We the People Freedom Bookshelf

The Lawrence School library was lucky enough to win a group of classic books with the theme of freedom, a central concept in our nation's history, through writing a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH periodically sponsors "We the People" Bookshelves (the newest is "The Pursuit of Happiness," described on its web site at http://www.neh.gov). The books from the Freedom Bookshelf are now on display in the library, and here is an annotated list of titles for your interest:

GRADES K-3:
SAM THE MINUTEMAN by Nathaniel Benchley
As the Revolutionary War begins, a father and son must fight to defend their liberty.
THE GIRL WHO LOVED WILD HORSES by Paul Goble
A young American Indian girl realizes her dream to live free among the horses she loves.
PAUL REVERE'S RIDE by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A patriot races to warn his countrymen of danger at the onset of the American Revolution.
THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter
A little rabbit tests the limits of his freedom.

GRADES 4-6:
THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR by Virginia Hamilton
A ghostly presence surrounds a house that was a way station on the Underground Railroad.
BEN AND ME by Robert Lawson
Benjamin Franklin’s times and achievements are recounted by his mouse, Amos.
TO BE A SLAVE by Julie Lester
Men and women who endured slavery provide powerful testimony of life without freedom.
THE COMPLETE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C. S. Lewis
These stories of an imaginary land convey lessons about the struggle against oppression.

GRADE 7-8
FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
A man discovers the liberating power of the written word.
ACROSS FIVE APRILS by Irene Hunt
One boy comes of age as his brothers fight on opposing sides in the Civil War.
THE WITCHES OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare
A teenage girl clashes with the way of life in Colonial Connecticut.