Creation to Christ - Basic Package Option 3: Girl Interest Set
Choose one or more of the following Basic Package options to read aloud for the Storytime part of the plans:History Interest, Boy Interest, or Girl Interest. If you desire to read aloud books that coordinate with the historical time period being studied, you will want to choose the History Interest Set. 6th and 7th graders should either listen to the History Interest Set read aloud, or read the Extension Pack books (as scheduled in the Appendix), or do both of these options to extend their learning. In keeping with the ancient time period, the History Interest Set does contain some violent content. If you wish to avoid this, choose the Boy Interest or Girl Interest Set instead.
The Boy and Girl Interest Sets do not match the history, but were instead selected to provide excellent read-alouds from 9 different genres. If you are a family that enjoys reading aloud, you may choose to read aloud more than one set of books from the Basic Package. Please keep in mind the specific titles for the Boy Interest and Girl Interest Set are not needed, but each book was very carefully chosen as an excellent listening selection for this age level. You are always welcome to use your own book selections if you prefer. The Basic Package is highly recommended, unless you need to economize or are short on time.
Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography by William Anderson,
2007 Collins, ISBN 9780060885526, 256 pages, RL = 6.8, Price $6.99
From her pioneer days on the prairie to her golden years with her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter,
Rose, Laura Ingalls Wilder has become a friend to all who have read about her adventures.
This behind-the-scenes account chronicles the real events in Laura's life that inspired her to write her stories
and also describes her life after the last Little House book ends. Many more people and events from Wilder's childhood
and mature years appear here than in other accounts. Quotations from her works are woven into the text.
The Good Master by Kate Seredy,
1986 Puffin, ISBN 014030133X 192 pages, RL = 5.9, Price $5.99
Jancsi is overjoyed to hear that his cousin from Budapest is coming to spend the summer
on his father's ranch on the Hungarian plains, but their summer proves more adventurous
than he had hoped when headstrong Kate arrives. Together they share horseback races across the plains,
country fairs and festivals, and a dangerous run-in with the gypsies. In vividly detailed scenes,
this Newbery Award-winning author presents an unforgettable world and characters that will be remembered forever.
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink,
2006 Aladdin, ISBN 9781416940289, 288 pages, RL = 6.0, Price $6.99
Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake,
and tries to beat her brother's dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians,
who scare most of the neighbors -- neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don't understand her at all.
Caddie is brave, and her story is special because it's based on the life and memories of
Carol Ryrie Brink's grandmother, the real Caddie Woodlawn. Her spirit and sense of fun have made this book a
classic that readers have taken to their hearts for more than seventy years.
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field,
1998 Aladdin, ISBN 9780689822841, 256 pages, RL = 7.1, Price $6.99
On a cold Maine night in 1829, an old peddler carved a small doll out of a piece of mountain ash wood.
Her name was Hitty, and she was no ordinary doll.
Hitty's first owner, Phoebe Preble, takes her from Boston to India.
From the hands of Phoebe Preble, Hitty travels on with a snake charmer,
a Civil War soldier, a riverboat captain's daughter, and a former slave.
Along the way she meets presidents and painters, relating each adventure in vivid detail.
Rachel Field's masterful novel Hitty: Her First Hundred Years was first published in 1929;
it was awarded the Newberry Medal in 1930. While not always politically correct in its word choice,
the charm of this original version still makes it worth reading.
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
1957 Odyssey Classics, ISBN 0152022724, 272 pages, RL = 7.0, Price $6.99
When Portia sets out for a visit with her cousin Julian, she expects fun and adventure,
but of the usual kind: exploring in the woods near Julian's house, collecting stones and bugs,
playing games throughout the long, lazy days. But this summer is different.
On their first day exploring, Portia and Julian discover an enormous boulder with a mysterious message,
a swamp choked with reeds and quicksand, and on the far side of the swamp . . . a ghost town.
Once upon a time the swamp was a splendid lake, and the fallen houses along its shore an elegant resort community.
But though the lake is long gone and the resort faded away, the houses still hold a secret life:
two people who have never left Gone-Away . . . and who can tell the story of what happened there.
While not an outright mystery, this story's mysterious quality will draw listeners in!
