Connecting the Coasts: The Race to Build the Transcontinental Railroad

by Norma Lewis

Overview

Have you ever wondered what life was like in America before there were cars, trains, or even roads? Find out what it was like to explore unknown lands, travel across the country to a new life, pan for gold, and blast away the side of a mountain to lay railroad tracks. As you dig into the adventure stories of the pioneers and trailblazers of America's western frontier, you'll feel as if you were an eyewitness to these historical events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491401866
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Series:	Adventures on the American Frontier
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.31(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Norma Lewis is the author of six books and hundreds of articles, many on the topic of American history, including Alaska and her home state of Michigan. One of her favorite childhood memories is of riding a train from New York to Miami in the middle of winter. She still remembers the snowy slush when sheboarded and the summery breeze blowing in her hair when she arrived. It seemedmagical, and it sparked a lifelong passion for new places and new experiences.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Connecting America from Coast to Coast 4

Chapter 2 East from Sacramento: The Central Pacific 12

Chapter 3 West from Omaha: The Union Pacific 18

Chapter 4 The Ten-Mile Day 22

Chapter 5 Promontory Summit and the Golden Spike 24

Timeline 28

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Internet Sites 31

Critical Thinking Using the Common Core 32

Index 32

Interviews

Primary source material and engaging, narrative text makes readers feel as if they were there and part of the action; Strong curriculum tie-ins; Meets CCSS standards for grades 3-5; Consultants are experts on the topic and include professors, historians, and subject-specific authors; Fun Fact: Hastings' shortcut was actually 125 miles longer than the normal route; Fun Fact: More women survived from the Donner Party than men.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2014
Gr 3–5—Some of the most exciting, pivotal times in American history are explored in these titles. Each book begins with a hook—a lively anecdote or a climactic situation—to pull readers in. For instance, Discovering the West starts with the Lewis and Clark expedition 16 months into the journey, when the explorers were tired and near starving. The narrative then rewinds and explains how the group of disparate individuals found themselves in this predicament. The text brims with amazing bits of information that are worthy of any "Ripley's" book: for instance, railroad workers were lowered in reed baskets to plant dynamite in the sides of mountains. Occasional sidebars offer "Fun Facts," such as how, during the Gold Rush, stores sold "California gold grease," a concoction that guaranteed that it would draw gold to those who rubbed it on their skin and rolled down the mountain. Solid entries that make history intriguing.

School Library Journal