Module 5 - History, Biography & Nonfiction

Sandler, Martin W. 2008. LINCOLN THROUGH THE LENS: HOW PHOTOGRAPHY REVEALED AND SHAPED AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. Walker and Company. ISBN: 0806796672

Lincoln Through the Lens documents Abraham Lincoln’s life using the some of the earliest photographs ever taken. Lincoln realized the power of the technology and used it to further his legal and political career. “In addition to chronicling Lincoln's political career, the book illustrates the rise of photography as a documentary resource.” Voya. It not only includes many photographs of Lincoln, but also images of the times in which he lived. “Part history of early photography, part Lincoln biography, and part documentation of the period, this slim book speaks volumes in both words and pictures.” School Library Journal. There are quotes from Lincoln throughout the book, giving the reader insight into Lincoln’s persona, his thoughts, hopes, fears, and frustrations. Comparing the pictures of Lincoln as a young man and those of him near the end of his life, one can see the toll the Civil War and his personal tragedies took on him. “This well-researched, interesting book should be available for all school children to read when they are studying Abraham Lincoln.” Children’s Literature


Crutcher, Chris. 2005. KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER: AN ILL-ADVISED AUTOBIOGRAPHY. New York: Random House Audio ISBN: 0307282546

In a Starred Review, Publishers Weekly calls King of the Mild Frontier “ funny, bittersweet and brutally honest”. This is the story of how Chris Crutcher, grew from a pimply face, insecure “bawlbaby", to become the popular and award-winning young adult writer he is today. “Crutcher entertains readers, challenges them, and touches their hearts…hard to imagine it being written any better.” Voya. The audiobook, in which Crutcher himself reads, is most enjoyable. It is like listening to a brother or uncle share old stories about family and school from days gone by. Crutcher shares where many of his books characters come from. Boys especially will be entertained by the book. The female characters, his sister and mother, are as well developed as the male characters. All in all, though, “this is a good read… and it tells a strong story to get at strong truths.” Kirkus Reviews

Schmidt, Gary D. 2009. WEDNESDAY WARS. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 054723760X.


Wednesday Wars takes the reader month by month through the 1967-68 seventh grade school year of Holling Hoodhood. Every other kid in the class is either Catholic or Jewish and goes to religious instruction on Wednesday afternoons; but Holling who is Presbyterian stays in the classroom with his teacher Mrs. Baker each Wednesday. Holling is convinced Mrs. Baker hates him. She makes him read and study Shakespeare, which lands Holling in an embarrassing role as a fairy in the community theatre production of The Tempest. Holling’s homelife is perfect, except that his parents ignore him and his flower child sister has no use for him. The turmoil of the 70’s is a backdrop to the typical traumas of seventh grade. Holling deals with bullies, a runaway sister, Mrs. Baker’s MIA husband, misunderstandings with the girl he likes, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. Schmidt creates a realistic and memorable character in Holling, and a story that rings true for a seventh grader and the turbulent 70’s. “This story interweaves the issues of the period with grace and power, resulting in historical fiction both entertaining and endearing.” Children’s Literature.