a blog about books written for teenagers and young adults. Reading is the best thing in the world. This summer I am reading a number of books that I hope to use in a course . How did I choose the books? I look for books everywhere- bookstores, online, secondhand, borrowed or I ask people what they like.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Nine Lives Of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong
Students in the secondary English class are reading this book. Please see their comments.
This book tells the story of Charlotte Taylor, one of the earliest woman settlers in what is now New Brunswick. It is a mix of fiction and fact and allows the reader to experiece what life was like in NB in the late 1700s and early 1800s. There is a tremendous amount of world and local history in this book and I am sure it would appeal to later high school ages.
The novel, written by the great-great-great granddaughter of the main character is a great read that brings the late 18th and early 19th century to life. Other novels dealing with this time period get bogged down by constantly explaining historical facts and attempting to be 100% authentic while ignoring character development. Sally Armstrong, who did a great amount of research for the book, focuses more on character. This, I feel, makes the novel more accessible to younger readers. The book would be a great choice for high school students to read because it deals with many social issues that can help history come alive for students.
I am from Miramichi and as I read the novel, I knew it would be a great book to teach in Miramichi high schools. The students would be able to visualize the setting and actually visit the place where Charlotte first settles. If I were to teach this novel, I would make sure I did a unit on the history of the Miramichi area as the novel is full of historical references. I would set the class up in groups and have them present on different historical elements and get them to describe the effect it has on the novel and what literary elements it represents. For example, a group could research the Mi’kmaq people, and one of the main characters is a Mi’kmaq man named Wioche. The students could give the history of the Mi’kmaq people and describe the importance of Wicohe’s character. Overall, this is a great novel and would work well in a high school class.
5 comments:
This book tells the story of Charlotte Taylor, one of the earliest woman settlers in what is now New Brunswick. It is a mix of fiction and fact and allows the reader to experiece what life was like in NB in the late 1700s and early 1800s. There is a tremendous amount of world and local history in this book and I am sure it would appeal to later high school ages.
HI Lisa,
I am very pleased that you chose this book.As you read Charlotte Taylor
what were some events you noticed that seemed important?
The novel, written by the great-great-great granddaughter of the main character is a great read that brings the late 18th and early 19th century to life. Other novels dealing with this time period get bogged down by constantly explaining historical facts and attempting to be 100% authentic while ignoring character development. Sally Armstrong, who did a great amount of research for the book, focuses more on character. This, I feel, makes the novel more accessible to younger readers. The book would be a great choice for high school students to read because it deals with many social issues that can help history come alive for students.
I am from Miramichi and as I read the novel, I knew it would be a great book to teach in Miramichi high schools. The students would be able to visualize the setting and actually visit the place where Charlotte first settles. If I were to teach this novel, I would make sure I did a unit on the history of the Miramichi area as the novel is full of historical references. I would set the class up in groups and have them present on different historical elements and get them to describe the effect it has on the novel and what literary elements it represents. For example, a group could research the Mi’kmaq people, and one of the main characters is a Mi’kmaq man named Wioche. The students could give the history of the Mi’kmaq people and describe the importance of Wicohe’s character. Overall, this is a great novel and would work well in a high school class.
Post a Comment