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History Smashers #1
History Smashers: The Mayflower
Myths! Lies! Secrets! Smash the stories behind famous moments in history and expose the hidden truth. Perfect for fans of I Survived and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.
In 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and made friends with Wampanoag people who gave them corn. RIGHT?
WRONG! It was months before the Pilgrims met any Wampanoag people, and nobody gave anybody corn that day.
Did you know that the pilgrims didn't go straight from England to Plymouth? No, they made a stop along the way--and almost stayed forever! Did you know there was a second ship, called the Speedwell, that was too leaky to make the trip? No joke. And just wait until you learn the truth about Plymouth Rock.
Through illustrations, graphic panels, photographs, sidebars, and more, acclaimed author Kate Messner smashes history by exploring the little-known details behind the legends of the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving.
"Kate Messner serves up fun, fast history for kids who want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Absolutely smashing!" --Candace Fleming, award-winning author
Don't miss History Women's Right to Vote !
In 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and made friends with Wampanoag people who gave them corn. RIGHT?
WRONG! It was months before the Pilgrims met any Wampanoag people, and nobody gave anybody corn that day.
Did you know that the pilgrims didn't go straight from England to Plymouth? No, they made a stop along the way--and almost stayed forever! Did you know there was a second ship, called the Speedwell, that was too leaky to make the trip? No joke. And just wait until you learn the truth about Plymouth Rock.
Through illustrations, graphic panels, photographs, sidebars, and more, acclaimed author Kate Messner smashes history by exploring the little-known details behind the legends of the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving.
"Kate Messner serves up fun, fast history for kids who want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Absolutely smashing!" --Candace Fleming, award-winning author
Don't miss History Women's Right to Vote !
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2020
159 people are currently reading
1185 people want to read
About the author
Kate Messner
132 books1,663 followersKate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, both Lake Champlain historical novels published by North Country Books.
Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com
Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner
...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner
Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com
Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner
...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
July 18, 2020
About 2/3 of the way through the book, my 7 year old turned to me and said, "Mama. I don't get it. How come at school, like, literally everything they teach us about Thanksgiving is not true?"
Me: "Well, I think a lot of it is that some adults think that the truth about English colonization will be too upsetting for kids, and they want people to learn a history that shows the founders of the United States always only the good guys, so that kids will be proud of our country."
Him: "I still don't get it. That's not history, that's just a made up story. That's fiction."
Me: "I agree that's confusing and wrong, and that's why I like this book, because it shows a fuller picture."
Him: "I just don't get it. They should trust kids to understand. We understand what is right and wrong. Those people were not us so it's not up to us to either be proud or ashamed of them. But we have to know the truth so that we learn from the bad and the good. We have to learn to be better. That's how to be proud of our country, not lying about it."
THANK YOU FOR ONE OF MY BEST MOMENTS AS A MOTHER, EVER, KATE MESSNER.
Me: "Well, I think a lot of it is that some adults think that the truth about English colonization will be too upsetting for kids, and they want people to learn a history that shows the founders of the United States always only the good guys, so that kids will be proud of our country."
Him: "I still don't get it. That's not history, that's just a made up story. That's fiction."
Me: "I agree that's confusing and wrong, and that's why I like this book, because it shows a fuller picture."
Him: "I just don't get it. They should trust kids to understand. We understand what is right and wrong. Those people were not us so it's not up to us to either be proud or ashamed of them. But we have to know the truth so that we learn from the bad and the good. We have to learn to be better. That's how to be proud of our country, not lying about it."
THANK YOU FOR ONE OF MY BEST MOMENTS AS A MOTHER, EVER, KATE MESSNER.
September 28, 2023
I'm almost lightheaded from the power I've granted myself in designing my daughter's history and language arts curriculum this year!
This is the second entry in our reading project, and we are loving it, learning American history the way I always wished I had when I was in school.
I learned, as a girl, that the Pilgrims (or, rather the Separatists) were a pious people who always wore black and white clothing and made amazing pumpkin pies in their free time.
I knew these people were my ancestors, so, naturally, I was suspicious of them, but Kate Messner in her HISTORY SMASHERS series has given me a fresh, and far more reality-based, education on what they were really like.
Turns out, the Separatists almost NEVER wore black and white, and they were like the hippies of the early 1600s. . . people who could have made amazing pumpkin pies, if only they'd had the right condensed milk and that gluten free pie crust that Whole Foods used to sell before they sold out to Amazon.
Some of the clothing we've collected of the Separatists was LAVENDER and they had kids on the Mayflower with names like Peregrine, Wrestling and Love.
