Blog Partner Discussion 5: Historical Fiction
6. Your personal response to the book
7. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
8. Evaluate its literary quality
9. Evaluate its illustrations
10. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
11. Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Title - Shades of Gray
ReplyDeleteShades of Gray is a historical novel written by Carolyn Reeder. It is a wonderful book that helps readers get an idea of how it was to live during the Civil War. The story is about a twelve year old boy named Will Page. The Civil War is over, and Will is an orphan. His father and brother were killed by Yankees, and his mother and sister died as well. Will is forced to move in with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Meg. He is very hostile towards his uncle for not fighting in the war and thinks of him as a coward. Will learns to adapt in a new lifestyle, and soon realizes that his uncle is not a coward. How do you feel about the book has it relates to his genre?
Phyllis-As for the book I think the genre is one in which the plot is set amidst historical events or more generally in which the author uses real events but adds a fictional character. The literary quality seems interesting what do you think?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is and that's why I like historical novels for children because its' one of the best ways to get them to care about the past. When you see a period of time through the eyes of one character it takes on a reality that mere facts seldom attain .
ReplyDeleteDo you think this book carries a good illustration of the theme?
ReplyDeletePhyllis- The book , Shades Of Grey by Caroline Reeder is suitable for children between the ages of 8-12 years. As for the illustration, this 19th century American history does not have much in pictures.However in the mind's eye the illustation are powerfulin the words.
ReplyDeletePhyllis-is this an authentic story?
ReplyDeleteYes it is ,how could Will Page, son of a fallen Confederate Patriot, respect a man who'd refuse to fight?" This question touches on one of the multiple themes addressed in the book Shades of Gray. When Will loses his entire immediate family in one way or another during the Civil War, he longs to stay in Winchester. It was his mother's wish for Will to live with her sister's family in the Virginia Piedmont, though, so Will reluctantly goes. Will's first predicament is that his uncle was a conscientious objector during the war, refusing to fight for either side. Throughout this beautiful book, which was of high interest to me with different reading levels, we see Will grow mentally and physically. Naturally, Shades of Gray is a sort of coming-of-age novel that is tailor-made for a literature-based social studies curriculum, but is also one of the books of that type that stands steadily on its own.
ReplyDelete