The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History

by Jennifer Armstrong, Roger Roth (Illustrator)

American history comes alive in these 100 true stories that define our country.
 
This magnificent treasury tells the story of America through 100 true tales. Some are tales of triumph—the midnight ride of Paul Revere, the Wright brothers taking to the air, Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Some are tales of tragedy—the fate of the Donner Party, the great fire in Chicago, the eruption of Mount Saint Helens.
 
There are stories of inventors and athletes and abolitionists and artists. Stories about struggling for freedom—again and again, in so many ways.
 
With full-color illustrations on nearly every page and short, exciting stories, this book is perfect for browsing by the entire family. Notes at the end of each story direct readers to related stories. And a guide to thematic story arcs offers readers (and teachers) an easy way to follow their particular interests throughout the book. A treasure trove of a book that belongs in every home!
 
“This lively and engaging collection of stories recounting American history is a wonderful gift not only to the children of this country but also their parents. I can’t wait to share it with my grandchildren.” —Tom Brokaw

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Childrens, American History, Picture Books, Middle Grade

368 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2006

About the author

Jennifer Armstrong learned to read and write in Switzerland, in a small school for English speaking children on the shores of Lake Zurich. The school library had no librarian and no catalog – just shelves of interesting books. She selected books on her own, read what she could, and made up the rest. It was perfect. As a result, she made her career choice – to become an author – in first grade. When she and her family returned to the U.S. she discovered that not all children wrote stories and read books, and that not all teachers thought reading real books was important. Nevertheless, she was undaunted. Within a year of leaving college she was a free-lance ghost writer for a popular juvenile book series, and before long published her first trade novel, Steal Away, which won her a Golden Kite Honor for fiction.

More than fifty additional novels and picture books followed, and before long she also tried her hand at nonfiction, winning an Orbis Pictus Award and a Horn Book Honor for her first nonfiction book, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. In late 2003 she will travel to the South Pole with the National Science Foundation to do research for a book on ice.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh we had fun reading this book when we homeschooled! I didn’t realize I’d never closed the loop on this book. These are 100 off-the-beaten-path stories from US History. We enjoyed how short and accessible and eclectic these stories were. Some of the stories sent us on research journeys to find out more (like the great molasses flood!)

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection of historical events written for children. I enjoyed them quite a bit even as an adult.

[Amanda Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Armstrong, Jennifer. (2006). The American Story: 100 true tales from american history. New York: Random House Children's books

School Library Journal

Informational Text

This book has 100 short stories that begin in 1565 and go up to 1996. There is a broad range of stories from the American past that tell about major events in our history. The stories are short and easy to understand, but they are packed with good information. This would be a great to use to teach social studies or a book to teach students how to read non- fiction texts. I will be using this book in my future classroom.

[Lydia Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t what I was hoping it would be. The stories seem random and disconnected, and the writing isn’t as engaging as I had hoped. If you’re looking for an introduction to American history, I would not recommend as the stories aren’t representative of or necessarily significant for America’s history. If you’re looking for a storybook with random true tales, you would find more interesting and better written stories elsewhere. If your kid is super into anything about American history and you’re looking for another book to throw at them, this would be fine. The illustrations are fun and the readings are short, and I could see myself using a few of the chapters for young readers as a supplement to or research aid for other study.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED it. Not gonna say I read every one; some held absolutely no interest for me but a good 98% was great and even stuff I'd never heard of. Went out and bought 5 more of these for my family.

Very, very nice illustrations (kudos to Roger Roth). Illustrations can make or break a book.

Good organization and choice of stories, too. Good Read!!

[Galion Public Library Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by C.N. : "I liked the book because I liked the story, but I dislike it because the way people were treated."

[Sidik Fofana · Rating 5 out of 5]

SIX WORD REVIEW: ...story about Billie Jean King--bananas.

[Michaelanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories were interesting, but the narration is quite convoluted. Will be looking for a replacement.

