Books about a Century Ago

The Darkness Under the Water

by Beth Kanell (2008)

Historical fiction, chapter book (320 pages), grades 6-12

During the 1920s, Molly's Abenaki and French Canadian family is targeted by the Vermont Eugenics Survey.

Hidden Roots

by Joseph Bruchac (2004)

Historical fiction, chapter book (137 pages), grades 5-9

Set in the 1950s in New York and Vermont. From Uncle Louis, Sonny learns about his roots and the forced sterilization of Abenaki people in Vermont in the 1930s.

The Night the Bells Rang

by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (1991)

Historical fiction, chapter book (76 pages), grades 3-5

The last year of World War I (1918) is an eventful one for a Vermont farm boy.

Available in the VHS lending library.

Nora's Ark

by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (2005)

Historical fiction, picture book (28 pages), grades K-4

The story of the 1927 flood when all the neighbors and their chickens and horses crowd into Grandma's house for safety.

A Raccoon at the White House

by Rachel Dougherty (2018)

Non-fiction, 32 pages, grades K-3

Learn the true story of Grace and Calvin Coolidge's pet raccoon Rebecca.

A Stitch in Time

by Daphne Kalmar (2018)

Historical fiction, chapter book (176 pages), grades 4-6

Will Aunt Agnes take the orphaned Donut away from her Vermont village and move her to Boston? Set in the 1927.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost (2001)

Poetry, picture book (32 pages), grades K-4

Illustrations by Susan Jeffers complement the words of Robert Frost's poem.

Witness

by Karen Hesse (2001)

Historical fiction, chapter book (161 pages), grades 5-12

Set in 1924, a Vermont community changes when the Ku Klux Klan comes to town. The story is told in verse by different characters.