Week 10: Historical Fiction
Instructions for Weekly Online Activities/Assignments

ENGL 231: JC Clapp (North Seattle Community College)

Due no later than Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 by 11:00 p.m. PST:  Choose two books of historical fiction written for children about the same historical event or same historical time period. For instance, you could choose two books set in early colonial America or two books both about life during the Middle Ages (you get the idea!). Once you have your two books, evaluate them, individually and as a set, according to the criteria established on page 458 of Chapter 10.  (The criteria are also online, if you don't have your book with you: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073378569/student_view0/chapter10/evaluation_guides.html) Create a comprehensive post that includes complete evaluations of your two chosen books. Then, compare and contrast them by indicating the strengths and weaknesses of each. Be sure to include the titles, authors, publishers, and copyright dates (all the bibliographic data) as well in your post!  Title your post with the historical time/place the book is set in.

Due no later than Monday, December 7th, 2009 by 11:00 p.m. PST: Read all of your classmates evaluation posts, and then see if anybody else posted about the same historical time period you did.  If so, look at how the various books about that period or event differ.  Does there seem to be a "winner" -- a particular book on a particular time period that seems to "get it right"?  What common themes do you see repeated? Is it more clear in some books than others what is fact and what has been fictionalized? Respond to at least two of your peers’ posts.