Storyteller by: Patricia Reilly Giff (historical fiction)

Elizabeth goes to stay with her aunt, while her dad is taking a trip to Australia. While Elizabeth is there, she discovers a picture on the wall – a picture of a little girl named Zee who looks exactly like her. She discovers the history of Zee and her family, as they were involved in the Revolutionary War. Elizabeth also discovers that Zee is not much different than her, and learns more about her mother who passed away when she was a child.

I would read this book to the class, and intertwine it with a lesson about the Revolutionary War. Even though the story of Zee and Elizabeth is fiction, there are facts about the war in the book that are true. We could discuss these facts in relation to the other material we learn about the Revolutionary War. Then I would tell the students to keep a diary as if they were in the war, using the facts they know for a week. Then we would share them with the class.