Tag Archives: family history

National Sisters’ Day!

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National Sisters’ Day occurs on August 4th, 2024, so this month we are celebrating the relationship between sisters. In this month’s S-Collection blog, we are highlighting books featuring stories that explore the different facets of sisterhood. Sometimes having a sister feels like having an automatic best friend and supporter. Other times, sisters can clash, change, or have secrets come between them. Sisterhood is complicated. This collection of picture books, middle grade books, and young adult novels invites readers to delve into the complexities of sisterhood and accompany sisters as they share in adventures ranging from the everyday to the extraordinary.

Picture Books

Goth, Shane
Illustrated by: Yong Ling Kang
The Midnight Club. 2021. Picture Book.
Sisters Milly and Becca are both members of the Midnight Club. Tonight is Milly’s first adventure! The sisters sit in Dad’s big chair, try on Mom’s coat, eat jellybeans, and overcome their fear of a scary shadow. There is so much fun to be had in the middle of the night! As their adventure ends, the sisters put away any evidence of their shenanigans. Remember, the most important rule of the midnight club is that the club must remain a secret.
Q.SE. G711mi

Hager, Jenna Bush & Barbara Bush
Illustrated by: Romona Kaulitzki
Sisters First. 2019. Picture Book.
A little girl’s wish is granted when her new sister comes into the world. While her baby sister cannot do much, the sisters become inseparable. As they grow together, the sisters are constantly laughing, dancing, and playing. With their wild imaginations, the sisters learn that they are better together than they ever were apart.
Q.SE.H1222si

Kokias, Kerri
Illustrated by: Teagan White
Snow Sisters! 2018. Picture Book.
It’s a snow day! Each sister approaches the day in their own way, with one playing in the snow and the other enjoying the indoors. As their day progresses, their roles reverse. Each sister gets to spend their days exploring the joys of a snow day both outside and inside.
SE. K8295sn

Miura, Tomo
Little Sisters. 2024. Picture Book.
What would it be like to have a little sister? An only child imagines what her life would be like if she had a little sister or many little sisters. They could play hide-and-seek, build towers, share a treat, and jump on the sofa. As each scenario plays out, more little sisters appear — until all the sisters disappear, and the only child is once again alone. This book is full of joy and mischief as our main character questions what life would be like with more siblings around.
SE. M692pe:E

Middle Grade

Fawcett, Heather
The Islands of Elsewhere. 2023. Middle Grade.
The Snolly sisters are staying with their grandfather for the summer. Their grandfather’s property is home to the three mysterious Fairy Islands: Fairy, Little Fairy, and Ghost. The locals of Misty Cove claim that the islands are full of magic. Unbothered by the potential magic, ten-year-old Bee Snolly is more focused on helping her ill grandfather. As the Snolly sisters’ journey into the Fairy Islands, they may discover a secret that can help them all.
S.F281is

Johnson, Varian
Illustrated by: Shannon Wright
Twins. 2020. Middle Grade Graphic Novel.
Sisters are forever, right? Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They do everything together from school projects to after-school clubs. Things begin to change as the girls move into sixth grade. Suddenly, Francine starts going by Fran and starts participating in things that would set her apart from Maureen. It seems like the sisters are growing apart and there is nothing that Maureen can do to stop it. Will their transition into middle school change their relationship forever?
S. 741.5973 J638tw

Kim, Graci
The Last Fallen Star. 2021. Middle Grade.
Riley Oh’s family is a part of a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches called the Gom clan. Her sister, Hattie, is finally going to be initiated into the clan. Riley is so excited to follow in her sister’s footsteps and participate in the clan. Unfortunately, Riley is adopted. She does not possess the heritage magic. Riley’s lack of magic makes her feel alienated from her family. Hattie, wanting to share her magic with her sister, comes up with a plan. This plan involves an old family spell book, breaking ancient laws, and puts the sisters’ lives at risk. When things go wrong, it is up to Riley to save her sister and find out what it means to be a witch.
S. K5602gcla

