Biographies and Autobiographies

 

            One of the best ways to teach children about history is to point them toward quality biographies and autobiographies. But there's more gold to be mined in this genre.

 

            The stories of people's lives are not only educational, enriching and entertaining, but they teach children what NOT to do in certain situations. Indirectly, by reading these life stories, they can learn from the mistakes made by others. They also can witness how those people overcame their own mistakes, and societal obstacles, to achieve success.

 

            Here are some good biographies and autobiographies that may appeal to the child in fifth through eighth grades or thereabouts:

 

            An American Childhood, Annie Dillard

            A Girl from Yam Hill, Beverly Cleary

            Black Ice, Lorene Carey

            Circle of Quiet, Madeleine L'Engle

            The Summer of the Great-grandmother, ""

            Two-Part Invention, ""

            Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

            Gifted Hands, Ben Carson, M.D.

            Lives of the Writers (20 of note)

            One Writer's Beginnings, Eudora Welty

            "Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman!" Richard Feynman

            Under the Eye of the Clock, Christopher Nolan