Gathering of Days, A
Publication Information
Author:  Blos, Joan W.	Illustrator:
Title:  Gathering of Days, A	Date:  1979
Publisher:  Macmillian	City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:	ISBN, hardback:  0-689-71419-X
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes	ESOL:
Family:   Yes	Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:
General Information:
Book Type(s):    historical fiction, diaries and journals
HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies
Summary:
This book, subtitled A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32, is a fictitious diary kept by a fourteen-year-old girl during the last few years she spent on her family's farm. During these months Catherine's father remarried, her closest friend died of fever, and she helped a runaway slave.
Teaching Ideas:
Although the book reads like an accurate portrayal of life in rural New England in the 1830's, because of the adolescent voice teachers may want to carefully pair the book with the right student or use excerpts of it with a group. Students might enjoy rewriting some of the journal entries from the point of view of one of the adults. The section on Nat Turner or the part on moving to Ohio may be excerpted and read as part of a unit on slavery or Ohio history. It may be used with Paterson's Lyddie.
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > New England History > time period > 19th Century History > region > U.S. history > well-known people > Turner, Nat History > region > Ohio Communities > rural > rural life > farms

We welcome your comments