Christopher Paul Curtis is an author of Historical Fiction. His first book was the The Watsons Go to Birmingham. Mr. Curtis writes about life in and around Flint Michigan where he grew up. His books are informative while being entertainment. He states that for students to enjoy reading it needs to be enjoyable. I have grown to really enjoy Historical Fiction. It seems to be easier to learn history when it's presented in an interesting format. Thee textbook The Joy of Children's Literature states that the benefits of Historical Fiction are:
conveys a sense of life as it was lived.
happens to ordinary people.
broadens perspective.
helps children understand that the present and future are linked to actions of the past.
There are so many excellent authors of Historical Fiction and as a teacher I plan on incorporating them into my lessons whenever it is possible.
It is no wonder that Richard Peck is an award winning author. I began reading A Season of Gifts on a long car ride. Due to boredom, I decided to start reading A Season of Gifts to my husband to keep us both awake. We arrived at our destination but I hadn't finished reading; my husband asked if he could finish reading the book. He finished that evening and when I asked him to fill me in on the detailed his response was "Oh no you have to finish it, it was so good." I finished it today and he was right.
A Season of Gifts is a terrific book that I recommend to everyone over 12 years of age.
