Book picks similar to
Magna Carta by C. Walter Hodges


read-alouds
grade-1
kids-history
roman-renaissance-history

Riding Freedom


Pam Muñoz Ryan - 1998
    She doesn’t like playing with dolls, she can hold her own in a fight, and she loves to work in the stables. Charlotte has a way with horses and wants to spend her life training and riding them on a ranch of her own. The problem is, as a girl in the mid-1800s, Charlotte is expected to live a much different life – one without freedom. But Charlotte is smart and determined, and she figures out a way to live her dreams with a plan so clever and so secret – almost no one figures it out.

A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840


Barbara Greenwood - 1994
    Illustrated historical notes enlarge on the social history and describe activities related to the stories, from churning butter to predicting the weather. Young readers are invited to try their hand at these tasks to experience a bit of pioneer life.

The Second Mrs. Gioconda


E.L. Konigsburg - 1975
    Konigsburg could create such an intriguing answer to the puzzle behind the most famous painting of all time.

Mission to Cathay


Madeleine A. Polland - 1965
    Presents an astonishingly realistic look at many of the difficulties faced by Christian ambassadors to unreached peoples.

The Eagle of the Ninth


Rosemary Sutcliff - 1954
    Set in Roman Britain this story is of a young Roman officer who sets out to discover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion, who marched into the mists of Northern Britain and never returned.

Blood on the River: James Town, 1607


Elisa Carbone - 2006
    So when he becomes the page of Captain John Smith and boards the ship the Susan Constant, bound for the New World, he can't believe his good fortune. He's heard that gold washes ashore with every tide. But beginning with the stormy journey and his first contact with the native people, he realizes that the New World is nothing like he had ever imagined. The lush Virginia shore where they establish the colony of James Town is both beautiful and forbidding, and it s hard to know who's a friend or foe. As he learns the language of the Algonquin Indians and observes Captain Smith's wise diplomacy, Samuel begins to see that he can be whomever he wants to be in this new land.

Tales from Shakespeare


Charles Lamb - 1807
    Presents an introduction to Shakespeare's greatest plays including Hamlet Othello, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest and Pericles.

Davy Crockett: Young Rifleman (Childhood of Famous Americans Series)


Aileen Wells Parks - 1962
    A biography of the famous frontiersman and Congressman, focusing on his childhood.

The War That Saved My Life


Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - 2015
      Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.   So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?   This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making.

Some Kind of Courage


Dan Gemeinhart - 2016
    Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony--fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her.Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left.Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything; but he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back--no matter what.

The Story of Napoleon (The Children's Heroes)


H.E. Marshall - 2007
    Focuses on his military exploits, including his victories in battle after battle, followed by his exile to the island of Elba, his subsequent return to lead the disastrous Russian campaign, his final loss at Waterloo, and his last days on the lonely island of St. Helena. A volume in the highly-acclaimed Children's Heroes series, edited by John Lang.

Eric The Red And Leif The Lucky


Barbara Schiller - 1978
    Very well done.

Tirzah


Lucille Travis - 1991
    Tirzah and her lame brother, Oren, help gather straw to make bricks. She observes the suffering of her people and the injustices that are done to them by the Egyptian police. Moses begs Pharaoh to let them go, but Pharaoh makes them work harder.One night, when the plague of death strikes down Pharaoh's own son, he allows the Israelites to flee on foot, only to pursue them with horses and chariots. He believes he will have them trapped between the mountains and the sea, but God miraculously delivers them. The Israelites celebrate with a song of hope and victory. Tirzah befriends a young Egyptian girl who has fled with them, even though others treat her badly. In spite of hardship and disappointment, Tirzah and her family keep trusting Yahweh to carry them through.

The Value of Friendship the Story of Jane Adams


Ann Donegan Johnson - 1979
    Jane wanted to help people from a very young age and eventually saw her dream come true in Chicago and other places.

You Wouldn't Want to Be in Alexander the Great's Army!: Miles You'd Rather Not March


Jacqueline Morley - 2005
    Readers will become the main character and can revel in the gory, dark, horrific side of life throughout important moments in history. Humorous Handy Hints that relate directly to the text are provided on each spread. You (the reader) are an English gentleman eager to join a group of settlers planning to start a new colony in the New World. You have heard the tales of previous expeditions and want to get your hands on some of the fabled riches that are found there. As a member of the colony, you will get an insider's look at the history behind some of the previous expeditions, what you pack for the long journey across the Atlantic, how the first few years at Jamestown were difficult because no one knew how to farm, and how the colonists interacted with the native Algonquians. After reading this book there will be no doubt in your mind that this is definitely a settlement you'd rather not start.