I would use this books as a 2nd grade read aloud for their Native American unit making sure students had plenty of time to discuss how they would feel if strangers came to their town and stole their food and enslaved their family members. The tension between settlers and Native Americans is well portrayed and the author lets us see both sides of that conflict as well as feel the pain and fear of remaining family members as settlers die from disease. It tells a compelling and believable story about life in the Jamestown colony from the viewpoint of 9 year old Elizabeth. This short book is part of an historical series written for 3rd-6th graders. A historical note following the journal provides real-life Jamestown context for the story. Through a season of death and disease, confusion, and many thrilling adventures, spunky Elizabeth will hold the attention of every young reader. Award-winning author Patricia Hermes does an excellent job of developing the personality of the intrepid and irrepressible 9-year-old Elizabeth.

The My America series presents historical events in a fictional setting. But together with her parents, she begins to build a new life in the Jamestown settlement, befriending such 17th-century luminaries as Captain John Smith and 13-year-old Pocahontas. To make matters worse, Elizabeth misses her twin brother, Caleb, and feels tremendous guilt because she took his sketchbook with her, and is now using it for a journal. Her initial elation vanishes, however, when mosquitoes, steamy weather, rampant illness, and unrest between the Indians and the new arrivals threaten any hope of a peaceful settlement. After the disastrous sea crossing, during which a hurricane destroyed or rerouted five of their nine ships, Elizabeth is happy to be on dry land. Life in the summer of 1609 in the New World is strange for young Elizabeth, who has traveled with her family from England to Jamestown, Virginia.

Our Strange New Land by Patricia Hermes