Zahler, Diane
Goblin Market. 2022. Middle Grade.
Lizzie and Minka are complete opposites. Lizzie is shy and sensitive, while Minka is outgoing and cheerful. One day, Minka meets a boy, Emil, at the market and is immediately charmed. Minka falls ill after eating a strange fruit given to her by Emil and is taken into the home of the goblins, the dark forest. It is up to Lizzie to find Emil and save her sister before it is too late. Inspired by Polish folklore, this fantasy-horror book captivates readers with its detailed world building and timeless tale of saving a loved one from hidden dangers.
S. Z133go

Young Adult

McCullough, Joy; Sharpe, Tess; Spotswood, Jessica; Richmond, Caroline Tung
Great or Nothing. 2022. Young Adult.
Set in the spring of 1942, this Little Women retelling is told from each March sister’s point of view as they experience loss, love, and self-discovery. The story takes place after the death of the youngest March sister, Beth. This loss creates intense tension between the remaining family members and pushes the March sisters away from one another. With each point of view written by a different author, this retelling sheds a different light to an already classic story about the trials and tribulations of sisterhood.
S. M13952gr

Tian, Xixi
This Place is Still Beautiful. 2022. Young Adult.
Annalie and Margaret agree on only one thing, that they have nothing in common. Margaret is ambitious, driven, and has a passion for social justice. She could not wait to escape her small town. Annalie is sweet, popular, and loves that town that she grew up in. Until, one day Annalie comes home to find a racial slur painted on her family’s house. Margaret comes home, outraged by the incident. She expects her family to take a stand on the issue but finds that they would rather forget about the event entirely. Tensions rise between the sisters and untold secrets threaten to tear them apart. A complicated story about family and sisterhood that will captivate readers until the very end.
S. T429th

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Family History

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July is Roots & Branches (family history) month, and a good chance to check out books related to discovering family history and how past generations lived. Family Tree Magazine notes that when doing family history research, kids are usually less interested in the details (full names, dates and places of birth) than adults. Instead, kids love to fill out pedigree charts, look at old photographs, and learn how to play games their ancestors played. You can also make family history fun by creating a family memory box or scrapbook, interviewing family members, and by taking kids on a summer trip to a historical town or farm.*

*Stacy, Allison. “Genealogy Activities for Kids.” Family Tree Magazine. 28 September 2009.

Researching Your Family History

Cooper, Kay.
Where Did You Get Those Eyes? 1993.
A step-by-step guide for researching one’s family tree, from examining inherited traits to interviewing parents and relatives to going through genealogical libraries in search of lost ancestors.
[Education Storage S.929.1 C786W1993]

Ryan, Tony and Rodger Walker.
Life Story Work: A Practical Guide to Helping Children Understand Their Past. 2007.
This book is a resource for adults helping foster and adopted children discover their family history and form life stories even if they may not know their biological family members.
[Education Q. 362.733 R952l2007]

Taylor, Maureen A.
Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors. 1999.
Discusses genealogy, the study of one’s family, examining how such an interest develops, how to get started, how to use family stories and keepsakes, where to get help, and the positive effects of such study.
[Education Storage S.929.1 T216t]

Weitzman, David.
The Brown Paper School Presents My Backyard History Book. 1975.
Activities and projects, such as making time capsules and rubbings and tracing genealogy, demonstrate that learning about the past begins at home.
[Education Oak St. Facility S.973.07 W439M]

Nonfiction

Hobbler, Dorothy and Thomas.
The Scandinavian American Family Album. 1997.
This book is a pictorial and written record of the country left behind, the journey to America, and the group’s contributions to the United States. It contains period photographs, memorabilia, and selections from diaries, letters, memoirs, and newspapers. There are many more books in this series about additional immigrant groups by the same authors.
[Education Storage Q. S.973.04395 H76S]

