The National Council for the Social Studies included When Molly Was a Harvey Girl, by Frances M. Wood, on it’s list of Notable Social Studies Trade Books for 2011.
• Ages: 10-14
• Pages: 234
• Lexile Level: 680
On Sale in September for $11.19 (reg. 15.99)
Synopsis: When Molly’s father dies, it’s up to her nineteen-year-old sister Colleen to keep a roof over their heads. Unfortunately, there’s not much money left, and ever fewer options. She dresses thirteen-year-old Molly – luckily, Molly’s tall – in women’s clothing (even a corset!) and applies for jobs for both of them at the Harvey Eating Houses, which feed the popular Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. To Molly’s dismay, the plan works! She finds herself far away from her friends and her almost-sweetheart back home, smack dab in the heart of the Wild West. But Molly has a plan….
Read an excerpt and access Discussion Questions for classroom instruction at: http://bit.ly/qQYrxr
Books that appear in the NCSS annotated book lists were evaluated and selected by a Book Review Committee appointed by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and assembled in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC).
Books selected for this bibliography are written primarily for children in grades K-8. The selection committee looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations that enrich the text.
as one of 25 outstanding trade books for enhancing students’ understandings of people and cultures throughout the world. The book will be featured with the other award winners in the spring issue of The Dragon Lode Journal as well as the IRA Reading Today online journal, and the new list will appear on the Award website.
provides interesting facts about the African Baobab tree and engenders further curiosity about the African Savannah, its poetic structures lend themselves to frames for student writing.