Susan Kilbride is a home educating mother who has the same perspective of teaching history that I do. Dry textbooks are not the answer, but rather true stories that engage the reader and make them want to learn more.

With Kilbride’s Our America series, she takes three time periods: the Pilgrims, King Philip’s War, and the Salem witch trials, and weaves a fictional storyline into them to bring them to life for young readers.

The basic premise of the fictional storyline starts with a brother and sister, Finn and Ginny, whose uncle invents a time machine that looks like a TV remote. The kids’ parents think the machine is a TV remote. When they push a button, the parents accidentally become lost in time. Finn and Ginny travel through time to find them and that’s when the adventure begins.

The books are designed for ages ten and up although my twelve year old son and teenage son and daughter enjoyed them the most. I really appreciate that Kilbride also included some less commonly taught historical time periods for this study like King Philip’s War.

Our overall opinion of the books is that they were well written and Kilbride does an excellent job of engaging the reader right away. They are good for teenagers who already have a foundational knowledge of history but can certainly be effective in involving a more reluctant learner. While my children read them independently, they will be ones that I use as family read-alouds in years to come.

The book on the Salem witch trials was a little frightening for my 13 year old daughter. However, my daughter felt that it was good to show how gossip and slander can be destructive in many people’s lives. They also are effective in showing history in a creative manner. My daughter really liked the literary tool of taking modern day readers back in time to show history from a unique perspective.

The book on the Pilgrims’ adventure is actually the first one in the series, but at least one of my children started reading another book first and they were still able to grasp the basic plot. The book essentially retells the Pilgrims’ story except that Finn and Ginny are a part of it. For example, they watch the Pilgrims write the Mayflower Compact. Also, Finn goes eel fishing with Squanto and Ginny helps care for the sick. Finn discovers that some are ill from scurvy and finds rosehips which apparently contain Vitamin C.

King Philip’s War Adventure actually takes the accounts of people who survived that time which gives it a very personal feel. Although the subject matter is difficult and many terrible things happened, Kilbride does an excellent job of handling it with discretion.

Again, keep in mind that the books are intended for ages ten and above, and I always encourage parents that, if they are concerned about a book’s subject matter, use the book as a read-aloud which involves the whole family. At the same time, the parent can quickly edit as necessary while reading.

Susan Kilbride’s books are an excellent way of teaching history to your child in a comfortable, natural literary manner. Check out the website for free activity guides which complement each of her books. The website promises more to come!

Product Review by Gwen Toliver, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May, 2014