Kent, Deborah.
The Changing Face of America: Hispanic Roots, Hispanic Pride. 2004.
Introduces the Hispanic American culture, its origins, history, variety, and impact on American society.
[Education S Collection S.973 K414c]

Lanier, Shannon, et al.
Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family. 2000.
A chronicle of the history of the descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, who were brought together in 1998 after DNA findings linked the two families’ bloodlines.
[Education S Collection S.973.460922 L272j]

Townsend, John.
Dreary Dwellings and Frightful Families. 2006.
Do people still live in caves? What terrible job did “gongfermors” do? How did pioneer families travel? Using dramatic photos and illustrations, this book explores various types of unusual dwellings and family living arrangements through the ages and across different cultures. Amazing facts and true stories merge with history to vividly set the scenes for readers.
[Education S Collection S.363.509 T664d]

Fiction

Alexander, Keely and Velani Mynhardt Witthoft.
Davy Brown Discovers His Roots. 2009.
Davy needs to describe how his family originally came to America for a class project, but he is afraid his family does not have an immigration story.
[Education S Collection S.929 Al261d]

Bauer, Joan.
Backwater. 1999.
While compiling a genealogy of her family of successful attorneys, sixteen-year-old history buff Ivy Breedlove treks into the mountain wilderness to interview a reclusive aunt with whom she identifies and who in turn helps her to truly know herself and her family.
[Center for Children’s Books S.B326b]

Butcher, Kristin.
The Gramma War. 2001.
Everything is going well in eleven-year-old Annie’s life — until she finds out that her ailing grandmother is coming to live with the family. In an attempt to help her cope with the changes, Annie’s parents enroll her in a local genealogical society where she grudgingly embarks on a journey to learn her family tree. In the process she discovers not only that her grandmother has a wealth of knowledge and stories about their shared family history, but that she was not always the angry old woman she seems to be.
[Education Storage S.B971g]

Greenwald, Sheila.
Rosy Cole Discovers America. 1992.
Disappointed in the poor European immigrant ancestors she discovers during a class project to research family roots, Rosy cooks up a clan of royal relatives.
[Education Storage S.G855RC]

Hearne, Betsy.
Seven Brave Women. 1997.
A young girl recounts the brave exploits of her female ancestors, including her great-great-great grandmother who came to America in a wooden sailboat.
[Education Storage SE. H3514s]

Lainez, Rene Colato.
Rene Has Two Last Names. 2009.
In this story based on the author’s childhood, a young Salvadoran immigrant is teased for having two last names until he presents his family tree project celebrating his heritage. This book is in English and Spanish.
[Education S Collection Q. SE. C67r]

Meminger, Neesha.
Shine, Coconut Moon. 2009.
Samar is an Indian-American teenager whose mother has kept her away from her old-fashioned family. It’s never been a problem for Sam, until after 9/11. A man in a turban shows up at Sam’s house and turns out to be her uncle, who wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage.
[Center for Children’s Books S. M513s]

Nixon, Joan Lowry.
Search for the Shadowman. 1996.
While working on a genealogy project for his seventh grade history class, Andy Bonner becomes determined to solve the mystery surrounding a distant relative who was accused of stealing the family fortune.
[Education Oak St. Facility S.N654sea]

Schreck, Karen Halvorsen.
Lucy’s Family Tree. 2001.
Lucy’s adoption from Mexico makes her feel as though her family is too “different” for a family tree project at school, but she ends up creating a family tree that celebrates both her past and present. The back pages offer further suggestions for exploring family diversity.
[Education S Collection S.Sch71l]

Shelby, Anne.
Homeplace. 1995.
A grandmother and grandchild trace their family history.
[Education Storage Q.SE. SH432H]

Sweeney, Joan.
Me and My Family Tree. 1999.
Using a family tree, a child explains how her brother, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are related to her.
[Education S Collection S.929.1 SW35m]