The Leather Apron Club by Jane Yolen illustrated by Wendell Minor*

 Benjamin Franklin, His Son Billy, & America's First Cirulating Library

Ms. Yolen exposes the reader to Benjamin Franklin's Leather Apron Club via a fictional story about Billy, his son. It is an interesting, engaging story. In the back Ms. Yolen shares facts about Ben Franklin, The Leather Apron Club, and his relationship with Billy.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Gawgon and the Boy by Lloyd Alexander

 When the doctor recommends that David remain at home to recover after a long illness, David's parents recruit his Aunt Annie (he calls her "The Gawgon", a derogatory name) to tutor him.  Although he is relieved that he does not have to return to Rittenhouse Academy, he dreads meeting with his tough aunt.  His opinion of her quickly changes as she enlivens all subjects-history, Shakespeare, geometry.  Then two major events transform his life-the stock market crash/Great Depression and Aunt Annie's death.  As he adjusts to these unforeseen happenings, he matures.

For most of the book I wondered why the library had it categorized as "fantasy".  At the end, David imagines Aunt Annie talking to him, almost like a ghost.  Maybe this is why they labeled it "fantasy"??  Interspersed are stories David creates which are based on his current area of study.  At first I was annoyed by them, wanting to return to the main story.

Warnings: lying (he confesses and tells the truth eventually), he admires his sister's friends who have "blossomed. His sisters warns  them that he would try to look down their dresses.  He admits this is true.  Because of her warning, he "could only ogle" from a distance.

-Borrowd from the library.

Patriots, Pirates, Heroes and Spies Stories from Historic Philadelphia Edited by Sandra Mackenzie Lloyd illustrated by Katrina Damkoehler*

My friend, who homeschools,  took her children to Philadelphia recently.  She and her children visited a few spots where a professional story teller told them specific stories about famous people who resided in Philadelphia or historical events that took place there.
This book contains all the stories that one can hear when participating in Once Upon a Nation program.
Stories range from Lenape natives, to a woman accused of being a witch, a Quaker spy, the man who invented television to Boy Scout and Girl Scout stories.  There are twenty stories total.
A perfect book to share when studying PA history or Philadelphia.
Once Upon a Nation's offers its Storytelling program seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day (*wish they offered during the school year for field trips!).
Warning: One story is about the nation's obsession with witches for awhile.