Book picks similar to
Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway by Kirkpatrick Hill


historical-fiction
american-girl
middle-grade
childhood

Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot


Jane Kurtz - 2003
    With Ethiopia's rulers in the midst of a fierce struggle for control of the throne, what can the King of Kings--Emperor Yohannes III--possibly want with her?

Kathleen: The Celtic Knot


Siobhán Parkinson - 2003
    Kathleen dreams of living with her favorite aunt, Polly, far from her crowded home and the strict nuns at the convent school. She's surprised to find that she has a talent for dancing--and a chance to win the dance competition! But Kathleen's family has no money for the costume she needs--until Aunt Polly comes to the rescue.

Neela: Victory Song


Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - 2002
    But Neela's heart is stirred more by the fiery talk she overhears about India's freedom struggle than it is by talk of marriage. When Neela's father goes to Calcutta to learn more about the fight for independence from Britain, he doesn't come home when he's expected. Where can Neela go for help in finding her father?

Spring Pearl: The Last Flower


Laurence Yep - 2003
    Unlike most Cantonese girls, Spring Pearl has learned to read and write, but she must now learn a new skill-how to survive in Master Sung's hostile household. While the Second Opium War rages in the streets and harbor of Canton, Spring Pearl faces battles of her own.

Leyla: The Black Tulip


Alev Lytle Croutier - 2003
    When she reveals her skills as a gardener, Leyla is assigned to work with the Mistress of the Flowers. In the harem gardens, Leyla secretly plants the tulip bulbs she has brought from her home in the Caucasus Mountains--a reminder of the life she's left behind. If the bulbs are discovered, will there be trouble?

Isabel: Taking Wing


Annie Dalton - 2002
    But when you are a boy, the whole world can be your home. Men build houses and ships and sail off to discover strange new lands. But women must stay indoors, sewing stitches so fine that no one will ever see them. Our work is only visible if we do it badly. Aunt Elinor says I must be ladylike, like Sabine. But I will never be like Sabine in a thousand years...

Cécile: Gates of Gold


Mary Casanova - 2002
    She finds life within the palace gates is not as full of ease and elegance as she had imagined. Faced with a test of conscience, Cecile shows that behaving in a noble matter has little to do with one's place at birth.

A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska, Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 1896


Susan Campbell Bartoletti - 2000
    A diary account of thirteen-year-old Anetka's life in Poland in 1896, immigration to America, marriage to a coal miner, widowhood, and happiness in finally finding her true love.

Valley of the Moon: The Diary of María Rosalía de Milagros, Sonoma Valley, Alta Valley, California, 1846,


Sherry Garland - 2001
    Orphaned years ago, she and her brother Domingo work on a ranch run by the stern Señor Medina. María's writing captures the intense tradition and culture of the Spanish as she observes the war that Alta California ultimately loses to the Americans.

Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine, France, 1136


Kristiana Gregory - 2002
    Their mother died several years earlier, so their grandmother and ladies-in-waiting raise the girls. Eleanor is extremely intelligent and literate, having been carefully educated by royal tutors. Spinning bores her, as does weaving, sewing, and other housewifery skills expected of her. She would rather be a knight and ride off to war. In fact, in 1136, when her father is invited to help invade Normandy,

My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher


Jim Murphy - 2001
    However, the schools were inadequate at best. Some returned home, unable to endure the hardships of prairie life, but others were more committed. Jim Murphy's Sarah Jane Price stayed, braving the rough conditions of the West and the daily tasks that ensued.

Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763


Mary Pope Osborne - 1998
    Recently, however, this friendship has been threatened by violence against the Indians. Then, Catharine and her brother are taken captive by the Lenape in retaliation. At first, Catharine is afraid of her captors. But when a handsome brave begins to teach her about the ways of the Lenape, she comes to see that all people share the same joys, hopes, and fears. Osborne crafts a thrilling story of romance and danger and remarkable courage.

All the Stars in the Sky: The Santa Fe Trail Diary of Florrie Mack Ryder


Megan McDonald - 2003
    As they cross the Great Plains of the midwestern prairie, fording rivers and climbing mountains, the Ryders encounter endless hardship as they undertake this great adventure.

The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl


Ann Turner - 1999
    Army in 1864 New Mexico.

Sŏndŏk: Princess of the Moon and Stars, Korea, A.D. 595


Sheri Holman - 2002
    Three kingdoms (Silla, Koguryo, and Paekche) fought for supremacy, and three faiths (Shamanism, Buddhism, and Confucianism) battled for dominance. Princess Sondok, the eldest daughter of King Chinp-yong of Silla, must contemplate problems that few other 14-year-olds ever to think of. Another expertly crafted addition to the Royal Diaries series.