[jenswhitenoise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homeschooler, age 12:
Great book, enjoyed it. Good selection of stories. I knew a lot of them and there were some new ones.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIBS 642 Junior Book Log
Informational
Source: Textbook pg. 280

In a chronological tell-all, Jennifer Armstrong displays the various tales of our nation in one big illustrated and engaging work. This book consists of 100 tales of American history, some familiar and some unfamiliar in a way that captures the reader’s attention and keeps them wanting more and more. The vibrant pictures depict the stories in ways that makes the history behind these stories even more enticing. I was drawn in immediately to this book just from its bright cover and alluring title, as most educators and future educators would be, and I am sure glad that it caught my eye. This book will stand as a wonderful social studies resource for my future classroom, as students of many ages and grade levels can learn from its many historical tales and illustrations. It could also serve as a wonderful book to use alongside the 100 days of school theme, reading a tale a day to students as part of their social studies lesson or their reading lesson.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 different stories about the history of our country...some i knew, some that took the story further for me, and some that were completely new to me...i'm intrigued by the selection of stories that the author chose for the book...stories you would expect are not present and stories you didn't know about are presented...at the end of the book there is a listing of story connections so you could read all of the stories on a particular topic and still have a great experience with this book

p.s. it didn't really take me a month to read this book...i read most of it during a couple of lunch hours but i had a couple of stories to finish up which i did tonight :)

[Diana Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as an informational book for my Junior book reading log, as cited in page 280 of my textbook. I thought this book was really great, as it tells the story of America's past in 100 different stories. Almost every page includes a color illustration, which explains the story and keeps the reader's attention, and the stories are short, keeping the interest of younger readers as well as older ones. This book includes different stories such as Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon and the midnight ride of Paul Revere. This is a great classroom resource as well as one that can be read at home. The stories are historically accurate and make America's past come to life.

[Amber Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Armstrong, Jennifer. (2006). The American Story: 100 true tales from american history. New York: Random House Children's books

School Library Journal

Informational

This is a great book filled with 100 short stories from 1565-1996. The stories tell of major events that have happened throughout that time period. This book would be great to reference during social studies when learning about a specific topic or event. The teacher could read the story along with learning about the event itself. The stories are full of information that are easy to understand and would be great for the classroom.

[John Hugens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The American Story is a very useful sourcebook to use as a supplement to the regular standard fare information given in school textbooks. It contains a variety of story arcs that would be highly useful in complimenting lessons, and the state mandated curriculum. For instance if you were teaching a lesson on immigration there are about 15 different stories involving immigration to the U.S. and all of the story arcs are indexed in the back of the book so that teachers, and students, can easily find additional information on the aspect of American history that they are looking for.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of short stories - 2 to 4 pages each - from the Epic that is American History. Some we knew (like the story of Sojurner Truth) and some were new stories (like the one in which Boston was flooded by thousands of gallons of molasses) - all were engagingly written and the illustrations were fun.

We had so much fun taking turns reading these stories aloud that we will certainly be buying this book for the shelf.

[David Wachlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun. It's filled with beautifully illustrated vignettes about powerful, important, and obscure and humorous stories throughout American history. A favorite of mine is a bit of a legal thriller about a young defense lawyer named Abe Lincoln proving the innocence of an old family friend in a murder trial. It would be useful in the classroom because it teaches American history as an entertaining set of narratives.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some very interesting stories of American history geared toward young people. Some of the stories are questionable as to their inclusion in this book (i.e. the Marlon Brando/Oscar Awards story.) On the whole a well rounded history of America, but found some of the ideas and uses of idioms needing an explanation to my 7 year old. My 11 year old loved it!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best homeschooling books we've read. Each chapter is a story from American history - only a couple of pages long with nice illustrations, interesting details, historic context. It's ordered chronologically and tells the small weird stories as well as the big ones. We all enjoyed it. Would like to own this one.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

another serendipitous experience! I was looking for another book by this author at the library and found this one. What a treasure! Learning history through stories is such a great way to learn. I knew a number of the 100 stories in this book, but I learned many new things. I also learned some new stories.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not comprehensive, and I question the inclusion of a few entries over those that were omitted. However, I did learn a few things I didn't know, and more about things I had heard of, but didn't know a lot about. Most appropriate and able to be appreciated by ages 10 and up.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a lot of History from this book, but I do not think I will read it again.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

An attractive, but typically dryly written history text.

[Amy K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book! Great for bedtime stories.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History (Hardcover)
by Jennifer Armstrong
a history book about America and how it was formed

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, covering various events in North American/US history from about 1500 to 2000.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good American history book to read out loud with young kids.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview of America's history. Simple, general, and interesting enough to keep my seven year old eagerly engaged. A good platform to find topics to dig deeper into.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written for the younger set. Informative and engaging on a basic-reader level.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable short snippets from American history, some very well known, and others that are lesser known, but really interesting. Great for bedtime!