Book Title: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832
Author(s) and Artist(s)--if applicable: Joan W. Blos
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright Date: 1979
Selection Choice: Galda Recommended Historical Fiction
Brief Annotation: This book is written as the journal of a fourteen-year-old girl in New England during the 1880s. Catherine Hall lives with her father and little sister, as her mother passed away shortly after child birth years before. She is very close with her neighbors, the Shipmans, whose matriarch fills in at times as a motherly figure, and whose daughter is her best friend. Catherine has taken on the responsibility of taking care of her family while also attending school, until her father decides to remarry. Living in a northern state, she sees her teacher sympathizing with the struggles of run-away slaves and being condemned for his opinions by the town. She also hears her father, though sympathetic to their cause, state that abiding by the law is more important than helping a runaway. So, when she is contacted secretly by a mysterious person seeking warmth and food, who could possibly be a runaway slave, she is faced with a moral dilemma.
Your Rating: 4/5 stars
Readers who will like this book: Readers who enjoy history or visualizing what living in a different era may have been like will enjoy this book. Students who enjoy mysteries will also find this book compelling.
Question to ask about this book before reading: How do you think life may have been different for a teenager in 1830 as compared to today? What was going on in the United States at that time?
Question to ask about this book during reading: Have you ever known what the right thing to do was, but were afraid to do it for some reason? Do you think Catherine will help this person who has contacted her? How do you think she's feeling?
Question to ask about this book after reading: Why do you think Catherine's father and mamman did not punish her for giving away the quilt? Why was Catherine happy to leave her home?
Optional, but noted as extra effort:
1. Interest Level (age): 11-14
2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 6.1
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3. List awards: John Newberry Medal, 1980
I'm having a great time reading everyone's summaries of their historical fiction choice. I'm reminded of how much I LOVE this genre, and I'm gratified to see that most people are responding in the same way.
ReplyDeleteA Gathering of Days holds a special place for me because it takes place in New England (where I'm from), and because I was an American History major in college with a focus on colonial America. When I first read this book, I was almost fresh out of college and I remember thinking that the format was a great way to get younger kids interested in history. The diary entries make the reading more accessible than a typical margin-to-margin text, and the first person perspective is always a good way to get up-close with an historical time period or event. The format of this book could also be a "model" of how kids could write about a topic in history. Rather than writing a summary or a traditional report about a person, place or event, they could take on the persona of someone who lived during that time period and write up their learning in diary format. Much more interesting to write AND to read!
Reading your summary made me think about a textset idea: Do you think this book and Number the Stars have a similar theme in terms of young girls facing moral dilemmas?
You've done some great reading this term (you're all set with the book documentation requirements, right? In fact, maybe you've read one more book than is required?). I can tell you enjoy reading like a teacher, and your question-writing skills are developing in sophistication and challenge. Well done!