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Inspire a love of American History with Aunt Claire Presents vintage adventure books. This vintage fiction series for girls is an engaging curriculum supplement that will take your child on an epic adventure into the past.
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The vintage adventure stories by Aunt Claire Presents, published by Laboratory Books will inspire a love of American History. These are the same stories American girls read over a century ago for fun. This book series is just as entertaining now, and will give your child a unique look into the lives of young women living in the early 20th century.
Below you will find links and resources for a book-based unit study with American history adventure stories from Aunt Claire Presents. These books and activities are appropriate to share with a middle grade classroom or in your homeschool. This guide provides book recommendations, related reading, media links, and projects along with an eight page Author Study printable.
American History: Early 1900s
Daily Life and the Suffragette Movment
Vintage Adventure Stories
These books were originally published in 1910 and 1911 as a thrilling adventure series for girls of the early 20th century. Aunt Claire Presents is currently republishing the series
You will find The Automobile Girls at Newport and Grace Harlowe’s Freshman Year at High School available on Amazon. The next two books in the series are scheduled to be released May of 2018.
Meet the Authors
Read about the original authors of this series on the Aunt Claire Presents website. Then learn more about the time they lived. The following questions can be used as oral discussion points or as writing prompts.
Discussion Prompts
Read about the Progressive Era on Wikipedia and consider what life would be like for the authors of this book series. Adventure stories for girls were new for the times! How did the political climate at the time affect the lives of female authors around the turn of the century?
Note that the authors changed their names to publish this series. Why would an author write under another name? Many authors of today write under a pen name or pseudonym. Consider famed Harry Potter author who uses the shortened J.K. and pseudonym Robert Galbraith rather than her actual name, Joanne Rowling. How are these authors similar? What are they trying to achieve by writing under a pen name?
These books are currently being republished after over 100 years! Consider why young people today might be interested in vintage adventure stories. What can we learn about young girls of the past from this book series? What do we have in common with young readers from 1910?
American History: Progressive Era
The Aunt Claire Presents series is the perfect hook into serious historical research. Use this series to supplment your curriculum and enrich your child’s understanding of daily life in the early 20th century. Extend your lesson plans with related readings and media integration focused on the Progressive Era in American History.
Related Reading
- Biography: Read The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the most intriguing feminist activists of the time.
- Poetry: Renowned poet, Emily Dickinson, lived and wrote during the Progressive Era in the late 1800s. Read the Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson and research her interesting life story online.
- Related Fiction: Compare and contrast two books from the same era from different genres. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900 and also features a strong female lead.
Media
Find out more about the Women’s Suffrage Movement on History.com: The Fight for Women’s Suffrage
- Meryl Streep stars in Suffragette, a powerful drama about the fight for equality (PG-13).
- See the history of fashion in the 1910s on The Ultimate Fashion History on YouTube and learn how fashion was affected by the times.
As always, use your discretion when viewing media online. These topics are sensitive but important. What may be appropriate for one child may be too mature for another. I urge you to preview videos, watch with your child, and openly discuss any questions they have.
Activities and Projects
Encourage young readers to consider the larger context of when the Aunt Claire Presents series was originally written. Take a closer look at the similarities and differences between daily life in the 1900s and today.
What events in the past have impacted our present?
What present-day issues will change our future?
Compare and contrast the life of a young woman and a young man in the 1900s. Use a printable venn diagram or make a list.
Research and write about the effect of the the Suffragette movement on modern life.
Write a modern sequel featuring the characters from the book. What adventures and challenges would Ruth, Barbara, Mollie, and Grace meet in the 21st century?
Draw a third book cover that shows the girls 100 years in the future. How would it be different from the 1910 and 2017 versions? How will daily life be different?
Find lesson plans and extension activities on AuntClairePresents.com.
Pick up your author study template here.
See More Free Author Studies on this site
Ashley helps parents who want to homeschool find the resources they need to successfully teach their children. Ashley is a former teacher, current homeschooler, published author, and designer behind Circle Time with Miss Fox printables as well as the creator of this website, The Homeschool Resource Room.