny Tremain is the story of a brilliant orphan boy who was apprenticed to a silver smith. Though young, Johnny has a bright future before him as he is quickly recognized as the driving force behind the silver smith. With marriage to the master's daughter in view, and the eventual ownership of the shop, things are looking up for Johnny, until a jealous fellow apprentice plays a prank on Johnny that literally ruins his life. 

In the winter of 1856, a storm delays the lighthouse keeper's return to an island off the coast of Maine, and his daughter Abbie must keep the lights burning by herself.

What was it like to wear armor? What was the food like in castles? This nonfiction companion explores what life was really like in medieval times. Jack and Annie look at knights, armor, and life in a castle.

This biography of the author of the popular "Little House" books tells her family's real life on the American frontier, and of the events that surpassed the drama of her stories. 

Little House in the Big Woods is the 1st book in the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder that described life on the frontier in the middle of the 19th century. Laura and her family pack up all of their earthly belongings and travel across several states to settle on the prairie. Their adventures are exciting and even hair-raising. Facing loneliness, danger, deprivation, and loss, the Ingalls family make an incredible journey to build a new life on the frontier. Illustrated. This book makes an excellent addition to any study of US history and frontier life.

On The Banks of Plum Creek is the 3rd book in the classic "Little House" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is a full-color collector's edition. An award-winning story about little Laura and her family as the live in a little dugout home. My kids loved this story. You'll need this book for the third unit in "Prairie Primer," if you're using that guide. It also goes well with TruthQuest history.

By The Shores of Silver Lake is the 4th book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's award-winning series about life during the westward movement. Full of wonderful facts and exciting vignettes, my kids love this book! You'll need this book to complete the fourth unit in "Prairie Primer." You can also use it to further your studies in TruthQuest Age of Revolution II.

The Long Winter is the 5th book in the classic series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This particular volume is my favorite in the series. It never ceases to amaze me how people survived as recently as when my own great grandmother was alive! An amazing story...and an award winner! If you are using "Prairie Primer," you'll need this book to complete the fifth unit. You can also use this in conjunction with TruthQuest Age of Revolution II.

 Little Town on the Prairie is the 6th book in the classic series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It continues to follow the Ingalls family as they move into town for a brief time. As usual, the book is exciting, detailed about life in that era, and very entertaining. 

The First Four Years is the last book in the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It tells the story of the first years of marriage for Laura and Almanzo, and how they establish their own little farm. Another delightful story, full of drama and interesting details. If you are doing "Prairie Primer," you'll need this book in order to complete the ninth unit.

Long Way to a New Land is an "I Can Read" book (level 3) for grades 2-4. It follows the story of a young Swedish boy and his family as the emigrate from Sweden during a time of starvation. The book depicts what it would have been like to leave behind everything you know and love, to travel in unsanitary, cramped conditions on a ship, and to arrive in a land where you don't even know the language. This book would make an excellent addition to any study of immigration and American history. Set in the post-Civil War era.

The charming adventures of the Mama of an immigrant Norwegian family living in San Francisco. This bestselling book inspired the play, motion picture, and television series I Remember Mama.  Time period: 20th century American Immigration.

Newbery Medal winner (1991). Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a trolley accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run-and not just run away, but run. And this is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.

Mark Twain's inimitable blend of humor, satire and masterly storytelling earned him a secure place in the front rank of American writers. This collection of eight stories and sketches, among them the celebrated classic "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," shows the great humorist at the top of his form

Orphaned Matilda is not at all pleased when she arrives at Blood and Bone Alley to become an assistant to Red Peg the Bonesetter. She is a religious, well-educated girl who can’t picture herself doing dirty chores or helping sickly patients. 
Each day is very different from her former quiet life. Matilda’s not used to being around so many people who are coming and going, laughing and eating. Not one of them seems interested in prayer or study. 
Self-centered Matilda thinks no one understands her. But Peg does, and gives her time to get used to this new way of life and teaches her through kindness and friendship. Matilda is as surprised as anyone when she begins seeing the world around her in a different way.

George Washington grew up in the English colony of Virginia. He was tall and strong, fair in judgement, and respected by his friends as a good leader. As he grew older, George saw how England took advantage of the American colonies--and he didn't like it. When the colonies declared their independence, George was chosen to lead their army as its general. And when the colonies won their freedom, George was elected to lead the new nation as its first president.

A masterpiece of storytelling and symbolic realism, this thrilling adventure and epic saga pits Ahab, a brooding sea captain, against the great white whale that crippled him. More than just the tale of a hair-raising voyage, Melville's riveting story passionately probes man's soul. A literary classic first published in 1851, "Moby-Dick" represents the ultimate human struggle.

This Newbery Award winning story follows the lives of 2 families - the one is Jewish, and the other is the Danish family that hides them from the Nazis that have invaded their land. The two daughters of the families are best friends. Your young reader (grades 5-7) will see the horror of World War II through the eyes of these 2 young girls as they face deprivation, danger, and death. An excellent addition to any study of World War II.

The most important source of information about Plymouth, this landmark account was written by the colony's governor. It vividly documents the Pilgrims' transatlantic crossing and early days in the settlement. I read this book a number of years ago. Admittedly it wasn't an easy read, as it was written nearly 400 years ago, and the archaic language has been preserved. However, if you can push through, you'll find it a wonderfully inspiring firsthand account of a man (Governor Bradford) who was witness to some amazing miracles from the hand of God on behalf of His people. 

