The California Gold Rush

A True Book

by Mel Friedman

A True Westward Expansion takes readers on an amazing journey to a fascinating time in U.S. history when the country was experiencing dynamic change and expanding westward. This book provides the keys to discovering the important people, places and events that helped shape the western United States. An age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study is included.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Barry Bard]

The California Gold Rush is part of the Scholastic 'True Book' series and is a factually detailed book with beautifully illustrated pictures accompanied by historical photos from the era. Sprinkled among the photos are captions and facts that allow the reader to pick up 'gold nuggets' of information that may not be typically presented within resources related to the California Gold Rush. The book has six chapters and covers everything related to the gold rush including the history of the land and who possessed it, as well as the impact the event had on America. In between it shares the realities of gold mining, life in the camps, and make up of the mining towns. In addition, the text provides interesting statistics as well as a vocabulary section at the end of the book that highlight the key words related to the gold rush. This is a very informative text providing a variety of facts and interesting information about the 1849 California Gold Rush. Certainly a valuable student resource to accompany a unit pertaining to the California Gold Rush.

[Leah Nicole]

This book is great for my struggling to average readers, but it is useful for all students. It starts before the gold rush, which is nice, as it sets the stage for what is to come. It covers the end of the war with Mexico, discovery, confirmation by Polk, travel dangers, and life as a miner. It has several actual pictures and many illustrations. It covers all the key events in a concise and easy to understand picture book that is designed for intermediate students. It is a go to for my class.

[Allison Hurd]

A great reference book to use in your elementary classroom! It contains facts from before the gold rush and the westward expansion ending with gold fever and the effects the gold rush had on California. A good go to book if you're looking for facts.

[Coco Harris]

This was a good intro into The Gold Rush for my kiddos! A short quick read that has a lot of good colored photographs and insight related to the Gold Rush.

[Eduardo Lopez]

My students love 'The California Gold Rush' from the True Book series. It’s easy to read with great pictures and detailed facts, making it perfect for AR tests and history lessons.

[Ashley Cairney]

This nonfiction book is full of good facts and is easy to read. The language used is easy to understand and perfect to keep in a classroom library.

[Shelly♥]

Non fiction account of California history and leading up through the events that spawned the Gold Rush. Very watered down version of it....just the facts, but detailed enough to contextualize this event in history. Great for elementary aged kids studying the Gold Rush for the first time.

[Autumn Yoon]

This book is a non-fiction book that describes the California Gold Rush. It is very informative and would work great with a US history lesson on the gold rush! Great for 4th or 5th grade!

[Melissa Dwyer]

Series Approved