The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.
Independent Reading
EASY- Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves
- by Peter & Connie Roop. Beech Tree Paperback, 1992
- Ahyoka helps her father Sequoyah create the Cherokee alphabet.
- Black Heroes of the Wild West
- by Ruth Pelz. Open Hand Publishing, 1990
- Short vignettes of fascinating African Americans during the Wild West.
- Cowboy
- by David Murdoch. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993
- Brimming with beautiful photographs detailing a cowboy's clothing.
- Nettie's Trip South
- by Ann Turner. MacMillan Publishing, 1987
- A moving story of a young girl's reaction to seeing enslaved people.
- Pioneers
- by Martin Sandler. Harper Collins, 1994
- This book's photographs and illustrations transport reader's back to the Old West.
- Susanna of the Alamo
- by John Jakes. Harcourt Brace, 1986
- True story of a woman who survived the Alamo.
- Andrew Jackson
- by Margaret L. Colt. Houghton Mifflin, 1965
- A well researched story of the President known as the man of the people.
- The California Gold Rush
- by Mary McNeer. Landmark Books, 1950
- True stories of the California gold rush.
- Carlota
- by Scott O'Dell. Houghton Mifflin, 1977
- The story of a young woman's struggle with her identity during the war with Mexico.
- Cherokee Chief: The Life of John Ross
- by Electa Clark. Crowell, 1970
- Story of John Ross, the famous Cherokee chief, and the Cherokee removal.
- Mr. Blue Jeans: A Story About Levi Strauss
- by Maryann N. Weidt. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1990
- The true story of how a poor Jewish immigrant became famous.
- Sojouner Truth and the Struggle for Freedom
- by Edward Beecher Claflin. Barron's, 1987
- The astounding life of a woman who fought for the rights of African Americans and women.
- Buffalo Gals: Women of the Old West
- by Brandon Marie Miller. Lerner Publications, 1995
- A lively account of the many non-traditional jobs women did in the Old West.
- Dragon's Gate
- by Laurence Yep. Harper Collins, 1993
- A young boy flees China to join his uncle working on the railroads.
- A Family Apart
- by Joan Nixon. Bantam, 1987
- A struggling mother sends her children out west on an orphan train.
- Frederick Douglass: The Black Lion
- by Patricia and Frederick McKissack. Children's Press, 1987
- The story of a brilliant slave who became a great African American leader.
- Getting There: Frontier Travel Without Power
- by Suzanne Hilton. The Westminster Press, 1980
- An account of what it was like to travel without engines.
- Lyddie
- by Katherine Patterson. Lodestar Books, 1991
- A young girl seeks a better life working in a mill.
Read Aloud and Reference Books
READ ALOUD BOOKS- A Place to Belong
- by Joan Lowery Nixon. Bantam Books, 1989
- Sent west on an orphan train, the children fear they will be separated from their new family.
- The Defenders
- by Ann McGovern. Scholastic, Inc., 1970
- The stories of great Native American leaders.
- What the Dickens
- by Jane Louise Curry. Puffin Books, 1991
- A mystery set on a canal boat in 1842.
- Atlas of Westward Expansion
- by Alan Wexler. Facts on File, Inc., 1995
- An overview of the West, including the Pony Express and wagon trains.
- Engines of Change: The American Industrial Revolution
- by Brooke Hindle & Steven Lubar. Smithsonian, 1986
- An excellent source for topics related to the Industrial Revolution.
- Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey
- by Gerda Lerner. Schuken Book, 1982
- True stories that depict women on the wagon trains west.