Books about the Great Depression for Middle Grade Readers

 

My mother in law was raised on a farm in southern Minnesota during the Great Depression. Although her family managed to keep the farm and keep food on the table, she had lots of stories about how they managed to do without much that we now consider essential. Her stories were filled with pride and determination. Many of the stories written for middle schoolers that are set in this period demonstrate the same triumph of the human spirit over adversity, and that makes them good reads and good lessons for today’s youth.   ​Wish Upon a Crawdad By Curtis Condon ​ Twelve-year-old Ruby Mae Ryan is determined to make enough money by selling crawdads to the local restaurant and through other odd jobs to buy something very special that she’s kept a secret from everyone but her Daddy and her best friend, Virginia. Set in 1940 in rural Oregon, this story tells what it was like in a time before electric cooperatives brought power to the rural farm country.  ​Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm ​ Bean lives in Key West, Florida with his mother and baby brother.  His dad is off somewhere, trying to find work. Two men come to Key West: a government agent trying to renovate Key West as part of the New Deal Plan, and a con man who hires Bean for a few assignments. Bean is torn between wanting the money for his family and knowing that he's involved in questionable work. Bean and his gang of barefooted boys know that the adults are lying about something, but what is it? No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt ​This story from the Newbery Award-winning author of Across Five Aprils and Up a Road Slowly tells the story of Josh, a 15-year-old boy who takes his younger brother on a cross country trek to find a safe place, away from his father’s anger. A talented pianist, he is lucky to find many sympathetic and kind people to help. Even then, the boys come close to death as they struggle to find food and shelter.  ​Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko ​This book, a Newbery honoree, is the story of Moose, a 12-year-old whose father is a prison-guard on Alcatraz Island. Moose’s sister goes to a special school in San Francisco for help with her autism, and Moose finds it hard to live in the isolation of the island prison, even if it does lead to some very funny scenes.   Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan   Another Newberry winter, this book tells the story of Esperanza, who leaves a privileged and comfortable life in Mexico to work with her mom in Southern California labor camps. The tragedy that forced them to leave wealth and ease at home for a new and harsh life as exploited farm workers during the Great Depression will open reader's eyes to a little-known bit of history. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck​ ​ Siblings Joey and Mary Alice, leave Chicago every summer to spend time with their grandmother in rural Illinois. This book tells stories about their visits from 1929 to 1942. There’s eccentric grandmother makes sure that every trip is memorable, and you will sense the love and laugh a lot about their adventures.  The Truth About Sparrows by Marian Hale ​ Even though the drought is making her family’s life impossible, twelve-year-old Sadie Wynn doesn’t want to abandon the only life she’s known and leave her friends in Missouri to move with her family to Texas. This story will help middle grade readers connect with the past, for while times and circumstances change, families and children remain essentially the same.  Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool ​ Abilene Tucker has lived an itinerant life. Twelve years old in 1936, her father finds a railroad job, and puts Abilene on a train to go live with relatives. But the curious, intrepid Abilene hops off the rails in Manifest, Kansas — her dad’s hometown — in an effort to find out more about his life. She meets a host of strangers and soon-to-be friends in this strange and downbeat town with a rich and interesting past. Nothing to Fear by Jackie French Koller Thirteen-year-old Danny becomes the man of the house when his father leaves home in search of work. This story, set in New York City during the Depression, warms the heart as Danny strives to remain a regular kid while being forced into the very adult role of supporting his pregnant mother and younger sister. ​ Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse ​ Beautiful and evocative, this Newbery Medal-winning novel-in-verse tells the story of Billie Jo, a fourteen-year-old growing up in the dust bowls of Oklahoma. When terrible accident destroys her family and scars her hands, her one consolation, playing the piano, is taken from her and she must find a way to continue on without it. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor ​ Part of her Logan family series, this Newbery winning novel tells the story of nine-year-old Cassie Logan, the daughter of an African-American farmer in 1930s Mississippi.  The novel explores Jim Crow segregation, Black ownership of land vs. sharecropping, and lynching, and is a painful reminder of the tenuousness of black/white relations.  Did I miss your favorite middle grade novel about the Great Depression? Let me know and I'll add it to my list! A former middle school teacher, Jennifer Bohnhoff has written several historical novels for middle grade readers. She is currently working on a novel set on Isle Royale, an island in Lake Superior, during the Great Depression.  Ms. Bohnhoff will be giving away a copy of Where the Crawdads Sing to one subscriber to her email list. If you are not a member and would like to join, click here. Winner will be announced in her elert on January 11th. The titles of the books in this article contain links to Bookshop.org, an online bookseller that gives 75% of its profits to independent bookstores, authors, and reviewers. As an affiliate, Mrs. Bohnhoff receives a commission when people buy books by clicking through links on her blog or browsing her shop at https://bookshop.org/shop/jenniferbohnhoff.  A matching commission goes to Treasure House Books, an independent bookseller in Albuquerque's Old Town. Please do not see Mr. Bohnhoff's affiliation with Bookshop.org as a discouragement to shop directly at your local independent bookseller or to borrow from your local library.

Christmas Nuts in Bastogne

 

 

Nuts, Bastogne, and Christmas. Say these three words, and most World War II trivia fans will connect them to Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe and the Battle of the Bulge. But truth can be stranger than fiction, and the connection goes much farther back than most people know.

