My Family History (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Fancy Nancy) by Jane O'Connor

Fancy Nancy

by Jane O'Connor

When Fancy Nancy receives a school assignment to write about an ancestor, she can't resist embroidering history just a little bit.... A sweet, funny Fancy Nancy beginning reader adventure.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Fiction, 1st Grade, School, Kids

Library Binding

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Since the publication of Fancy Nancy, Jane O'Connor's closet now boasts so many boas, tiaras, and sparkly ensembles that sometimes friends do not recognize her on the street. She still resides (that's a fancy word for lives) in New York City with her family and their canine companion, Arrow. --from the publisher's website

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being interested in genealogy myself, I was looking forward to reading this book. I could really relate to Nancy and her wish for more interesting ancestors. After hearing about her friends' great-grandparents and their exciting lives, Nancy wishes that her own ancestors weren't so ordinary. So she starts to embellish her report. She plans to present it, too, until she finds out that her grandfather (from whom she got the information) is going to be coming to her class to watch. Then she has to confess to her mother that she "exaggerated" (her mother basically tells her that, no, she lied)... and a rewrite of the report is in order, complete with a story about lying found in her own family tree.

While I liked the story itself, I was driven to distraction by the definition of the word "ancestors". Technically, an ancestor is anyone who came before you in your direct line: parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. But this book implies that only great-grandparents and beyond are ancestors, which leads to Nancy stating that all of her ancestors are dead! The next few pages have her going home to her parents (ancestors) and talking to her grandfather (also an ancestor), so that could potentially be confusing for kids.

Aside from that one terrible word definition, I liked this one. The pictures are cute, and I especially liked seeing Nancy's grandfather. (They wear similar slippers around the house!) The ending with Nancy realizing that she has something in common with her ancestors, who aren't so boring after all, is nice. This is another strong addition to the Fancy Nancy series... although I would address the issue with the word "ancestors" with kids so they're able to understand and use the word correctly.

Quotable moment:

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my son. We both liked it because we learned about telling the truth and new vocabularies. We borrowed this book from the library.

[Sally Linford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think it would be possible, but Jane and Robin turned family history into a thriller (for 2nd graders). I actually teared up at one point--I'm such a sap!

Nancy has to write a biography of a grandparent and spices it up a bit until she finds out her grandfather is coming to school to watch her present her paper. So delightful!

This is a paperback "I Can Read" book, but Amazon has a hardcover library edition that was totally worth the money.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

cool

[Jada Curtis]

This book teaches about the meaning of ancestors and their past. It focuses on getting to know what they people before you has went through enable for you to exist. Nancy grandparents came to visit and inform Nancy of a few older relatives but she was said that they were ordinary people. She gets excited as she is gathering information on the person she is writing the report on she adds a little of false truths to the essay, which might lead to her getting in trouble, but at least she had fun doing it.
This is a good book to read when you are talking about family history and the definitions of some big words. In the end Nancy had to fix her paper and tell the truth of what really happened but she finds a new love for this new paper.

[Shaalini · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read Fancy Nancy My Family History by Jane O Connor. It's about a girl Nancy who's writing a report about her ancestors in school. She might also face consequence. I enjoyed these type of books because it's a interesting story book to read with friends and family. Although I recommend the book to an a eight year old children those who also like to read interesting books.
By:Shaalini Gogineni

[Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often talk about our Ancestors with my grandchildren. I cannot wait to take this over and have some of them read this to me!

A great read. Some ancestors simply led ordinary lives. Sometimes it is in the ordinary that we find ourselves full of mystery and interest! Sharing these stories - like Nancy's grandpa and the tea set - are something the kids can relate to and bond them with the Ancestors.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy is always trying to make things more than they are. She tries to write a story about her grandfather, that has nothing to do with his life. Her grandfather is coming to visit, and he will be going to school to hear Nancy's talk. She rewrites her paper to reflect her grandfather's true life, and finds value in it.

[Surya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a man who lost his temper only once during the entirety of his child's life. That, my dear children is a great man who lived his life well ❤️

I am so loving the "Fancy Nancy" series.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy has to do a school report about her family history by writing about one of her ancestors (a fancy word for a relative that lived a long time ago). When she asks Grandpa about his dad, she chooses to write about him. But great grandpa's life is a little boring. Can Nancy spice up her report a little?

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy learns the importance of being truthful. Thinking her family tree is boring Nancy embellishes the details of her great grand father's life. Before it's to late she realizes that the simple truuth is better that an exaggerated story.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice first look at learning about your family.

[Shelby Rollenhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so glad to have such adorable stories to share with my child.

She loves Fancy Nancy.

[The Campbell Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maren enjoyed reading this book together. I read the left side and she read the right.