They were basically somewhat uptight preppers, who claimed they wanted freedom to worship Spirit as they chose, and I'd like to imagine them now, leaving the harbor in England, collectively giving the whole damned island the middle finger, a few of them in the back row crying out, “Woot-woot!”
“Screw y'all and the horses you rode in on. Kippers suck, and we're off to mate with some hot Mohicans!”
Too bad they landed here in America and became supreme assholes instead.
Just imagine. . . just imagine that these damned ancestors of ours landed here in this gorgeous place, filled with life and abundance and friendly people (at least on that part of the coast), and instead of decimating everyone, and shoving their religion down their throats, they had actually LEARNED sustainable agriculture, LEARNED how to subdue their imagined superiority and egos, and LEARNED how to live and intermingle and mate with people that looked like this:
I'm in love with the Wampanoags now, and I may never celebrate Thanksgiving the same way again (my daughter and I are pondering what new tradition we could add to that special day--perhaps discovering a new Native American writer?).
Imagine where we'd be, today, if only we had brought the spirit of freedom, opened ourselves up to the natural freedom of living off of the land, and embraced the possibility of being so much hotter and tanner than we were.
I'm depressed now, but I have one positive take-away: my ancestors were excellent capitalists and they taught me how to go online and buy all of the other books in this new middle grades series: HISTORY SMASHERS.
This is the second entry in our reading project, and we are loving it, learning American history the way I always wished I had when I was in school.
I learned, as a girl, that the Pilgrims (or, rather the Separatists) were a pious people who always wore black and white clothing and made amazing pumpkin pies in their free time.
I knew these people were my ancestors, so, naturally, I was suspicious of them, but Kate Messner in her HISTORY SMASHERS series has given me a fresh, and far more reality-based, education on what they were really like.
Turns out, the Separatists almost NEVER wore black and white, and they were like the hippies of the early 1600s. . . people who could have made amazing pumpkin pies, if only they'd had the right condensed milk and that gluten free pie crust that Whole Foods used to sell before they sold out to Amazon.
Some of the clothing we've collected of the Separatists was LAVENDER and they had kids on the Mayflower with names like Peregrine, Wrestling and Love.
They were basically somewhat uptight preppers, who claimed they wanted freedom to worship Spirit as they chose, and I'd like to imagine them now, leaving the harbor in England, collectively giving the whole damned island the middle finger, a few of them in the back row crying out, “Woot-woot!”
“Screw y'all and the horses you rode in on. Kippers suck, and we're off to mate with some hot Mohicans!”
Too bad they landed here in America and became supreme assholes instead.
Just imagine. . . just imagine that these damned ancestors of ours landed here in this gorgeous place, filled with life and abundance and friendly people (at least on that part of the coast), and instead of decimating everyone, and shoving their religion down their throats, they had actually LEARNED sustainable agriculture, LEARNED how to subdue their imagined superiority and egos, and LEARNED how to live and intermingle and mate with people that looked like this:
I'm in love with the Wampanoags now, and I may never celebrate Thanksgiving the same way again (my daughter and I are pondering what new tradition we could add to that special day--perhaps discovering a new Native American writer?).
Imagine where we'd be, today, if only we had brought the spirit of freedom, opened ourselves up to the natural freedom of living off of the land, and embraced the possibility of being so much hotter and tanner than we were.
I'm depressed now, but I have one positive take-away: my ancestors were excellent capitalists and they taught me how to go online and buy all of the other books in this new middle grades series: HISTORY SMASHERS.
March 11, 2025
Another great installment in the series! I'm so excited to continue working my way through this series. If you're looking for the true historical account of the "pilgrims." I definitely recommend checking this out.
August 30, 2024
Yes, with her first instalment of her History Smashers series (eight so far and with a ninth on its way), with the published in 2020 The Mayflower (and working closely with Wampanoag educator and historian Linda Coombs) Kate Messner aims to and also in my humble opinion pretty wonderfully succeeds decolonising (in other words deliberately and delightfully smashing and shredding into smithereens) in an informative, engagingly penned textual manner (and suitable not only for the intended audience of eight to ten or eleven year olds but actually for anyone both young and old wanting and needing something concise, basic and nicely non convoluted) the mythical and problematically sacrosanct story of The Mayflower, of so-called Pilgrims (and as such of course also of the “first” Thanksgiving as well).
