Books in History Speaks: Picture Books Plus Reader's Theater series

Life wasn’t easy for Annie Shapiro and the other clothing workers in Chicago in 1910. Bosses could be mean and the hours were long. When the workers’ pay was cut, Annie had to take a stand. At first no one took seventeen-year-old Annie seriously when she walked out of work. But her brave act sparked a strike that grew include to forty thousand workers. Would bosses ever listen to workers? Would months of striking really lead to better conditions? In the back of this book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader’s theater performance of this adventure. Download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your reader’s theater performance a success through Lerner eSource.

In mid-May 1775, the American Revolution was barely a month old. Many British soldiers were in Boston, Massachusetts. The American troops were nearby. The next battle could break out at any moment. Fifteen-year-old John Greenwood’s parents lived in Boston. But John lived with his uncle 150 miles away. When the war started, he decided to go back to Boston to check on his family. But when he arrived, the British soldiers wouldn’t let anyone into the city. Instead John joined the American army and soon found himself at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Did John have the courage to make it through the battle? Could the Americans beat the powerful British? In the back of this book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader’s theater performance of this adventure. Download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your reader’s theater performance a success through Lerner eSource.

In early 1836, trouble broke out in Texas. Texas was part of Mexico, yet many of its settlers wanted to fight for independence. Mexican General Santa Anna and his army came to battle the Texans in San Antonio at the Alamo. Eight-year-old Enrique Esparza witnessed the battle. His father was a soldier with the Texas army. The whole Esparza family had taken shelter at the Alamo, but they knew it might be dangerous. Would they survive? In the back of this book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader’s theater performance of this adventure. At our companion website―www.historyspeaksbooks.com―you can download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your reader’s theater performance a success.

In the early morning on April 18, 1906, a terrible earthquake struck San Francisco, California. Lizzie Newton, who had been staying with her grandmother, woke up frightened but unhurt. She helped her injured grandmother out of the apartment building. People across the city left their homes for fear that the buildings might collapse. After Lizzie’s grandmother was taken to the hospital, ten-year-old Lizzie was on her own. She had to make her way to her parents without any help. Could she find them? Would they be all right? In the back of this book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader’s theater performance of this adventure. Download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your reader’s theater performance a success through Lerner eSource.

In March 1865, the Civil War between the North and South and had been going on for four years. The armies of the North were fighting their way to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate states. Many people thought that if the northern troops captured Richmond, the war would be over. Fifteen-year-old Willie Kettles worked as a telegraph operator in the War Department building in Washington. President Abraham Lincoln stopped by the telegraph office daily to get the latest reports from the battlefields. Would good news from Richmond ever arrive? Will Willie be ready to take the message? In the back of this book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader’s theater performance of this adventure. Download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your reader’s theater performance a success through Lerner eSource.

In the 1840s, runaway slaves faced many dangers. They were often caught and sometimes killed. Ellen Craft and her husband William knew the risks. And they decided to take a chance. Ellen and William had a daring plan to escape from slavery. Posing as a white man, Ellen hoped to travel north as William's slave master. But the two had many states to cross. Would they reach freedom? Or would someone see through Ellen's disguise? In the back of this book, you'll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader's theater performance of this adventure.Bring to life important stories from U.S. history with the History Speaks: Picture Books Plus Reader's Theater series:

Until 1957, two worlds existed in Little Rock, Arkansas: one for white Americans and another for African Americans. Whites and blacks went to separate schools, ate at separate restaurants, and even used separate drinking fountains. That year, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to end the laws that kept people apart. Nine black students agreed to attend Little Rock's all-white Central High School. But could they face angry mobs, threats, and violence? Would they have the courage to stay at Central High? In the back of this book, you'll find a script and instructions for putting on a reader's theater performance of this adventure.