My two oldest boys and I just finished reading the enjoyable, inspirational novel, Sacagawea (Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know) Complete PDF e-book by Karla Akins. Sacagawea is an interactive e-book that is published by Knowledge Quest. It is recommended for ages 10+ and can be purchased for $4.97.
Sacagawea is an “interactive historical novel” that depicts the story of Sacagawea from the time she was kidnapped from her native tribe, to the day she kissed her young son good-bye so he could get a good education, with most of the story taking place during her treacherous journeys with the Corps of Discovery (Lewis & Clark expedition). The story is brought to life through amazing story-telling, factual accounts, and embedded links scattered throughout that allow the reader to dig deeper and really grasp what life was like for this brave woman. To get a feel for, and understand how the links work and what kind of information the author links to, you can sample the first chapter through the website.
As I mentioned above, I read this book with my two oldest boys; they are 8 and 10 years old. I read one to two chapters a day to them and we visited any of the links that interested us as we read. The book is 16 chapters and 112 pages long, and although a short read, it does not lack adventure, excitement, suspense, and intrigue. Even though the book is recommended for 10+, I felt it was appropriate to read aloud to my 8-year-old and he handled the content and comprehension just fine. My 10-year-old could have read it independently, but I decided to use it as a read aloud and it was very much enjoyed that way.
The three of us enjoyed the uniqueness of having links to visit throughout the novel and I appreciated the learning aspect that it added to the story. The author does a phenomenal job of weaving together the real characters and true circumstances surrounding Sacagawea’s life with the fictional dialogue and emotional portrayal of the characters.
Overall, I feel this is an excellent book to add to your bookshelf (or Kindle, in this case); I highly recommend it. It was the interactive links throughout the book that initially intrigued me, but in the end, it was the story that left us wanting more; we didn’t want it to end. The story left us reflecting on all that Sacagawea endured in her short life and appreciating her caring, courageous soul.
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I loved any book about the Indians when I was young. So I tend to buy them for my grandchildren now. I have a nephew who is a missionary to the American Indians so the love goes deep.
Sounds cool! I read a novel about Sacajawea when I was younger; right now I’m reading a series of novel by Jane Kirkpatrick (for women) about Marie Dorion, who met Sacajawea and lived a similar story, while I’m researching David Thompson’s wife Charlotte who also has things in common with Sacajawea and Marie (though they never met). When my girls are older, I’d love to teach them history using books like this. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!