Drawing on historical documents, Messner (and Coombs) with The Mayflower necessarily and indeed also really essentially and importantly totally demystify the English religious separatists’ journey on The Mayflower and their final arrival in what is now Massachusetts (and yes, it also makes much more sense to call the passengers of The Mayflower separatists and dissidents rather than Pilgrims), providing much that is more often than not and sometimes even very deliberately omitted from in particular American history books specifically aimed at children, and with Kate Messner also and fortunately pointing out in The Mayflower that while primary sources present great first hand and often personally experienced accounts and knowledge, this information, these featured details always do need be approached with much prudence and equally so with a critical eye since what is present of course also shows the writers’ own impressions, philosophies and indeed also their own prejudices and those of their time and of those who had the power, who had the clout and the might.
And beginning with why the separatists felt they had to leave England in the first place and showing that they in fact originally had tried to unsuccessfully settle in the Netherlands, The Mayflower has Messner describing with quite a bit of really specific textual detail what the sea voyage to the so-called New World would have been like and what the separatists, what the passengers aboard The Mayflower encountered upon arrival (including the Wampanoag people and their culture and traditions). And indeed, Kate Messner and Linda Coombs clearly and wonderfully depict and demonstrate how even though the separatists were totally against the Catholic Church and against the Church of England (and had left the British Isles for so-called religious freedom), they certainly had no qualms at all making use of in particular the 1452 Papal Bull titled the Doctrine of Discovery to not only claim the Wampanoag’s lands for themselves, for settlement, but also to denigrate, to try to enslave the Wampanoag, to consider them (and basically all Native populations) as lesser, as almost non human, as biblically cursed and condemned, and with the featured text for The Mayflower, while not belabouring this overmuch also very nicely and appreciatively pointing out the huge hypocrisy and the dual standards of those same separatists, of the Pilgrims clamouring for religious freedom but obviously only wanting this for themselves and most certainly not even remotely being interested in protecting and accepting the culture and the spiritual, religious traditions of the Wampanoag, of any Native Americans encountered (and which of course was kind of also pretty much the same in what is now Canada as well, but sorry, in Canada, we did not and we do not tend to make our French and English original European settlers into mystical and religious heroic icons like has in my opinion far too often been the case with The Mayflower and her religious dissident passengers).
With a lively text, graphic novel like interludes and first person voices, what Kate Messner and Linda Coombs verbally provide in The Mayflower is visually mirrored and sometimes even a bit expanded on by Dylan Meconis’ black and white artwork (a bit too cartoon-like for me personally, but nicely descriptive and also not ever too aesthetically parodistic), a wonderful combination of text and images, and with the detailed bibliography, the suggestions of books and also websites for further exploration/reading and index making my rating for The Mayflower not only five solid stars but also making me very keen trying all, reading all of the remaining History Smashers books.
Drawing on historical documents, Messner (and Coombs) with The Mayflower necessarily and indeed also really essentially and importantly totally demystify the English religious separatists’ journey on The Mayflower and their final arrival in what is now Massachusetts (and yes, it also makes much more sense to call the passengers of The Mayflower separatists and dissidents rather than Pilgrims), providing much that is more often than not and sometimes even very deliberately omitted from in particular American history books specifically aimed at children, and with Kate Messner also and fortunately pointing out in The Mayflower that while primary sources present great first hand and often personally experienced accounts and knowledge, this information, these featured details always do need be approached with much prudence and equally so with a critical eye since what is present of course also shows the writers’ own impressions, philosophies and indeed also their own prejudices and those of their time and of those who had the power, who had the clout and the might.
And beginning with why the separatists felt they had to leave England in the first place and showing that they in fact originally had tried to unsuccessfully settle in the Netherlands, The Mayflower has Messner describing with quite a bit of really specific textual detail what the sea voyage to the so-called New World would have been like and what the separatists, what the passengers aboard The Mayflower encountered upon arrival (including the Wampanoag people and their culture and traditions). And indeed, Kate Messner and Linda Coombs clearly and wonderfully depict and demonstrate how even though the separatists were totally against the Catholic Church and against the Church of England (and had left the British Isles for so-called religious freedom), they certainly had no qualms at all making use of in particular the 1452 Papal Bull titled the Doctrine of Discovery to not only claim the Wampanoag’s lands for themselves, for settlement, but also to denigrate, to try to enslave the Wampanoag, to consider them (and basically all Native populations) as lesser, as almost non human, as biblically cursed and condemned, and with the featured text for The Mayflower, while not belabouring this overmuch also very nicely and appreciatively pointing out the huge hypocrisy and the dual standards of those same separatists, of the Pilgrims clamouring for religious freedom but obviously only wanting this for themselves and most certainly not even remotely being interested in protecting and accepting the culture and the spiritual, religious traditions of the Wampanoag, of any Native Americans encountered (and which of course was kind of also pretty much the same in what is now Canada as well, but sorry, in Canada, we did not and we do not tend to make our French and English original European settlers into mystical and religious heroic icons like has in my opinion far too often been the case with The Mayflower and her religious dissident passengers).
