US History - please share book / curriculum reviews!

[skimerinkydo]

I'm looking for a United States History book to use next year along with Story of the World 3. I'm leaning toward just reading lots of literature but I would like to also find a good spine that is accurate. This is for 5th & 6th graders who are good readers, but I would like a book for me to read as well.

Some books I am looking at are: The quest of a Hemisphere by Boyle (www.nccs.net), Beautiful Feet Early American History - intermediate or Junior high - how is the providential history book they recommend?, Sea to Shining Sea, The world of _____ books by Foster, ???

Please review any US history books you have used:
1) How accurate is the book? (if you know)
2) What is it's bias (all history books have a bias) - more liberal, conservative, christian worldview, etc.
3) Writing Style - is it easy or fun to read, more dry, more textbookish, does it focus more on biographies and stories or facts?
4) Reading level - what ages do you think the book would work best for?
5)Why did you like or dislike this book?

[mcconnellboys]

I don't know about The quest of a Hemisphere by Boyle or the Beautiful Feet Early American History. I don't agree with the idea of providential history, so couldn't recommend a good resource for that....

As far as Sea to Shining Sea and The world of _____ books by Foster, I think both are very good. That said, every book in the world does exhibit the bias of its author, and this is inevitable. You mentioned that so I think you recognize that as a fact.

Depending upon the point of view of any particular person reading a book, therefore, and their own particular bias, you may or may not agree as to the accuracy of the portrayal of certain points of history in any given book. It's impossible to say that a book is "accurate" or "inaccurate" because perspective of the reader is going to color whether or not one believes that. Now, I don't know of any blatant, outright mistakes of history in these books, such as one finds in many textbooks these days, but how well they treat particular topics in history might be seen differently by different readers.

The Foster books definitely read more like a novel and I'm not even certain that they don't contain some historial fiction. They are much more readable than something like Sea to Shining Sea, which is more like a typical geography book, rather textbookish. Both of these books are fine for middle or upper middle through high school, depending on your child's reading level, etc.

Regena