Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg Book Review

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Thanks to innovative hands-on activities, simulations, and technology, teachers have more tools than ever to help overcome the challenge of engaging students in history. However, trade books--especially nonfiction--are still a powerful way to connect students to the events of the past.

Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg by Tanya Anderson is one such nonfiction account that takes students to the front lines of the Civil War's bloodiest battle through the eyes of a 15-year-old girl who was there. In today's world, where students are thousands of miles removed from full-scale wars, Anderson invites students to step through a door to America's past and come face-to-face with the extraordinary sights, sounds, and smells that Tillie encountered. Using Tillie's own words from her 1889 book At Gettysburg: Or, What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle, A True Narrative Story as well as interesting, informative graphics and historical images, Anderson presents a well-researched account of Tillie's experiences as well as important background information about Gettysburg itself prior to, during, and after the battle.

One of the aspects of this book I enjoyed most is the narrative style that Anderson uses to tell the story of Tillie. This is definitely not a dry, nonfiction account of the events at Gettysburg. It reads like a story, which will draw in students. While primary sources like Tillie's account are amazing windows to the past, I have found that language and writing styles from the past can be a barrier to students' comprehension of what the witness is describing. In this case, yes, Tillie was a teenager, but her language isn't necessarily that of today's teenager, and I thought that Anderson did an excellent job of conveying Tillie's story in contemporary, easy-to-understand prose. The excerpts from Tillie's book that Anderson did use in the book effectively describe not only Tillie's wartime experiences but also the range of emotions that this 15-year-old had witnessing such an extraordinary event.

I also was fascinated by the graphics and images used to tell the story of Tillie. When I traveled to Gettysburg in 2009, I was impressed by the remnants of history left among the landscape of the town and battlefield. However, even though monuments and placards denoting significant sites dotted the area, envisioning the Gettysburg of 1863 still required some imagination. Thanks to the emerging use of photography in the Civil War-era, readers of Tillie Pierce are able to view images of the actual people and places of wartime Gettysburg, including those connected to Tillie Pierce's story. I had never seen many of these images before, but they were extremely helpful to me as I read the book. Along these lines, the book also includes standard nonfiction features, such as interesting sidebars, charts, and maps, to support the text.

The Confederate dead (courtesy of the Library of Congress)

View from Little Roundtop (courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Evergreen Cemetery gatehouse (courtesy of the Library of Congress)

The structure of the book is well-organized by chapters and subheadings within. Each subtopic within the chapter is a short read, which lends itself to being able to stop and reflect on the information presented. Most, if not all, subsections of the chapters include images or visual aids that tie into the topic being discussed. The book is not simply page after page of nonfiction prose.

The book begins with an introduction to Gettysburg with a short history of the town up until the Gettysburg that Tillie grew up in.  From there, Anderson introduces individuals and families associated with Tillie. Several chapters describe the build-up to the battle then the battle itself, including Tillie's movements, activities, and thoughts during it. As the book closes, readers learn about the aftermath in Gettysburg as well as what happened to Tillie, her family, and the other individuals connected to her story.

The book is 96 pages, with eight chapters, an epilogue, and a detailed resource section in which Anderson provides source notes, bibliography, resources for further information, and an index. She also includes an interesting feature called "Taking Tillie's Path" that provides the blueprint for a virtual tour of modern Gettysburg using Google Earth. Through this activity, students can see the the places that Tillie saw as they are today.

A view from a modern-day Roundtop

Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg is published by Quindaro Press of Kansas City. It was a 2014 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Nominee, a Junior Library Guild Selection, a 2014 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award (Teen Nonfiction) winner, and a 2014 NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book. You can order a signed copy with FREE shipping here. You can also visit Tanya Anderson's online home here.

P.S. Tanya Anderson has another book coming out in October 2016 entitled Gunpowder Girls, which tells the stories of the three worst arsenal explosions during the Civil War, the victims of which were primarily poor, immigrant women and girls who worked in the arsenals. It looks intriguing!

Have you read Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg? How would you use this book in your classroom? Leave a comment!

Must-Read Mentor Text: Mysteries of the Mummy Kids

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I was inspired to write about the mentor text for this week's Collaboration Cuties' link-up by an article I recently read about Inca mummy kids found frozen high in the Andes. The story of these children is one of many told in Kelly Milner Halls' Mysteries of the Mummy Kids. This book is particularly special to me because before I became a teacher, I worked on it as an editorial assistant at its original publisher, Darby Creek Publishing. My job was to do photo research and secure rights to many of the images used in the book. For days and weeks, I was "wrapped" up in images of mummies from around the world! My students were pretty excited when I shared that I had been a part of this book project, and I think that made it all the more interesting to them.

This nonfiction book focuses on child mummies from throughout history that have been discovered around the world. The book is organized by continent and mummy, which makes it easy to read in small sections. The author begins with an explanation of why she wrote the book, which was inspired by a postcard she received with a photo of a mummy from Mesa Verde National Park. She then explains the natural and man-made processes of mummification.  Despite its subject matter, the author is careful not to sensationalize or exploit the mummies, but rather she thoughtfully and respectfully explains how they came to be in their conditions within historical, cultural, and geographic contexts. The images in the book help young readers to visualize so much about what is being described in the book, from locations to the mummies themselves. The photographs are somber, yet fascinating. The illustrations and diagrams are appealing and easy-to-follow. At the end of the book, the author includes several references for readers to use to learn more, including "Mummy Miscellany," which lists museums around the country where readers can see preserved mummies and a list of suggested titles for further reading; a bibliography; a glossary; and an index. The book is appropriate for upper elementary to middle school students based on the reading level and the content.