With a lively text, graphic novel like interludes and first person voices, what Kate Messner and Linda Coombs verbally provide in The Mayflower is visually mirrored and sometimes even a bit expanded on by Dylan Meconis’ black and white artwork (a bit too cartoon-like for me personally, but nicely descriptive and also not ever too aesthetically parodistic), a wonderful combination of text and images, and with the detailed bibliography, the suggestions of books and also websites for further exploration/reading and index making my rating for The Mayflower not only five solid stars but also making me very keen trying all, reading all of the remaining History Smashers books.
November 9, 2020
You can tell there was LOADS of research done to complete this book. I wanted so much to rate this a five star book because it was really well done.
Unfortunately, you can clearly tell that the author is biased on some of these topics and I can't support that when it comes to nonfiction. This book thrives on the fact that it's getting down to the "real" history, the "real" deal. They should really keep their bias out of it.
Unfortunately, you can clearly tell that the author is biased on some of these topics and I can't support that when it comes to nonfiction. This book thrives on the fact that it's getting down to the "real" history, the "real" deal. They should really keep their bias out of it.
June 11, 2021
This is a book that is meant for the 8-12 age bracket (in my opinion). I find that it's easier for me (who had a hard time enjoying history class in school) to take these little bite-sized pieces of history to be able to keep my attention on the subject matter. So I would also recommend it for older kids and adults like me who want to learn something, but learn about it fairly quickly.
This was very informational and written in a way that was easy to understand and entertaining. It has a sort of mixed media approach with comics and illustrations throughout. It approaches the topic with a bit of humor, but also respect in my opinion (however, since I'm not an indigenous person than I can't say for sure and at the time of writing this it doesn't seem that any have read or reviewed this book.)
I will definitely be having my children read this book and look forward to more in this series.
This was very informational and written in a way that was easy to understand and entertaining. It has a sort of mixed media approach with comics and illustrations throughout. It approaches the topic with a bit of humor, but also respect in my opinion (however, since I'm not an indigenous person than I can't say for sure and at the time of writing this it doesn't seem that any have read or reviewed this book.)
I will definitely be having my children read this book and look forward to more in this series.
July 19, 2020
Another excellent title in the History Smashers series, this one detailing the pilgrims arrival in America. Like the other titles, the book makes this complicated history accessible to young readers who may not have been formally introduced to this in school (yet). I love the insets, comic illustrations, and photographs that enhance the text making it even more interesting for readers. I especially appreciate that these titles challenge pre-conceived ideas. In this book, Messner really questions the traditional representation of the early European settlers, making sure to dispel all the myths about the first Thanksgiving and highlighting the terrible treatment of indigenous people. Highly recommend this series for purchase and will be sharing with my 5th grade teachers as excellent curriculum supplements.
May 16, 2021
I am loving this series by Kate Messner. Often history is so intertwined with myth and legend that it can be difficult to get an accurate picture of events from multiple perspectives. Kate is "smashing" those old history lessons and legends and bringing the hidden truths to light. Was there really a Plymouth Rock? Why did the Pilgrims really come to this continent? Were the Wampanoag People and Pilgrims truly friends? Where did they get the name Pilgrims anyway? Using photographs, sidebars, illustrations, and fun graphic panels Kate and illustrator Dylan Meconis bring history to life!
October 25, 2020
I love that this book is talking to youths with the respect afforded to adults. I especially loved lines like:
“It’s important to remember that the English were aiming to colonize, or take over, the land. That was more difficult to justify if you had to admit you were stealing it from people who had lived there successfully for thousands of years.”
and
“This is an example of a primary source that shows what someone was thinking at the time — but the information it gives us is incorrect.”
and
“When the Pilgrims arrived in New England, the Wampanoag people spoke their own language, called Wôpanâak. But soon that language was under attack, part of a larger effort to erase Native culture.”
This book also ends with about 7 pages of further reading and bibliography, which I respect greatly.
