Addie Slaughter: The girl who met Geronimo (young readers)

On our quest to fill our summer days with fun reading material, I was happy to find a historical non fiction book for my tween daughter to review.  It’s always a treat to be able to find a book that presents our nation’s history in a way that appeals to young readers.  Addie Slaughter: The girl who met Geronimo does just that!  Authors Susan L. Krueger, ED.D and Reba Wells Grandrud, PH.D work together to combine historically accurate facts in this book which has been officially designated as n Arizona Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission.

I found Addie Slaughter to be a beautiful story about what pioneer life in the Wild West must have felt and looked like to a young child in the late 1800’s.  Hearing first hand what life on an Arizona ranch during the era in which real cowboys and Indians roamed the land is pretty exciting!  The black and white family photos that are included in the pages of Addie Slaughter add to the book’s charm and help the imagination along.

Based on the actual stories Addie Slaughter passed on to her daughter, and in-depth interviews with Dr. Reba Wells Grandrud, the John H. Slaughter Ranch historian.  “In first -person narrative, author Susan Krueger, Ed.D., expertly speaks for Addie, who tells her adventurous, sometimes heartbreaking , story of traveling across the Wild West from Texas to Arizona to Oregon, and then eventually settling on the Slaughter Ranch near the Arizona-Mexico border. her father was none other than the famous John Horton Slaughter, a Texas Ranger, the sheriff who tamed Cochise County and an early settler of the San Bernardino Valley in the late 1800’s.”

Filled with the everyday life happenings of the Wild West, hardships, tragedy, and even simple happiness, Addie Slaughter covers a wide range of emotion that will make you and your children want to keep reading.  A wonderful book for reading aloud to your child too!

While the writing is suited to children, it is also very interesting and engaging, I enjoyed reading it myself!  My daughter hasn’t finished reading the whole book yet but I know she’ll enjoy it.  She was surprised to know that she was reading a true story! I think it’s wonderful that this book is written in a way that makes you feel the author is writing in a journal, or even just chatting with you over a glass of lemonade.

As a mom, I feel that the curriculum guide, suggested reading activities, and links to other learning resources at the back of the book are a great way to follow up on the historical facts.  I highly suggest it for your child’s summer reading list!