Bound for Oregon, by Jean Van Leeuwen
1996 Puffin Books, ISBN 0140383190, 167 pages, RL = 5.8, Price $5.99
Adding details about events and people to an account of Mary Ellen Todd's 2,000-mile trek from Arkansas to Oregon in the 1850s
as written down by Todd's daughter, Van Leeuwen has created a fact-based novel told in the voice of a 10-year-old child.
The story begins with the preparations and the difficulty of leaving home and family. It chronicles the hardships the
family encountered: raging rivers to cross, bad weather, sickness and death, limited food, and the constant push to beat
the first snows of winter. There are also small pleasures, including the birth of a brother. Readers will see how choices
made often make the difference between success or failure, life or death. Characterizations are well done, showing the
varying personalities of people on the trail. For example, the determination and faith of the father are shown consistently
as the basis for his actions. This is a convincing picture of a pioneer journey that does a good job of showing the tremendous
sacrifices people made to follow their dream of a better life.
Anne of Green Gables is the tale of an orphan girl, mistakenly adopted by the Cuthberts.
Anne Shirley, age eleven, is bright, talkative, imaginative, sometimes hot-tempered, and always optimistic.
She instantly loves the farmhouse called Green Gables and all of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island.
But will the Cuthberts send her back to the asylum? They wanted a boy. One thing's for certain,
no house that Anne's in will ever be dull!
Anne of Green Gables is a heartwarming, funny novel. Montgomery uses Anne to inform the reader that
one should always look at the bright side of things, through thick and thin. Listeners will enjoy growing up with Anne
as she adjusts to life and makes new friends in an unfamiliar place, and eventually grows into an intelligent young woman.
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild and Diane Goode
1993 Random House Books for Young Readers, ISBN 0679847596, 256 pages, RL = 6.1, Price $6.99
This entertaining and distinctly unusual story of three British orphans and their loving caretakers was originally
written in 1937. Pauline, Petrova, and Posie start life off as carefree children, but when their adopted Great Uncle Max
(a.k.a. Gum) disappears on a fossil hunting expedition, the young girls find themselves becoming the breadwinners
of the family. As stage performers they are able to give back to the only family they have ever known, and have
their own adventures while they're at it. Pauline falls in love with acting, Posy is a natural dancer,
and poor Petrova would rather fix cars and learn to fly planes than be on stage. This charming and often humorous
story stands the test of time. The strong female characters solve many conflicts on their own. In the end,
each girl is also able to choose her own path in life.
The Little Lame Prince (and the Traveling Cloak), by Miss Mulock
2001 Fredonia Books, ISBN 1589632907, 220 pages, RL = 7.0, Price $19.95
The Little Lame Prince (and His Traveling Cloak) is a wonderful folk tale originally written in the early 1900's.
We are glad to see this title back in print, however many copies of The Little Lame Prince also include several other stories
by Dinah Craik (Mulock), which we do not recommend. To avoid confusion, our copy contains only the story of The Little Lame Prince. If you choose to use a different copy make sure to omit the remaining stories: The Invisible Prince, Prince Cherry, The Prince with the Nose, The Frog-Prince, and Clever Alice.
The Prince's christening was to be a grand affair. By six in the morning all the royal household had dressed itself in its very best;
and then the little Prince was dressed in his best - his magnificent christening-robe; which his Royal Highness did not like at all, but kicked and screamed like any common baby.
In truth, though very few knew the Prince in coming to the chapel had met with a slight disaster. His nurse - not his ordinary one, but the state nurse-maid - had been so occupied in arranging her train with one hand, while she held the baby with the other,
that she stumbled and let him fall, just at the foot of the marble staircase. To be sure, she contrived to pick him up again the next
minute; and the accident was so slight it seemed hardly worth speaking of. Consequently nobody did speak of it. The baby had turned
deadly pale, but did not cry, so no person a step or two behind could discover anything wrong. Afterward, even if he had moaned,
the silver trumpets were loud enough to drown out his voice. It would have been a pity to let anything trouble such a day of felicity.
This is a touching coming-of-age story of a young prince who becomes lame on the way to his christening after he is dropped by a
careless nurse. Later, the death of his parents leaves him at the mercy of his cruel uncle who keeps him hidden away in an isolated
tower. However, a strange turn of events brings hope and love to the lonely boy. This enchanting tale is a sure treat for your listeners!
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