“It’s important to remember that the English were aiming to colonize, or take over, the land. That was more difficult to justify if you had to admit you were stealing it from people who had lived there successfully for thousands of years.”
and
“This is an example of a primary source that shows what someone was thinking at the time — but the information it gives us is incorrect.”
and
“When the Pilgrims arrived in New England, the Wampanoag people spoke their own language, called Wôpanâak. But soon that language was under attack, part of a larger effort to erase Native culture.”
This book also ends with about 7 pages of further reading and bibliography, which I respect greatly.
March 12, 2023
Such a good nonfiction series! Recommend highly for kids and adults alike.
CW: Grief, racism, anti-Native slur, references to: religious persecution, starvation
CW: Grief, racism, anti-Native slur, references to: religious persecution, starvation
November 28, 2024
Book 1 in the History Smashers nonfiction MG series by @katemessner
⚓️
In 1620 the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and became friends with the Wampanoag people who gave them corn, right? WRONG! This story has been shared in countless classrooms, history books and curriculum across the nation for years when that’s not the truth at all. To find out the true history of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, read the first in this amazing #series so you can know why our nation celebrates this day and what they continually leave out and change in regards to our nation’s “discovery”.
⚓️
Ever since I read the Titanic book in this series, I’ve been hooked. I had to save this one for Thanksgiving so that we highlight only truths on this day. Messner is a gift to the middle grade community and I never want this series to end!
CW: racism, colonization, genocide
⚓️
In 1620 the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and became friends with the Wampanoag people who gave them corn, right? WRONG! This story has been shared in countless classrooms, history books and curriculum across the nation for years when that’s not the truth at all. To find out the true history of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, read the first in this amazing #series so you can know why our nation celebrates this day and what they continually leave out and change in regards to our nation’s “discovery”.
⚓️
Ever since I read the Titanic book in this series, I’ve been hooked. I had to save this one for Thanksgiving so that we highlight only truths on this day. Messner is a gift to the middle grade community and I never want this series to end!
CW: racism, colonization, genocide
November 22, 2022
This was my first introduction to the History Smashers series. It was excellent and I highly recommend it. This does such a good job of making history highly accessible and my kids and I learned so much.
I loved the focus on primary sources and the information on the different cultural backgrounds and biases. This is just such a super in depth look at the pilgrims, the Wampanoag people, American colonization, and the evolution of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Although humor is definitely a part of the book I was expecting it to be funnier (more along the lines of the Ken Jennings Junior Genius Guides) and it’s more academically focused, but it’s definitely not dry. I really want to be open with my kids about the full, messy truth of history and I think this is a great book for doing that. I definitely recommend reading the authors note at the end because it gives such a good summary of why it’s important to study history, with a focus on trying to respect all people, past and present.
I also loved what one goodreads reviewer’s 7 year old said, “They should trust kids to understand. We understand what is right and wrong. Those people were not us so it's not up to us to either be proud or ashamed of them. But we have to know the truth so that we learn from the bad and the good. We have to learn to be better. That's how to be proud of our country, not lying about it."
I’m excited to read more of these in the future.
I loved the focus on primary sources and the information on the different cultural backgrounds and biases. This is just such a super in depth look at the pilgrims, the Wampanoag people, American colonization, and the evolution of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Although humor is definitely a part of the book I was expecting it to be funnier (more along the lines of the Ken Jennings Junior Genius Guides) and it’s more academically focused, but it’s definitely not dry. I really want to be open with my kids about the full, messy truth of history and I think this is a great book for doing that. I definitely recommend reading the authors note at the end because it gives such a good summary of why it’s important to study history, with a focus on trying to respect all people, past and present.
I also loved what one goodreads reviewer’s 7 year old said, “They should trust kids to understand. We understand what is right and wrong. Those people were not us so it's not up to us to either be proud or ashamed of them. But we have to know the truth so that we learn from the bad and the good. We have to learn to be better. That's how to be proud of our country, not lying about it."
I’m excited to read more of these in the future.
January 12, 2020
Thank you to the publisher for sharing a copy of History Smashers: The Mayflower with Collabookation.
As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. It works to dismantle the narrative that has been perpetuated for years about the Mayflower, the people on it, and the people who were impacted by their arrival in the 'new' world.
Not only does this book begin to set the record straight about the facts of the Mayflower's arrival, but it examines the reasons behind the false narrative we've been fed for a long time. This is a wonderful thing in literature for kids, because students will understand that people are motivated to tell tales a certain way based on current events or climate. This book is a wonderful stand alone, but I'm so excited to know it's part of a series and more are on the way. Most importantly, this book could serve as a springboard for students to begin questioning all the information they're being fed: who is writing it, what are their biases and motivations, how can it impact where we are today.
