Mrs. Bonner Historical Fiction Resources

Web resources for students in Mrs. Bonner's 7th grade classes conducting their Historical Fiction Research Project. Each set of resources is divided based on the book list provided by Mrs. Bonner.

Jersey Clicks -- The online databases from the State Library of New Jersey. This is only available on a school computer or at a public library.

Al Capone Does My Shirts
Al Capone on Alcatraz -- Brief overview of Capones life and crimes, also highlights his time spent in prisons, including Eastern State Penitentiary and Alcatraz. Photos available show Capone's jail cells and mugshots.

Alcatraz History -- history of the Island and the prison. Included are links to the daily life of prisioners, famous inmates, and diagrams of the island as it appears now and a floorplan of the main cellblock.

Alcohol and Al Capone -- Reprinted chapter provided online from the book Only Yesterday covers Al Capone's role in botlegging and his criminal activities in Chicago in the 1920s. (Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday. New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1997, reprinted 1931 edition.)

Gangsters, Crime, & Prohibition -- Site with links that include information on law enforcement, Gangsters, and Proibition in the 1920s.

Gangsters During the Depression -- From PBS, this page highlights criminal activity around prohibition throughout the 1920s, leading up to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Historical Currency Conversion -- Use this tool to find out how much a dollar in any year from 1700 to 2010 compares to its purchasing power today.

Bad Boy
Harlem History -- Broken into the Arts and Culture, the Neighborhood (daily life) and Politics of the Harlem section of New York City, this site provides a great deal of information about the lives of African Americans. Focus on the 1940s and 1950s for the Harlem of Walter Dean Myers' youth.

Harlem in the 1940s -- Part of the PBS site for their film The Old Setter this site gives a brief history and overview of life in Harlem during the 1940s, which coincides with the setting for Bad Boy.

Walter Dean Myers -- Short biography from Scholastic that highlights key events in the author's life and why he became a writer. Make sure you read the interview transcript to find out some fun facts about Myers.

Video Interview with Walter Dean Myers -- Select from 8 different clips each about a minute long, or watch from the beginning. Gain insight into Myers' writing routine, subject matter, and his insipration for writing.

Every Drop of Blood
1861-165 Civil War -- Various resources, including a timeline, recipes, and journals that show how the civil War affected not only soldiers, but the woman and children at home as well. Includes interactive scrapbooks to show images of the war.

Child Soldiers -- Explains the roles of child and teenaged soldiers in the American Civil War. Includes excerpts ftom diary and journal entries that give a tast of real life on the battlefield and the emotions of the young soldiers.

The Civil War -- From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, this site offers a wide variety of learning aids and primary sources related to the Civil War. Historical maps and online photo galleries are very beneficial.

Civil War Food -- Describes the most common food items consumed by soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Follow links to learn more abotu hardtack and the 1863 food riots, which were a result of food shortages across the nation.

Food Shortages -- This article explains the cause of widespread food shortages during the American Civil War and its impact, especially on the Confederate States. Includes a bibliography for further research.

Kids in the Civil War -- Article from the PBS series ''The American Experience. ' ''Provides an overview of the lives and roles of young soldiers. Follow links to learn more about African American soldiers and early soldiers' relief agencies too.

Fever 1793
Carpenter's Hall -- very detailed explanations of the inpact of the Yellow Fever Outbreak on various areas of the city, and how it affected the city's best known landmarks and citizens.

Contagion: Yellow Fever -- Provides a brief overview of the 1793 outbreak as well as information on the city and treatments. Follow the resource links for more detailed information.

The Diseased City -- This site recountts the Yellow Fever Epidemic in Phildelphia in 1793 with a focus on the city and the impact on Philadelphians.

The Free African Society -- Produced by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, this multi-page display provides a very detailed history of the group leading up to and including their involvement in the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak.

Free African Society of Phildelphia -- Short encyclopedia-like entry that described the history of the society and its contributions.

Washington Square -- Online walking tour that actually provides a very detailed history of Washington Square in Phildelphia.

Yellow Fever -- From the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, this very well researched article explains what the yellow fever is, how it is spread, and its role in the epidemic of 1793. The effects of this epidemic on the city of Philadelphia is also covered.

The Killing Sea
Indonesia Country Study -- Follow this table of contents to information about anything you would possibly want or need to know about Indonesia! Everything from the history to the politics, culture, and religion of the nation are available.

Indonesia Etiquette and Culture -- Learn everyithng you wanted to know (and more) about Indonesian culture and customs. A detailed analysis of the culture is included, but the facts and fun lay with the bulleted lists of customs.

Natural Disasters -- From National Geographic, learn about different types of natural disasters and their impace on the environment and populations.

'''[http://www.ess.washington.edu/tsunami/index.html Tsunami! ]''' -- In-depth site that details the physics behind tsunamis, historical waves and their impacts, along with lessons learned as to how to deal with and survive a tsunami.

Tsunami: The Great Waves -- Online brochure fron the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that explains what tsunamis are and the efforts used bythe US to detect and help save lives and property in the event one hits. This site also offers advice for how to prepare for a possible tsunami.

Land of Hope
Ellis Island -- The official site of the National Landmark. Explore for information on the immigrant experience from leaving their homeland through final processing and exit from the immigration station. Lots of images and interactives.

Journey to America -- Describes the different means by which immigrants would travel across the Atlantic to America. Included are several excerpts from letters and journals of immigrants describing the conditions of their journeys.

Russia 1900 to 1939 -- A collection of links that help break down different aspects of the history of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, up to and including the 1917 Communist Revolution.

Russia in 1900 -- Brief ovrview of the conditions, situation, and economy in Tsarist Russia at the turn of the 20th century.

Travel by Sea in the 19th Century -- Looks briefly at the conditions on board and types of ships used at sea in the early 1800s.

Milkweed
Gypsies -- Excellent essay on gypsy culture and the eveolution of the Nazi perscution of the Gypsies leading up to World War II.

Gypsies in the Holocaust -- Explains the treatment of and conditions for Gypsies in German Concentration camps during World War II. Most of the focus is on their internment in Auschwitz.

Hitler's Boy Soldiers -- Details the history of the Hitler Youth, with a focus on their use in the military, both as support personnel and as soldiers, especially in the final days of the European war.

The Hitler Youth -- Thorough history of the Hitler Youth program, from its beginnings until the end of World War II. Learn how it started, what youth were trained to do (both boys and girls) and the eventual use of young men as soldiers in the German army.

Persecution of Roma (Gypsies) in Prewar Germany -- Covers the years 1933-1939 and details the initial persecution and internmetn of Gypsies in Germany in the time from Hitler's rise to power and the onset of the war.

Warsaw -- Article that provides a brief history of Warsaw, Poland from its founding to modern day. Includes information and stories about the city immediately before and then during the German invasion, through the Ghetto uprising and its liberation in 1945.