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The Ultimate Historical Book Club Age 13-17

Completed by 9 learners
Ages 13-17
Live Group Class
Historical fiction can be a time-machine and a great learning tool. If you love reading and learning about history, then come and join us as we take the challenge of reading and discussing a new historical novel each week.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(885 reviews)
Popular

Live video meetings
1x per week
3-7 learners per class
45 min

What's included

1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per week
Certificate of Completion
included

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11
I love history and find that reading about it can be be (almost) as exciting as a trip in a time machine would be. Each week, learners will come to class having read the book for that weeks discussion. (Thats 46 books in a year!) We will take a look at the author, the time period it was written (if different from the setting), and learn about what the characters and setting tell us about that moment in history. Learners will be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions about the story and historical context. The first part of class will consist of a short lecture about the historical context, author, and any relevant information about the book. The second half of the class will be open discussion. Class is kept at a small size to ensure every learner will have an opportunity to share. (If your learner does not like public speaking, they are always able to share through the chat box.) 

Please see the Parental Guidance statement below. This is an ongoing - week by week class, so learners are able to jump in any time or skip any books that they (or parents) do not wish to read. This class will be from an historical context, not a literary one. 


Come and join us as we take the challenge to read a different book each week! 



2025 Dates

Week of: 

January 6 Beneath My Mothers Feet - Amjed Qamar
January 13 Glow - Megan E. Bryant
January 20 In Another Time - Caroline Leech
January 27 We Are Not Free - Traci Chee
February 3 No Class 
February 10 Borderless - Jennifer De Leon 
February 17 The War Outside - Monica Hesse
February 24 The Night Diary - Veera Hiranandani
March 3 Before We Were Free - Julia Alvarez
March 10 Within These Lines - Stephanie Morrill 
March 17 NO CLASS
March 24 Inside Out & Back Again - Thanhha Lai
March 31 The Rock and The River - Kekla Magoon
April 7 The Girl in the Blue Coat - Monica Hesse 
April 14 Boxers & Saints - Gene Luen Yang (2 Graphic Novels)
April 21 Code name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
April 28 I Must Betray you - Ruta Sepetys
May 5 Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez 
May 12 Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
May 19
May 26 Outrun the Moon - Stacey Lee
June 2
June 9 Everything We Never Had - Randy Ribay
June 16
June 23 NO CLASS 
June 30 NO CLASS
July 7
July 14
July 21 The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood - Richard Blanco
July 28
August 4
August 11 Angel of Greenwood - Randi Pink
August 18
August 25
September 1 Walls - L.M. Elliott
September 8
September 15
September 22
September 29 NO CLASS 
October 6
October 13
October 20
October 27
November 3
November 10
November 17
November 24 NO CLASS 
December 1
December 8
December 15
December 22 NO CLASS
December 29 NO CLASS 






2025
Inventing Victoria - Tonya Bolden
Slaugherhouse-Five - Kurt Vonegut
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Night - Elie Wiesel
The Beloved Wild - Melissa Ostrom
Outrun the Moon - Stacey Lee
As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner 
Chains: The Seeds of American Trilogy, Book 1 - Laurie Halse Anderson
Native Son - Richard Wright
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Refugees - Alan Gratz
Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck 
The Crucible - Arthur Miller
A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Indivisible - Daniel Aleman
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
I Must Betray You - Ruta Sepetys
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

Learning Goals

Understand differences between present and past perspectives, and apply it to present day issues
Use primary sources and different types of media (such as film and art) to learn about historical events.

Other Details

Parental Guidance
In this class, we will be discussing all aspects of history. This will include topics of death, racism, slavery, discrimination, sexism, violence, and war. There may be some derogatory language in some books. There may also be some sexual situations in some books. Parents are advised to review book topics and ratings. Commonsensemedia.com has great reviews and age suggestions. All topics will be discussed from in a historical context. There may be some Youtube videos that are seen during this class. I will share my screen and learners will not need to access them on their own.
Supply List
Learners are expected to obtain their own copies of the books (either through purchasing them or the library).
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Some of the sources used for this class are, but not limited to: Smithsonian Britannica National Geographic PBS Library of Congress

Meet the teacher

Joined March, 2018
4.9
885reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree from Louisiana State University
I have been an educator on Outschool since February of 2018. I have my MBA and MHA, both of which have taught me the value of conducting research and asking questions.  I have a passion for history and learning. You can usually find me in the middle of 2-3 books or watching a documentary. 

Reviews



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