Summer Road Trip! 5 More Books Set in Connecticut, Louisiana, Missouri, Massachusetts, and Kansas

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare (Connecticut)
Witches haven’t always been as beloved as they are today thanks in part to Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger. In the 17th-century Connecticut of Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond, being labeled a witch was akin to a death sentence. So when sixteen-year-old Kit, who moves from Barbados to live with relatives in New England, is accused of witchcraft, she’s forced to defend her independent spirit and her life. This historical page-turner is gripping and will give your middle grader a glimpse of the rigid daily life in a 17th-century Puritan colony. After reading about the daily chores for women, the expected behavior in church and the punishments for disobedient children, your child may appreciate his or her parent’s less stringent style a little more. And would any summer read be complete without an innocent budding romance thrown in the mix? This classic will keep your child captivated during his or her downtime.

Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina, by Rodman Philbrick (Louisiana)
Hurricane Katrina caught New Orleans and the rest of America by surprise. And the impact of that devastating natural disaster can still be felt around the city today. Your middle grader can imagine he or she was there for this unprecedented event with Newbery Honor-winning author Rodman Philbrick’s Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina. In this harrowing story, a 12-year-old New Hampshire boy, Zane, and his beloved dog are trapped in New Orleans during the disaster. Zane encounters floodwaters, snakes, gun-toting vigilantes, raw sewage, dead bodies, and even a local drug lord. From music and jazz funerals to complex racial history, it’s also packed with local culture. And the story is peppered with the narratives of some actual Katrina survivors, which makes it all the more real for those who may be too young to remember it well.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain (Missouri)
Who can think of Missouri without harkening back to the time they read Mark Twain’s classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Tom Sawyer lives in the fictional St. Petersburg (a town on the Mississippi resembling Twain’s hometown of Hannibal) with his Aunt Polly and cousins Sid and Mary. Mischievous and imaginative, Tom is often breaking rules and getting into trouble. Late one night, Tom sneaks out with his friend Huckleberry Finn, and the two witness a crime. They promise to keep it a secret and carry on with life as usual, but they find they can’t ignore their consciences or the lure of the treasure the criminal has. Warning: this book contains derogatory language about African Americans and Native Americans that was prevalent in the mid-19th century but that may be difficult for contemporary readers. But it still remains an important read for the entire family.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (Massachusetts)
My 10-year-old daughter recently read Louisa May Alcott’s semi-autobiographical classic and then proceeded to devour Little Men and Jo’s Boys as well. Set in 19th-century Boston during and just after the Civil War, Little Women doesn’t disappoint nearly 150 years later. The story follows the four March sisters as they struggle to overcome poverty and grow into proper young ladies. The oldest, Meg, is pretty but materialistic; Jo is a good-hearted tomboy and writer; Beth is a shy, sweet music lover; and the youngest, Amy, is selfish but social. Girls who prefer to romp around in shorts over dresses will especially appreciate Jo’s independent, tomboy spirit. It will also give your child a sense of just how far we’ve come in terms of gender roles—and maybe how far we still have to go.

May B., by Caroline Starr Rose (Kansas)
The 1870s on the Kansas prairie comes to life in Caroline Starr Rose’s historical novel May B. Twelve-year-old May is forced to leave her family and home when her parents hire her out to a newly married couple as a domestic helper. She feels abandoned and lost even though her father promises she will be home by Christmas. To make matters worse, her mistress, who is close in age, is not particularly kind. When the young mistress runs away, her husband goes after her, and May is left completely alone as winter approaches. May must learn to survive on her own until her father comes to get her. Life on a Kansas prairie isn’t easy and May B. captures the despair and the isolation but also the determination and hope of a pre-teen bent on survival. This book will not only give your middle grader a taste of true grit but also an appreciation for how easy he or she has it today compared to his or her cohorts in the 19th century.
Where are you road-tripping off to during the dog days of summer?