Books about Vermont History and Ethnic Studies
The Abenaki
by Colin G. Calloway (1989)
Non-fiction, chapter book (110 pages), grades 6-12
The history of Abenaki people through the late 20th century.
Available in the VHS lending library.
Alec's Primer
by Mildred Pitts Walter (2005)
Non-fiction, picture book (32 pages), grades K-3
Based on the true story of Alec Turner and how he learned to read while enslaved in Virginia. Turner later moved to Vermont where his daughter Daisy told this story. Published by the Vermont Folklife Center.
Resources for educators from the Vermont Folklife Center.
Alexander Twilight, Vermont's African-American Pioneer
by Michael T. Hahn (1998)
Non-fiction, chapter book (65 pages), grades 5-8
The biography of Alexander Twilight, a minister and educator in northeastern Vermont in the 1830s and 1840s.
Available in the VHS lending library.
The Arrow Over the Door
by Joseph Bruchac (2002)
Historical fiction, chapter book (89 pages), grades 3-7
The story of an Abenaki boy and a Quaker boy in New York during the Revolutionary War. Based on a true story.
Azban's Great Journey
by Brian Chenevert (2015)
Abenaki stories, chapter book (56 pages), grades 4-6
Read about the adventures of Azban, the raccoon, trickster of the Western Abenaki people.
The Black Bonnet
by Louella Bryant (1996)
Historical fiction, chapter book (149 pages), grades 5-8
Charity and Bea have escaped slavery and are travelling through Vermont to reach freedom in Canada. Set in the 1850s.
Available in the VHS lending library.
Cave of Falling Water
by Janice Ovecka (1992)
Historical fiction, chapter book (115 pages), grades 4-8
Woni, Mattie, and Stacy are three girls from different time periods that discover the Cave of Falling Water.
Available in the VHS lending library.
Champlain and the Silent One
by Kate Messner (2008)
Historical fiction, chapter book (142 pages), grades 4-8
In 1609, an Innu young man called Silent One travels with Champlain to save his brother.
Daisy and the Doll
by Michael Medearis and Angela Shelf Medearis (2000)
Non-fiction, picture book (30 pages), grades K-3
Based on the true story of Daisy Turner, an 8 year old African-American girl who lived in Grafton in 1891. Published by the Vermont Folklife Center.
Resources for educators from the Vermont Folklife Center.
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.
The Day of the Pelican
by Katherine Paterson (2010)
Historical fiction, chapter book (160 pages), grades 5-7
Meli Lleshi and her family must leave their home in Kosovo because of the war. They arrive in Vermont as refugees to start a new life. How will the events of 9/11 impact life for the Muslim family in their new home?
The Faithful Hunter Abenaki Stories
by Joseph Bruchac (1988)
Abenaki stories, chapter book (61 pages), grades 4-12
A collection of traditional Western Abenaki stories including several stories about Gluskabe.
Available in the VHS lending library.
Faraway Summer
by Johanna Hurwitz (2000)
Historical fiction, chapter book (160 pages), grades 3-7
Thanks to the Fresh Air Fund, Dossi spends the summer of 1910 in Vermont, far away from her Jewish family and their tenement in New York City.
Full Cicada Moon
by Marilyn Hilton (2017)
Historical fiction, chapter book (400 pages), grades 3-7
In 1969, Mimi Yoshiko Oliver wants to be an astronaut. How can she work towards her dream and fit into her new Vermont school?
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.
Malian's Song
by Marge Bruchac (2005)
Non-fiction, picture book (28 pages), grades 2-4
Based on oral history, this is the Abenaki story of the English attack on the village of St. Francis in 1759. Published by the Vermont Folklife Center.
Resources for educators from the Vermont Folklife Center.
March Toward the Thunder
by Joseph Bruchac (2009)
Historical fiction, chapter book (320 pages), grades 6-9
Louis Nolette, a young Abenaki man, fights for the Union in the American Civil War, even though he is only 15 years old and from Canada.
Muskrat Will Be Swimming
by Cheryl Savageau (2006)
Fiction, picture book (32 pages), grades 2-6
Grampa tells Jeannie a story about Muskrat to help her deal with prejudice against her Abenaki and French heritage.
Return to Sender
by Julia Alvarez (2010)
Fiction, chapter book (352 pages), grades 3-7
Tyler's father hires migrant workers from Mexico to work on their dairy farm. Will Mari and her family be able to stay in Vermont?
The Wind Eagle and Other Abenaki Stories
by Joseph Bruchac (1985)
Abenaki stories, chapter book (34 pages), grades 4-12
A collection of teaching stories that teach and entertain.
Available from the VHS lending library.
The Winter People
by Joseph Bruchac (2002)
Historical fiction, chapter book (168 pages), grades 5-8
The story of Saxso, an Abenaki boy who tries to rescue his family after the English raid on the Abenaki village of St. Francis in 1759.
Witness
by Karen Hesse (2001)
Historical fiction, 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.