Used bookstore finds

Sometimes I miss not owning a used bookstore anymore but I still know some places to go. Today we hit the Friends of the Library bookstore and I can't believe some of the cool books I found.



The best find were six American Girl historical "World" books. They are kind of like the Eyewitness series books in that they have lots of beautiful photographes of real items, and they are factual. But they tie into the time period of the various American Girls. The books are normally $15 each and I got them for $2.50 each.

Z is really excited about them and wanted to read the Felicity book, since that comes first in chronological order, as soon as we could. Then I had her do a little narration and here is what she came up with so far

Welcome to Felicity's World is about whether Felicity should be a Loyalist or a Patriot. A Loyalist is someone who supports the King and the Patriot is someone who doesn't like what they King does. What they don't like is that the King makes them pay taxes on every little thing without letting vote about it.

The delegates went to Philadelphia to talk about the King's blockade of the Boston Harbor. A delegate is someone who represents their colony. Some people wanted to get along with England and some didn't want to do what the Kind said. Then delegate John Adams wrote to his wife that they might have a war - he said "a storm is coming." But none of the delegates wanted a war.

In Felicity's days a family of five would have been small. Many families had eight or more children. Nearly half of colonial children died before the age of six and a "sad doll" helped a child understand when her brother or sister died. A "sad doll" has a white/tannish dress and lies in a coffin. Well-to-do families had Christening dresses for their babies when they are Christened. Some families gave their babies beer to quiet them down.

Children played with lots of toys in Felicity's time. Lot's of toys were handmade but some other toys were transferred from England and were very valuable and were given to younger sisters and brothers. Children made up games easily. They played games that we know like hide and seek and checkers and hopscotch.

I typed it and I guided her some. Like when reminding her that other people haven't read the same things she has so that she has set up information so that it makes sense.



I also found these two books on Presidents that I have comtemplated buying for full price at B & N (I got them for 75 cents and a dollar) and I found a book on elections with Spongebob on it that I think Z will really enjoy. but the best out of this group is the Brown Paper School Book book, Making Cents - all the books from this publicher are great for homeschoolers and I covet them.



I found Ivanhoe and Jungle Book graphic novels and


Since Z likes Agatha Christie's Poirot so much I thought she might like to read a kid version of a Sherlock Holmes book. I didn't look through it until we got home through and the reading level is really easy. I think Z could read all three mysteries in the book in half an hour.

Interestingly she saw the Poe book and asked to read it at the store. I don't like Poe myself probably because I was trying reading him the same time I was reading Nathaniel Hawthorne whom I thought was better. But I did read Z the Raven last year and she really liked it. She also is familiar with Poe from the song Edgar Allan Poe from the Snoopy musical, which I am planning to use in a unit study this year. So she saw the Poe book and I got it down from the shelf for her and she started reading aloud from Descent into the Maelstrom in a very tense and eerie voice. It was pretty awesome. *hee hee*

I know I have no business buying more books for Z. I have enough to start my own homeschool resource center but... I am a book junkie, especially classic and educational children's books.