[K Morlando · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story for early readers!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one! A great doorway to talking about families and those who came before us. It might not always be exciting, but we can always learn something.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanc Nancy's class is writing reports about their ancestors. Other kids in Nancy's class have ancestors that are a little more fancy than Nancy's. What can Nancy do?

[Brianna Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great lesson about not lying to make ourselves look better.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting off with the fancy words "ancestors" and "deceased," Nancy teaches kids about family history. At school Nancy's class are writing ancestor reports. Nancy is worried that her family stories are not as exciting Bree's great-grandfather the war hero and Robert's great-grandmother who came to America on a ship that almost sank. Nancy asks her grandpa if his parents were famous or had adventures. He says they were nice, ordinary people - and Nancy is disappointed. She wants fancy ancestors. She learns a story about her ancestor's honesty from her family and uses that to make a better choice later in the story, when she turns her ancestor report into something more like historical fiction. She learns about the difference between exaggeration and lying and then says, "my ancestor would be very upset with me too. My grandpa will be too."

Nancy's grandpa shows her a real top hat that belonged to his dad. HE liked to get dressed up and Nancy realized that she gets "being fancy" from him!

[Caroline Siewert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an “I Can Read!” book for early readers who are just starting to read by themselves. The best thing about this book is that students can read it by themselves and learn new vocabulary at the same time. This is a part of the Fancy Nancy series and follows Nancy as she explores the historical roots of her family. Nancy writes a story about her grandfather because she thinks he is an interesting person. At first Nancy wants to over exaggerate the life of her grandfather to make him seem more interesting, but then she realizes this isn’t a good choice. She then writes a true paper about her grandfather as she finds is actually a great and interesting man. This might be good to give to students before they do a biography on their life or on someone in their family. This could be a good lead into a writing lesson because Nancy wrote a paper in this and she had a good time doing that showing that writing can be fun.

[Taneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy has to write a book report about her ancestors, but she wants to write about something exciting that they did, or didn't, do. She exaggerates a little in the beginning, but realizes that her grandfather will be there to hear her report, so she changes it to the truth. With her fancy words, she tells the reader her tale of her ancestors.

There is a explanation of words in the rear of the book, making it convenient for the reader to briefly review new words that were in the text. Actions of Nancy are believable. Everyone has an ancestor and school projects sometimes consist of family history projects. There are illustrations on each page. They are in full color and depict characters in a believable setting, such as at the kitchen table or the computer.

[Theresa Bartholomew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fancy Nancy is an adorable book for young girls who enjoy princesses and glitter. (Adorable is a fancy word for cute.)

Fancy Nancy is a girl who doesn’t want to be plain like her parents, but instead strives to be fancy. She uses advanced vocabulary in her stories, then describes them in simpler terms. At the end of the story, there is a glossary of fancy terms used in each book.

Each page is dominated by an illustration, with a paragraph of accompanying narration or dialogue. The text is spaced far apart so that it is easier for children to practice reading. It is a great confidence and vocabulary booster disguised as fun.

[Christine Turner]

When Nancy has to write a report on her ancestors for school, she can't help exaggerating a little--at first. After all, what's wrong with making her family history sound fancier? But Nancy goes too far and has to deal with truth and consequences! Readers will sympathize with Nancy's quandary in this engaging Fancy Nancy story.
Subject: Genealogy -- Juvenile fiction.
Grandfathers -- Juvenile fiction
Honesty -- Juvenile fiction
Schools -- Juvenile fiction
Vocabulary -- Juvenile fiction.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another great story in the Fancy Nancy series - a little lesson wrapped up in a fancy package. This tale is not so focused on fashion, flair and being fancy, but on being true to yourself and your family and the importance of being honest. We've really enjoyed these books and will look forward to more!

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This I Can Read Fancy Nancy series is perfect for young students to practice their reading skills and boost their confidence by practicing many sight and easy to sound out words, while enjoying a fun story.

[Satin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way this story gave defintions, in a child friendly way, to help new readers understand the text better. I would use this book when having students complete assignments about their families and/or ancestors.

[Nancy Jo Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

So recently, my daughter has become extremely interested in Fancy Nancy. So, we have been reading some of the Fancy Nancy series. This series is lots of fun and all the heart warming moments are a nice touch to the rather flouncy, fancy moments.

[Liz Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could be interesting for older readers.. Not a typical Nancy book, but I always love that Jane O'Connor weaves in themes of honesty and doing the right thing. Jane O'Connor is my hero because of this.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was about her history and her great-Grandpa caught a shark! (she made that up.)

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only does this have the great vocabulary lessons typical of a Fancy Nancy book, it also teaches about the importance of honesty.