I've seldom found history books to be great lessons on civics today, but History Smashers has the potential to be just that. It looks backward, shining a light on how and why a certain history was written, but can easily light up the news we are currently receiving with the same lense of examination and careful consumption.
As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. It works to dismantle the narrative that has been perpetuated for years about the Mayflower, the people on it, and the people who were impacted by their arrival in the 'new' world.
Not only does this book begin to set the record straight about the facts of the Mayflower's arrival, but it examines the reasons behind the false narrative we've been fed for a long time. This is a wonderful thing in literature for kids, because students will understand that people are motivated to tell tales a certain way based on current events or climate. This book is a wonderful stand alone, but I'm so excited to know it's part of a series and more are on the way. Most importantly, this book could serve as a springboard for students to begin questioning all the information they're being fed: who is writing it, what are their biases and motivations, how can it impact where we are today.
I've seldom found history books to be great lessons on civics today, but History Smashers has the potential to be just that. It looks backward, shining a light on how and why a certain history was written, but can easily light up the news we are currently receiving with the same lense of examination and careful consumption.
March 16, 2021
Such a great middle grade series by Kate Messner, which includes 4 titles so far. She has done thorough research for readers offering the “real real deal” on important events from history. This particular one centers around the Pilgrims and Mayflower. Absolutely love the visual variation - some parts graphic novel-style, some parts photos, illustrations and “fun fact” sections. Kate does such a. great job breaking down meanings and translating into simpler terms, but does not water the information down. Her research is fair and offers insights from multiple perspectives. This would be a great series to read with 3rd grade and up, and would offer a great starting point for discussion on historical accuracy and “hidden” history. The class I book-talked these with checked them out on the spot!
May 26, 2020
Awesome look at history: the true story of the Mayflower journey and Thanksgiving, along with all that happened in between and what still influences life now. My only problem with this book is that it looks like a graphic novel (like Nathan Hale’s books), but is told in prose with a few small comics in between. #HistorySmashersTheMayflower #NetGalley
June 17, 2020
Read. This. Book.
This should be read by anyone and everyone. Honest history written in an engaging manner. If anything in my elementary school textbooks were portrayed intriguingly as this book is, I would have devoured them.
100%
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy
This should be read by anyone and everyone. Honest history written in an engaging manner. If anything in my elementary school textbooks were portrayed intriguingly as this book is, I would have devoured them.
100%
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy
January 27, 2021
Excellent middle-grade introduction to the facts and fictions of the Pilgrims, from leaving England to setting up homes in America. Along the way, Messner provides highlights into why what we may have heard about these events isn't always accurate, what primary source documents can and can't tell us, and how one's perspective informs how one views events.
December 9, 2021
An MSBA choice book for 2021|2022
An interesting and accessible look at the history of how white people came to America. I found it to be very accessible, as well as pretty encompassing. It touches on multiple viewpoints; that of the pilgrims and those of the Wampanoag. I think it is a good starting point for students who may be interested in this type of history.
An interesting and accessible look at the history of how white people came to America. I found it to be very accessible, as well as pretty encompassing. It touches on multiple viewpoints; that of the pilgrims and those of the Wampanoag. I think it is a good starting point for students who may be interested in this type of history.
January 2, 2024
Such valuable information, perspective, and presentation of content! For a long time I've been looking for honest, less scholarly "First Thanksgiving" content. This book is just that. I appreciate how Messner just lays out facts, presents primary sources but then "translates" them below, and interactively asks the reader to analyse primary sources. I love this series so so much!
February 23, 2020
This book is better than my social studies textbook! I would love to teach directly from this book- it’s that good! Accurate facts, primary sources, and reader interactions add to this history smashing book. Myths! Lies! Secrets!
December 8, 2020
This book is a must read for all adults and children. Just keep a notebook next to it so you can record all the new information you receive. Less “good guys” in this tale than her book about women’s suffrage but such is men....,
November 8, 2020
Myth-busting and attention-grabbing, perfect for undoing the damage of decades of crappy history teachers.
November 24, 2023
This should be read in elementary schools by at least 5th graders
June 16, 2020
I enjoyed the voice in this book. The little known facts are very interesting and engaging for readers. The illustrations and occasional graphic novel pages add interest. Older elementary readers will enjoy this new series.
Read
June 26, 2021Not even going to lie. I learned quite a bit.
July 30, 2021
Loving this series
December 17, 2024
I read this to my kids, and we all learned so much about the Pilgrims and The Mayflower. Everyone should read this, including adults.