When I became a teacher, I was able to use this book in my fifth-grade social studies classes in a number of ways. When studying the Inca Indians, I read aloud the section of the book pertaining to child mummies discovered in the Andes mountains (referred to in the article link in the first paragraph). These children were thought to have been sacrificed to their gods by the Incas. The author describes how these children were chosen, how they lived in preparation for their sacrifice, and how they ultimately passed away and became mummified.

As part of our study of American Indians, students completed a graphic organizer for each Indian group with information about their location & geography; religious beliefs; government; food sources; inventions; and other cultural elements. As I read aloud from Mysteries of the Mummy Kids, I asked students to jot down any information that fit into the categories of their organizers.

Sample graphic organizer used for note-taking about American Indian groups

Based on the facts presented in the book, they were able to add details to many of the categories on their organizers. Through the stories of these children, students were able to get a picture of not only the lives of the chosen children, but also the daily lives of the everyday Inca, including what they ate, their government structure, arts & crafts, and the roles of men and women. It was rewarding and fun to watch students connect what they read about in their traditional textbooks with the information in this trade book. 

In addition to the note-taking practice, I allowed time for students to ask questions, too, in light of such extreme cultural practices. We also discussed how the context of time and culture shaped the perspectives that the Inca children probably had at the time of their sacrifices, and we compared those to what the students, who were about the same age, thought.

The Maiden of Llullaillaco was about 14 years old and was found with
two other children--a 6-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy--on the peak of Mount Llullaillaco in Argentina.

In addition to the mummies of South America, Milner Halls also writes about the well-known mummies of Egypt, as well as those found in Europe, Asia, and North America. All have their own circumstances surrounding their mummification, and each could be discussed at length in terms of their historical, cultural, and geographic contexts. I actually referred to and shared the story of the Caucasian mummies discovered in the Taklamakan Desert along the Silk Road in China during our discussion of European explorers. Of the many different child mummy discoveries, I personally found the stories of the bog mummies from Europe the most interesting.

Many mummies, many mysteries

I did end up reading the entire book to my homeroom class as a read-aloud instead of a traditional novel. I found it a bit challenging because it required more attention and thinking from the students to process what I was reading to them, especially with new vocabulary and the explanation of processes. If the book is read aloud, it's important to spend time showing students images and reading in small sections so that meaningful discussions can be held about the content. 

Detailed diagram of a false cabeza ("head") mummy bundle shows readers what was included in these burial masses.

In addition to the social studies elements of this book (geography, history, and culture), Mysteries of the Mummy Kids also includes a strong science content as well, with scientist interviews and descriptions of the mummification process. This book is also a great choice for reluctant readers with its interesting subject matter, vivid images, and organization into small, but content-rich sections.

I'm a big fan of using cross-curricular trade books to teach social studies, and I highly recommend Mysteries of the Mummy Kids as one of these!

Must Read Mentor Text...Roanoke: The Lost Colony, A Unsolved Mystery from History

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! I just learned about an EXCELLENT linky called Must Read Mentor Texts at Collaboration Cuties. In a nutshell, you link up your blog post about a content-area trade book that you recommend to teachers to read and use with their classes. The weekly linky alternates content area. This week it's social studies. Other weeks, there are link ups to language arts, science, and math. There's even a little graphic you post that shares what skills are used in the book and a one-word description of it.

Using trade books is one of my favorite ways to connect my students to subject matter. I highly recommend it! In fact, I tell them that one of the ways I learn more about a topic is to start by reading trade books...that I get from the children's department of the public library! I'm very excited to get involved with this linky not only to share what I've used but also to learn about more fantastic trade book options.

The text I'm sharing this week is Roanoke: The Lost Colony, A Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, illustrated by Roger Roth.

This short, nonfiction picture book is aimed toward upper elementary students, but it could be used at the middle level as well. The story is the same at any grade level! Yolen and Stemple tell the story of Roanoke, the first attempt by the British to permanently settle in North America. The story is told from the perspective of a modern-day, young girl who lays out the mystery of the lost colony with details about the major figures from the colony and surrounding environs (Walter Raleigh, John White, the Croatoan Indians, Manteo, Virginia Dare); facts about the colony; descriptions of colonists' relationships with the local American Indians; related vocabulary, and other known information. At the end of the book, the authors provide the most popular theories about what happened to Roanoke:

1. The No Survivors Theory; 

2. Absorbed by Native People Theory; 

3. The Lost at Sea Theory; 

4. The Split Community Theory; and 

5. The White Doe Theory.

This book reminds me a lot of the You Wouldn't Want to Be... series as far as the layout and design. Each page not only tells the central story, but it also includes many different fun facts, vocabulary terms, and interesting illustrations to accompany the text.

I use this book as an introductory hook to our lesson on the Roanoke colony. It's a fascinating story, a true mystery from history, so students really become engaged. I read it aloud in class as it is short enough to do that. I walk around and show illustrations and stop at different points to further explain the story and to quickly assess by questioning students to make sure that they understand what is being read.

I also read the book aloud because students complete a response activity to this book. Prior to reading it, I tell students to pay close attention to the facts and information presented in the book because they will be making a prediction about what they think happened to the colony. After we read the book, I go over the five popular theories then give out the assignment: a newspaper article template on which students write a news story that explains what happened to the colony.

Sample template

Before allowing students to start work, we review the questions that should be answered in a news story: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? Because some of these questions are not answered in the book, students must infer or make their best guesses about answers to them using the information that was presented in the story. I also ask students to draw and color an image to go along with the story. Once students have completed the assignment, I allow volunteers to read their stories aloud. It's usually a good mix of theories presented.

This book requires skills such as cause and effect; understanding sequence; inference; and questioning, among others. It can be used to elicit higher-level thinking including analysis, evaluation, and ultimately, creation. I really like how this book engages students. It shows them that history can be very interesting, and they can think like historians to help solve a mystery that's hundreds of years old.