Merry Wanderer of the Night + TIME

Memory Monday — Dear America

I have always loved reading (bet that was a hard one to figure out) but I've also really loved to learn. School was always very fun and rewarding for me, and I just kinda soak up random facts, both relevant and not like a sponge. When I learned that I could combine both reading and learning, I was in nerd heaven. (but whatevs... I was always a cool nerd)

Anyway, I discovered the Dear America series, written about fictional young girls in real periods in history. At least, from what I remember all the girls were fictitious... (Some of them might have been real people, but I don't think so...) I loved these books. Like, so much. I loved them that now, anytime I go into a used bookstore, I try to find copies. Many of them are still in print, but they are paperbacks and the new covers are... not as awesome. But the original books printed were all this gorgeous hardcover with deckled edges and a ribbon bookmark. Beautiful.

And they all had really awesome names like, Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie, Winter of the Red Snow and I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly.

Each of the books were written as if they were the journals of these fictional characters. One girl lived through the sinking of the Titanic, another was a Texas girl during the fight at the Alamo, one was captured by Indians, another a girl living through the Civil War. Each of these 'girls' wrote about her experiences, living through an important part of history. There were so many of these books written and I absolutely loved them.

My parents gave me two for Christmas one year, and I read them over and over and over. I read them so many times, it's been years now, but I'm pretty sure I could still recite passages from them. Standing in the Light:The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan and A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence. I was initially disappointed, because I had been hoping for the Titanic story (at that age, I was absolutely obsessed with all things Titanic) but my parents knew that I had already read it, and wanted to get me books I had not yet read. And after I read these two, I wanted to know more, so much more about both the Alamo and what it was like for both the Indians and the settlers during the 1700s. And also — I still really miss Snow Hunter.

I also loved that the books have information in the back and what is and isn't historically accurate in the book, as well as additional information that can help guide learning about the time period — real journal entries, images, etc. It was fascinating and I loved every part of these books.

Perhaps this isn't the most coherent and detailed Memory Monday post ever, but this is still most definitely a series that I loved, a series that I continue to love, even though I haven't read any of the books in far too long. It's a series I'll also continue to buy when I see it, in the hopes that my future children will be just as interested in reading as I am.

Side note — There is another series called My Name is America, that is basically the same thing, only for boys, about boys, with boy main characters. I have never read them, because young Ashley reading these did not want to have some boy book, because, well, Duh, girls were the best (see Memory Monday post about Girls Know Best) . But I would like to buy and read them some day, both so that I can learn more about certain time periods, and so that future boy children can read them, in case they feel about girls as I did about boys.: P

Do any of you remember reading the Dear America series? What about My Name is America? I'd love to hear your thoughts on either series if you've read them!:)

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Memory Monday — Dear America + TIME