February 23, 2021
I enjoyed getting a better picture of actual history vs. the white-washed (literally) version we got in school. I wanted to read this before my kids and am excited to share this series with them! It was written in a way they will be able to understand and really teach them a better picture (the good, the bad, and the ugly) of the history of America.
December 22, 2020
I read this the weekend before "Thanksgiving" 2020, wanting to brush up on the mythical nature of the pilgrim story and what historians/archaeologists/etc. know really happened. OH MY!!! While entertaining (e.g., "You're probably thinking...but nope!"), this book leaves you, the adult reader, with a sense of loss too. In 1610 or so there were 100,000 Wampanoag in the region where the Pilgrims ended up landing in 1620 (modern day Rhode Island, Massachusetts). The Wampanoag had lived in that area for 12,000 years!!! But a virus, or bacteria, the small pox or yellow fever--something (we can only hypothesize) brought over by European fisherman had nearly wiped them out just a few years before the Pilgrims arrived; 90% of the Wampanoag population died in this pandemic. CRAZY and just plain devastating. It's no wonder many "Native people" treat the American "Thanksgiving" holiday as a "National Day of Mourning." (This is why when the Pilgrims arrived they did not run into a large population of folks right away.)
For 4th-7th grade students, Messner's audience, there is so much to entertain them (while they learn some hard truths) including her conversational writing voice and her honesty with her reader-- "You were expecting this, huh? Maybe me, too, but that's not what really happened." The layout and design - including pictures of primary sources and graphics and short comic panels are very kid-friendly.
While readers learn a lot about the "Pilgrims" (who never called themselves this ;), readers also learn about the rich culture of the Wampanoag. Messner challenges her readers to think critically about what she's shared. LOVED how Messner includes pictures of old paintings of the "Pilgrims" and asks "What's missing?" or "What's wrong with the details in this painting based on what I just told you really happened?" She describes primary sources historians use to learn about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag and explains how these sources frequently reveal the perspective of the writer at the time versus just the facts.
At the end of the book, Messner also talks about how historians and historical organizations continue to change what they say and do regarding the subject of the Pilgrims at Plymouth based on evolving evidence. She discusses and shares stories of modern day members of the Wampanoag including several quotes by current members. I finished the book wanting to read a book about the Wampanoag.
I'd recommend this SERIES to your students. There's another History Smashers title already out about how women won the vote and three more in the works--on the American Revolution, the sinking of the Titanic, and Pearl Harbor.
For 4th-7th grade students, Messner's audience, there is so much to entertain them (while they learn some hard truths) including her conversational writing voice and her honesty with her reader-- "You were expecting this, huh? Maybe me, too, but that's not what really happened." The layout and design - including pictures of primary sources and graphics and short comic panels are very kid-friendly.
While readers learn a lot about the "Pilgrims" (who never called themselves this ;), readers also learn about the rich culture of the Wampanoag. Messner challenges her readers to think critically about what she's shared. LOVED how Messner includes pictures of old paintings of the "Pilgrims" and asks "What's missing?" or "What's wrong with the details in this painting based on what I just told you really happened?" She describes primary sources historians use to learn about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag and explains how these sources frequently reveal the perspective of the writer at the time versus just the facts.
At the end of the book, Messner also talks about how historians and historical organizations continue to change what they say and do regarding the subject of the Pilgrims at Plymouth based on evolving evidence. She discusses and shares stories of modern day members of the Wampanoag including several quotes by current members. I finished the book wanting to read a book about the Wampanoag.
I'd recommend this SERIES to your students. There's another History Smashers title already out about how women won the vote and three more in the works--on the American Revolution, the sinking of the Titanic, and Pearl Harbor.
April 12, 2021
Read this after seeing a friend’s Goodreads review, and thought it might be a good book for my niece, as we’re Mayflower descendants (according to this book, there are and estimated 35 million Mayflower descendants). This is the first in a series of history books for middle grade readers. The series premise is debunking common myths. The author primarily uses a traditional narrative format that is light and conversational in style, so it doesn’t feel like a text book. She will often state something many people believe to be true, and then explain why it’s not true and why/how it came to be a myth. This does force the writing to be a bit redundant at times, with phrasing repeated, but the rhetorical questions do draw the reader in and I can see how it would appeal to a young reader.
