In my opinion, Uncover Exciting History from Amy Puetz and Golden Prairie Press would be a great supplemental book to any American history curriculum. It would also be a good starting point for a child who loves to research and dig deeper on their own. Each chapter is fairly short and simple - easy for a younger child to understand if it is read aloud - and is followed by a mix of discussion and comprehension questions, as well as additional books and activities which would further reinforce the lesson. This book would be a great resource for a student that likes to "notebook".
That said, I'm not sure how exciting a child would find these stories. They don't seem very suspenseful or dramatic to me. There also does not seem to be much detail. The website suggests the book for ages 12 and up, but we found that they seemed to be more suited to younger children, starting around age 8. By age 12, most children have heard these stories, and know the endings of them. The language is fairly straight-forward. However, I think that the "Digging Deeper" sections I mentioned would be great for ages 12 and up, with the chapters as a launch-pad for independent study.
For our family, we quickly made our way through some of the chapters, but it honestly didn't capture our attention. I plan to use some of the supplemental activities and book suggestions this year with my two 7th graders, but I don't see myself really using this book until my younger two are a little older - probably around 2nd or 3rd grade.
Uncover Exciting History is available from Golden Prairie Press at www.amypuetz.com. The e-book is currently on sale for $11.96. A print version and MP3 audio version are also available.
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