When a Roman ship is wrecked off the coast of Britain, an infant, Beric, is the only survivor. He is rescued by a British tribe who raise him as their own until they can no longer ignore his Roman ancestry. Fifteen-year-old Beric feels increasingly bitter isolation when, because of his Roman birth, he is cast out by the Celtic tribe that raised him and, after reaching a Roman settlement, he is sold into slavery and sentenced to serve in a galley for the rest of his life.

The cabin boy on the "Santa Maria" keeps a diary which records his experiences when he sails with Columbus on his first voyage to the New World in 1492. Pedro de Salcedo could not have known what adventures lay ahead! His incredible voyage as ship's boy aboard Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria would bring both danger and excitement. Pedro captured his experience between the pages of a journal. If he did not return alive perhaps someone, someday would find it and learn of his incredible journey to the New World.

An exciting mystery for your homeschool library: AD 79, following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii. Among the thousands of people huddled in refugee camps along the bay of Naples are Flavia Gemina and her friends Jonathan the Jewish boy, Nubia the African slave-girl, and Lupus the mute beggar boy. Their discovery that children are being kidnapped from the camps--among them the daughter of the powerful Publius Pollius Felix--leads them to solve the mystery of the pirates of Pompeii. A terrifically exciting and dramatic story and a brilliant picture of the aftermath of a great disaster.

The drama of natural disasters provides prime material to entice young homeschool readers in this little "Step into Reading" book. In this volume, the account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius describes Roman village life 2,000 years ago, the eruption itself and its aftermath, and the excitement when the buried town was rediscovered centuries later. A lively and factual glimpse of a devastating moment in history.

Nicola is a resourceful jester to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a most unlikely friend to the queen. As fate takes Mary from France to Scotland and into confrontations with rebellious lords and devious advisors, Nicola remains deep in the queen's circle, and later struggles to save her friend.

Here's another one of those 'They could make it into a movie!' books that keeps you always wanting to read just one more chapter. Red Hugh was a true champion for Irish liberty from Queen Elizabeth's constricting reign in the late 1580's and beyond. Hugh's capture, imprisonment, and escape from the Dublin Castle; his triumph over a blizzard and frostbite; his dramatic rescue of his family's castle; his conflict with the evil Captain Leeds; and his inexhaustible love for Ireland make this a wonderful read-aloud book for the entire family. You learn an astonishing amount of Irish geography and culture while relishing this true adventure, as well.

This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature. Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand... 

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the Newbery Award winning story of an African American family living in Mississipi in the early part of the 20th century. Segregation was the norm, with black and white children living in separate social strata, attending separate schools, and subject to different rules. The story explores difficult subjects such as segregation, prejudice, and the KKK. Written for grades 6-8. This story would make an excellent addition to any study of recent American history.

Safely Home is one of the most significant novels I’ve ever read. Based on a compilation of true stories, this fictionalized account, Safely Home by Randy Alcorn, is the story of persecuted Christians in 21st Century China. 

Samuel Eaton is a young boy living in an early American settlement in the year 1627, and today is the day he will help with his first rye harvest! If he can prove to his father he's up to the task, he will be able to help with all of the harvest. But harvesting rye is even more difficult than he expected. Was he foolish to think he could do a man's work?

On a cold February day, Samuel was studying in his overcoat, rubbing his chilled fingers, when a loud knock at the front door startled him. His good friend Lowell Mason had come to remind Samuel of a promise. A New England pastor, he wrote the lyrics to "America, My Country 'Tis of Thee.

Seaman, the Newfoundland dog belonging to Meriwether Lewis, proves his value as a hunter, navigator, and protector while accompanying the Corps of Discovery, led by his master and William Clark, on its two-year journey exploring the western territories. 

An Indian boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his Inca ancestors.

Silas Marner, a simple, religious man, angrily retreats from his community and church when he is unjustly accused of theft. In an isolated cottage, Silas spends his days weaving cloth and his nights sifting through the piles of gold he obsessively accumulates. Then, one New Year's Eve, a little girl, Eppie, appears at his home, and his life is miraculously transformed. Eliot's timeless tale includes an Introduction by David Carroll.

Skylark is the sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall. Drought - a prairie farmer's worst nightmare. Crops die, cattle have no more water, and one by one, the prairie families, destitute, pack up and head back East. But, Jacob refuses to leave. As the leaves turn brown and the river runs dry on the prairie, Sarah dreams of the lush green grasses and the blue ocean of her native Maine. When fires and drought threaten to devastate their farm, Sarah takes the children to Maine where they will be safe. A moving story, masterfully combining a moving tale with historical facts. Great living books for your homeschool. Read all the books in this series.

The year is A.D. 781. King Charles of the Franks is crossing the Alps with his family and court on a journey to meet with Pope Hadrian. One frosty night he speaks to his young son Carl: "When we come to Rome you will know that I am naming you my heir. One day you will rule over all my lands. . . ." But the King already had an heir, Pepin the Hunchback, mockingly called Gobbo. Was he to be dispossessed? Yet Carl sees that Charlemagne is determined to do what he feels is best to serve God and Europe.

The story of Sundiata, son of the king of Mali in the time of the great trading empires of Africa some eight hundred years ago, is a powerful tale of courage and determination. As a boy, Sundiata was unable to speak or walk. He overcame these obstacles, but was driven into exile by a rival queen. When Mali was overrun by intruders, 18-year-old Sundiata returned to defeat them and reclaim the throne. Full color.