Since the 18th century, the Belgian city of Bastogne has had a Nuts Fair during December. Farmhands, cowherds and shepherds in the region used to be employed by landowners for one-year periods that ended eight days before Christmas. Hoping to get contracts for the coming year, these workers came to Bastogne to attend the last market of the year.  If they were hired or rehired, they’d buy sugary breads and nuts to celebrate the fact that their livelihood was ensured for another year.

Lieutenant Hellmuth Henke

Nuts and Bastogne became even more connected because of a comment made by an American commander during the Battle of the Bulge, which began on December 16, 1944. The massive counterattack in the heavily wooded, snowed-covered Ardennes was Nazi Germany’s last attempt to dislodge the advancing Allied forces. The Belgian town of Bastogne became the center of intense fighting because the seven highways that coursed through it made it strategically important. By December 21, the city was surrounded by German forces.

On the morning of December 22nd, four German soldiers waving a white flag approached the lines to the south of town. The two officers,  Major Wagner of the 47th Panzer Corps and Lieutenant Hellmuth Henke of the elite Panzer Lehr Division, wore long overcoats and shiny boots.  Henke carried a briefcase under his arm, and declared in English that he had a written message for the American commander in Bastogne were carrying blindfolds that they were willing to put on in order to be brought into headquarters. The two enlisted German soldiers who’d accompanied Wagner and Henke were left behind with American soldiers, while Wagner and Henke were brought forward.

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Since the 101st “Screaming Eagles” Airborne Division was defending the town of Bastogne, Wagner and Henke’s message should have gone to their commander, Major General Maxwell D. Taylor. However, Taylor was at a staff conference in the United States when the Battle of the Bulge began, and Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, normally only in charge of the division’s artillery, had taken his place. McAuliffe was sleeping in his quarters right next to the headquarters when a Lieutenant Colonel woke him.

“The Germans have sent some people forward to take our surrender” said, Lieutenant Colonel Ned Moore.

McAuliffe muttered “Aw, nuts!” 
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The written message that Henke handed over consisted of two typewritten sheets, one in German, the other an English translation. The diacritical marks above certain German vowels were missing and written in by hand, showing that the Germans had used an English typewriter. It read:

"December 22nd 1944
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet.
Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled
U.S.A troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable
surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over
a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the
presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready
to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours' term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the wellknown American humanity.
The German Commander."

“They want to surrender?” McAuliffe, who was still groggy from sleep, asked.  When he was told that the Germans were demanding that the Americans surrender, McAuliffe threw the paper on the floor and said "Us surrender, aw nuts!" Wagner and Henke, who were still waiting in blindfolds nearby, demanded a formal written response to their message. The one they received said: ​

"December 22, 1944
To the German Commander,
N U T S !
The American Commander"

At first, the Germans did not understand what the message meant. When they finally did understand, they stormed off.

“Nuts!” became the rallying cry for the beleaguered defenders. It raised their morale and gave them hope. Luckily for Bastogne, the German Corps Commander General Heinrich von Lüttwitz decided to circumnavigate Bastogne, and concentrate his forces on Bayerlein.  

For his actions, McAuliffe received the Distinguished Service Cross from General George S. Patton. Today, there is a statue of him in the town square, and every year a nut-throwing ceremony celebrates the city’s rescue. 

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Patton decorating McAuliffe with the Distinguished Service Cross (Photo: U.S. Army)

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Jennifer Bohnhoff is an author of historical fiction and a former history teacher. Her novel Code: Elephants on the Moon is the story of a young French girl who discovers that nothing in her little town in Normandy is what she'd believed it to be. As D-Day approaches, she must make some decisions that could mean life or death for many.  This YA novel is suitable for older children and adults. 

Away in the Manger with Cowboys and Soldiers

 

 

Years ago, I bought a manger scene at an after Christmas sale. It was one of the best purchases I ever made. 

The figures in my nativity set are made out of a rubbery plastic, which means that my three sons, and now my grandchildren have been able to play with them over the years. This has given me the chance to tell and retell the Christmas story to them. They know the story of the three kings, and he herald angel (not Harold the Angel, as one used to think.) and of the shepherds watching their flocks by night. But over the years, our little scene has attracted a few extra players.

Many depictions of Christ's birth have an angel or two who watches over the newborn. Having three sons, one who was interested in the military, my nativity scene had a more earthly guard. For years, a little green army man sniper lay face down on the roof, watching the distance for approaching danger. Sometime in the past decade, he went off duty and was replaced first by one green army man, who seemed to be signaling everyone to come and see the Christ child, then by a second khaki colored one. 

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Sometime after I moved from the city, another character joined the scene. For the past five years or so, we've had a cowboy to watch after the cow and donkey in the manger. He is a good natured chap, with a smile always on his face. I think he does a good job of mucking out the stalls, for I've never smelled anything coming from them.

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Now that I have granddaughters, Jesus sometimes finds that his humble manger has been transported to the tropics and is surrounded by flowers. You'll note that the sheep were banished to the back forty so they wouldn't eat the greenery.

How about your house? Do you have a nativity scene that comes out this time of year? I'd love to see it!

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Jennifer Bohnhoff is the author of several novels for adults and children. You can read more about her and her books at her website.