Stories about America’s Past for Grades 2 & 3 at the Elmhurst Public Library

These books can be found in the fiction (J F) section of the Kids' Library, shelved alphabetically by the authors' last names.

The American Girls Collection.  Stories about Addy, set in 1864,are written by Connie Porter. Felicity’s stories, set in 1774, Molly’s stories, set in 1944 and Josefina’s stories, 1824, are all written by Valerie Tripp. Janet Shaw writes stories about the 1854 pioneer girl, Kirsten. And Samantha, who lives in 1904, can be found in books by Susan Adler. Look for books about these American Girls in the fiction collection filed under the authors’ last names, or in the paperback collection under the series title, "American Girls."

Black-Eyed Susan   by Jennifer Armstrong
Ten-year-old Susie and her father love living on the South Dakota prairie with its vast, uninterrupted view of land and sky, but Susie’s mother greatly misses their old life in Ohio.

East Side Story   by Bonnie Bader
Rachel and her older sister Leah work in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in 1909 New York City. When workers demonstrate for better working conditions, Leah is arrested.

Drums at Saratoga   by Lisa Banim
Nathaniel Phillips had run away from his home in Canada in order to follow the British army down the Hudson Valley. But now Nathaniel has fallen in the hands of American soldiers, who will teach him what the war is truly all about.

The Hessian’s Secret Diary   by Lisa Banim
During the summer of 1776, ten-year-old Peggy discovers a wounded soldier in the woods near her Brooklyn farm, and is convinced that his sketchbook contains the secret notes of a Hessian spy.

Ruthie’s Gift   by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
How can a girl ever hope to become a lady when she’s surrounded by a houseful of boys? Eight-year-old Ruthie loves her rough-and-tumble brothers, but sometimes wishes for the company of another girl. Set in a cozy Indiana farming community at the start of World War I.

The Courage of Sarah Noble   by Alice Dalgliesh
Remembering her mother’s words, an eight-year-old girl finds courage to go alone with her father to build a new home in the Connecticut wilderness and to stay with the Indians when her father goes back to bring the rest of the family.

This Time, Temp Wick?   By Patricia Lee Gauch
A humorous tale of how the remarkable Tempe Wick kept her wits and her courage in defending her horse Bon from mutinous Revolutionary soldiers.

The Day It Rained Forever   by Virginia T. Gross
In 1889, a poorly built dam breaks, and a wall of water 125 feet high rushes down the valley onto Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

The Runaway Ride of Old 88   by Harry Hartwick
David Brennan was a train engineer who didn’t believe in jinxes, so he had no qualms about taking Old 88 out at the head of a freight train on the run over Saddle Mountain.

George Washington’s Birthdays   by Wilma Pitchford Hays
The story of the early life of George Washinton.  Also by this author: Abe Lincoln’s Birthday and Christmas on the Mayflower.

Billy and the Rebel   by Deborah Hopkinson
During the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, a mother and son shelter a young Confederate deserter. Includes a historical note on the incident.

The Wind Wagon   by Celia Barker Lottridge
Sam Peppard, a blacksmith in 1860’s Kansas, builds a prairie schooner that sails to Denver, Colorado, powered by wind.

Bess’s Log Cabin Quilt   by D. Anne Love
With her father away and her mother ill with fever, ten-year-old Bess works hard on a log cabin quilt to save the family farm.  Also by this author:  Dakota Spring.

The Bobbin Girl   by Emily Arnold McCully
A ten-year-old bobbin girl working in a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1830’s must make a difficult decision – will she participate in the first workers’ strike in Lowell?

An Outlaw Thanksgiving   by Emily Arnold McCully
While traveling with her mother cross-country by train in 1896, a young girl unexpectedly shares Thanksgiving dinner with the notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy.

Grace’s Letter to Lincoln   by Peter and Connie Roop
On the eve of the 1860 presidential election, as war clouds gather and the South threatens to secede, eleven-year-old Grace decides to help Abraham Lincoln get elected by writing and advising him to grow a beard.

Cutlass in the Snow   by Elizabeth Shub
In 1797 Sam and his grandfather explore the wild and uninhabited Fire Island, just missing a band of pirates but finding a cutlass and buried treasure.

Bad River Boys  by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
A group of young Dakota Indians encounters members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Anna, Grandpa and the Big Storm   by Carla Stevens
Anna’s grandfather is bored with city life until he and Anna are stranded on the Third Avenue El during The Blizzard of 1888.

Trouble for Lucy   by Carla Stevens
As she and her family travel the Oregon Trail in 1843, Lucy’s puppy persists in creating trouble.

Josefina’s Surprise   by Valerie Tripp
In 1824, during the second Christmas after their mother has died, Josefina and her three sisters find that participating in the traditions of Las Posadas helps keep memories of Mama alive.  (The American Girls Collection.)

Night of the Full Moon   by Gloria Whelan
When she sneaks away to visit her friend, a young girl living on the Michigan frontier is caught up in the forced evacuation of a group of Potawatomi Indians from their tribal lands in the 1840s. Also by this author: The Indian School.

Freedom on the Menu  by Carole Boston Weatherford
The 1960 civil rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, are seen through the eyes of a young Southern black girl.

My America Series
All of the My America books can be found in the fiction collection under the series title, "My America."

Five Smooth Stones: Hope’s Diary   by Kristiana Gregory

Our Strange New Land: Elizabeth’s Jamestown Colony Diary; bk. 1   by Patricia Hermes

Westward to Home: Joshua’s Diary; bk. 1   by Patricia Hermes

Hope in my Heart: Sofia’s Immigrant Diary; bk. 1   by Kathryn Lasky

As Far as I Can See: Meg’s Prairie Diary; bk. 1   by Kate McMullan

My Brother’s Keeper: Virginia’s Civil War Diary; bk. 1   by Mary Pope Osborne

Freedom’s Wings: Corey’s Underground Railroad Diary; bk. 1   by Sharon Wyeth