I did learn quite a bit from this book. About half of the content focuses on the pilgrims and about half, mostly in the second half, focuses on the Native Americans, particularly the Wampanoag people who were living in the area where the pilgrims settled. I do appreciate that unlike the history books I read in school, this book tries to give equal attention to both sides of the story. Though it does feel as though once the book shifts to the Wampanoag view, the tone shifts to an agenda that casts the Wampanoag as the heroes and the pilgrims as the villains. Of course, the pilgrims did commit atrocities against the Wampanoag and other Native Americans, but the war between the two peoples was mutual—the Wampanoag had motives and an agenda of their own, and ultimately sought to kill and drive the invaders out of their land.
The book starts out by establishing the pilgrims, at least many of them, were seeking a place to live where they were free to worship as they chose, and maintain their culture. They had already tried other places before turning to America. The author could have circled back to the pilgrims’ point of view, but doesn’t. Granted, my own point of view is bias—she’s writing about my great-great-great-etc. grandparents, which is why I mentioned the connection in the review, I’m more defensive than most. But it still seems an over-simplification to cast one culture as evil. The land of the earth is finite and people of all cultures fight to claim it and its finite resources. I think because the premise of the series is to contradict what we believe with a more accurate view, the author perhaps pushed hard to counter the warm, fuzzy portrayal of the pilgrims and the overly dominant white viewpoint that for too long has overshadowed the Native American viewpoint to the point that she shifted to the other side of the scale rather than maintaining an equal balance.
I think this is a good fit for my niece. I’m not sure she’ll read it, but I bought a copy for her anyway. There’s a good blend of text and black and white illustrations, some cartoons and some photos of paintings or portraits. At times, the paintings are a bit small for readers to examine as closely as the author seems to expect. It’s text based, but there’s the occasional page in graphic novel style. I think the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, which is in full graphic novel format, is probably more humorous and entertaining as it informs, but this series is a nice compliment to that one, covering different topics. It’s also a little more sophisticated, the author will define a word (like sachem) once, and then continue to use it. She also notes sources throughout, so it has the feel of a junior version of a history book written for adults—it may be a little challenging, but it still felt accessible, the author doesn’t assume the reader knows things, but she also doesn’t write down to the young audience.
As an adult, I found it an interesting and light but informative overview. I might check out other books in this series, and plan to read a book on the Mayflower written for adults.
I did learn quite a bit from this book. About half of the content focuses on the pilgrims and about half, mostly in the second half, focuses on the Native Americans, particularly the Wampanoag people who were living in the area where the pilgrims settled. I do appreciate that unlike the history books I read in school, this book tries to give equal attention to both sides of the story. Though it does feel as though once the book shifts to the Wampanoag view, the tone shifts to an agenda that casts the Wampanoag as the heroes and the pilgrims as the villains. Of course, the pilgrims did commit atrocities against the Wampanoag and other Native Americans, but the war between the two peoples was mutual—the Wampanoag had motives and an agenda of their own, and ultimately sought to kill and drive the invaders out of their land.
The book starts out by establishing the pilgrims, at least many of them, were seeking a place to live where they were free to worship as they chose, and maintain their culture. They had already tried other places before turning to America. The author could have circled back to the pilgrims’ point of view, but doesn’t. Granted, my own point of view is bias—she’s writing about my great-great-great-etc. grandparents, which is why I mentioned the connection in the review, I’m more defensive than most. But it still seems an over-simplification to cast one culture as evil. The land of the earth is finite and people of all cultures fight to claim it and its finite resources. I think because the premise of the series is to contradict what we believe with a more accurate view, the author perhaps pushed hard to counter the warm, fuzzy portrayal of the pilgrims and the overly dominant white viewpoint that for too long has overshadowed the Native American viewpoint to the point that she shifted to the other side of the scale rather than maintaining an equal balance.
I think this is a good fit for my niece. I’m not sure she’ll read it, but I bought a copy for her anyway. There’s a good blend of text and black and white illustrations, some cartoons and some photos of paintings or portraits. At times, the paintings are a bit small for readers to examine as closely as the author seems to expect. It’s text based, but there’s the occasional page in graphic novel style. I think the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series, which is in full graphic novel format, is probably more humorous and entertaining as it informs, but this series is a nice compliment to that one, covering different topics. It’s also a little more sophisticated, the author will define a word (like sachem) once, and then continue to use it. She also notes sources throughout, so it has the feel of a junior version of a history book written for adults—it may be a little challenging, but it still felt accessible, the author doesn’t assume the reader knows things, but she also doesn’t write down to the young audience.
As an adult, I found it an interesting and light but informative overview. I might check out other books in this series, and plan to read a book on the Mayflower written for adults.
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