Supplemental Historical Fiction in Chronological Order

In preparation for the Renaissance I had my daughter read The Smileby Donna Jo Napoli. She didn't care for it, as her book review attests. She says it was "too romancy" and she didn't learn anything about the Renaissance. Tomorrow we will try to get The Second Mrs. Giocondaby E.L. Konigsburg instead.

Not every book can be a winner. We are heading into the Reformation and there are LOTS of young adult books featuring King Henry VIII and all of the drama surrounding the Tudors. ( http://www.pbs.org/wnet/sixwives/meet/) So we will work our way through some options and then I'll decide my final recommendations for the website. Feel free to weigh in with suggestions! Here is my current chart:

Title
Author
Historical Figures/Time Period
Location

A Golden Web
Barbara Quick
Alessandra Giliani, 14th century
Bologna, Italy

Morning Girl
Michael Dorris
Christopher Columbus (this is kept from the reader until the Epilogue), 1492
the Bahamian Island of Guanahani (San Salvador)

Falling for Henry
Beverley Brenna
Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, future first wife of Henry VIII (while still young; Henry is still a prince)
England

Mary, Bloody Mary
Carolyn Meyer
Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII with Catherine of Aragon, age 11, 1527
England

The Redheaded Princess
Ann Rinaldi
Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn, age 9, 1542
England

The Stolen One
Suzanne Crowley
Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr (sixth wife of Henry VIII, later married to Thomas Seymour)
England

The Red Queen's Daughter
Jacqueline Kolosov
also Mary Seymour
England

Raven Queen
Pauline Francis
Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Day’s Queen, monarch of England at the age of 16, from July 10 - July 19, 1553 and then beheaded
England

A Sweet Disorder
Jacqueline Kolosov
1579
England

Daughter of Venice
Donna Jo Napoli
1592
Venice, Italy

King of Shadows
Susan Cooper
William Shakespeare, 1599
London, England

The Queen's Soprano
Carol Dines
Angelica Voglia, Queen Christina, Pope Innocent XI, 1670
Rome, Italy

Age of Exploration Wish List

This week Natalie and I will cover the Renaissance and the Reformation. We've spent two weeks on the Age of Exploration. Last night I discovered some resources I WISH I had known about and incorporated!!! But next year Leah will be in 7th grade and we can do it all over again. A teacher colleague recommended THE SHAPE OF THE WORLDand got me interested in Zheng He... and the book ideas just went forward from there.

My Age of Exploration Wish List:

Marco Polo

The Great Voyages of Zheng He

Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World

Walk the World's Rim

Joan of Arc

The White Stag

The Trumpeter of Krakow

Added September 2, 2015

Columbus

Genghis Khan

The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss

Added September 4, 2015

The Age of Discovery (Waldorf Education Resources)