Digging deeper, I listened to the TED Talk titled The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that Linda Sue mentions in the podcast. Since then, I’ve thought about how much of our history has been learned from a single perspective, and I’ve pondered the challenges teachers, parents, librarians, and those of us who write, edit, and publish for young readers, face. You should click the link above and listen to the podcast. In the podcast, she talked about the “single story narrative” and about how she introduces the idea of a single story to young readers. That’s why I’m so excited that author Kate Messner is writing a new series for middle-grade readers called History Smashers.īefore we talk about the books, though, let’s talk a bit more about this notion of the “single story narrative.” Last fall, while walking my daily two-mile neighborhood loop, I listened to author Linda Sue Park discuss her book PRAIRIE LOTUS with Matthew Winner on The Children’s Book Podcast. And no event has EVER had only one perspective.

The stories we’ve been told about historical events have been skewed by the fact that most were written from a single perspective. The Titanic was touted as “unsinkable” before its ill-fated maiden journey. Paul Revere’s famous cry “The British are coming!” warned residents of Lexington and Concord of the imminent danger of British invasion. Does your book qualify as middle-grade?.Turning Kids Into Bookworms: A Book List For Parents.Successful Author or Illustrator Visits.Schedule a Skype Visit with a Mixed-Up Files Author.Author Websites With Discussion/Activity Guides.

History smashers kate messner