Rinaldi, Ann. (1995). A Stitch in Time (A Quilt Trilogy). New York: Scholastic Books. 305 pages.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: historical fiction

Summary and Critique

In Salem, Massachusetts after the Revolutionary War, sixteen year old Hannah struggles to keep her motherless family together. With her siblings planning new lives away from Salem, her recent marriage proposal from a sea captain, and her father growing emotionally distant, Hannah decides to sew a quilt using scraps of fabric donated by loved ones. When it appears as though separation is inevitable, Hannah distributes pieces of the quilt to her to keep them together symbolically.

In the first novel of the trilogy, Rinaldi enhances textbook history by presenting the problems and dreams of colonial teenagers in a manner to which modern teenagers can relate. The eloquent writing, well-developed plot, and lively and realistic characters will engage and entertain readers.

Themes/Topics

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Families

Challenges and Triumphs

The Individual vs. Society

Author Information

Ann Rinaldi was born in New York City in 1934. After her mother died, she experienced a rather chaotic childhood, living with her aunt and eventually her father. He prohibited her from attending college and becoming a writer. After marrying and establishing her independence, Rinaldi began writing novels that she felt were less than satisfactory. Fortunately, her son's involvement with Revolutionary War reenactments ignited her interest in that time period, and she decided to write historical fiction related to the American Revolution. She has since won numerous awards for her novels.

"History of Ann Rinaldi." (2002). Ann Rinaldi: Historian and Storyteller. Retrieved June 17, 2004, from http://www.annrinaldi.com/docs/Rinaldi_bio.html.

For more information on Ann Rinaldi:

http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/rinaldi.html [great site on her life and work]

http://www.annrinaldi.com/ [her personal website]

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/rinaldi.htm [awesome site for teachers - full of lesson plans and interviews, etc]

Media Connections

Movies

The Patriot (2000). A former soldier in the French and Indian War opposes the Revolutionary War, but he must enlist in order to protect his family and avenge his son's death.

1776 (The musical) (1972). An adaptation of the Broadway musical comedy. The film recounts the days immediately prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Some primary sources were used in writing the script.

Liberty! The American Revolution (1997). Documentary examining the events prior to, during, and proceeding the American Revolution (1765-1789). Both primary and secondary sources are presented through interviews, reenactments, and photographs.

How to Make an American Quilt (1995). A soon-to-be married graduate student learns of life, love, disappointment, and enlightenment while spending the summer making a quilt with her grandmother and the grandmother's friends.

My Family/Mi Familia (1995) – Explores the struggles and triumphs of three generations of a Mexican-American family, beginning with one man's emigration from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1930s and concluding with his descendants in the 1990s.

Television

Party of Five (1994-2000). TV series. After their parents are killed in an automobile accident, the five Salinger siblings (ranging in age from infancy to early-twenties) must work hard to keep their family intact while dealing with the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

Online Resources

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/rinaldi.htm Awesome site for teachers - full of lesson plans and interviews, etc.

http://www.homestead.com/mskdubois/ColonialAmerica.html Describes schooling, education, and literacy in Colonial America.

http://www.americanhistoricsail.com/colonial.htm Details what ships looked like in Colonial times – specifically ships Nate and Richard sailed in book

http://www.42explore2.com/colonial.htm Provides numerous links to kid-friendly Web sites on Colonial times.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/title.html Discusses slavery in colonial period

http://www.school-library.org/pathfinders/Dalrymple_ColonialAmerica.pdf Excellent resources for every teacher on all aspects of life in colonial period

Related Texts

Rinaldi, Ann. (1995). Broken Days (Quilt Trilogy #2). New York: Scholastic. 273pp. A fourteen-year-old half-Native American girl, Walking Breeze, arrives in Salem, claiming to be the daughter of Hannah's sister, Thankful. Cousin Ebie becomes both jealous and insecure, and she attempts to make life difficult for Walking Breeze.

Rinaldi, Ann. (1996). The Blue Door (Quilt Trilogy #3). New York: Scholastic. 272pp. Grandmother Abigail sends Amanda to Lowell, Massachusetts to reconcile with her great-grandfather's. Instead, Amanda witnesses a crime and must assume an alternate identity. She works in her great-grandfather's textile mills, where she leads a protest against the poor working conditions.

Paterson, Katherine. (1991). Lyddie. New York: Lodestar Books. 182pp. Another historical fiction, this one set in the 1840s. The protagonist is a young girl who must take responsibility for herself and her family in times of trouble. Lyddie also is searching for personal identity and struggling to keep her family together. Rights for workers comes into play in this novel as well.

De Pauw, Linda Grant. (1975). Founding Mothers: Women of America in the Revolutionary Era. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 228pp. Explores the routines and involvement of women from various socioeconomic statuses and races during the American Revolution time period. It portrays strong, courageous females during the time period.

O'Dell, Scott. (1980). Sarah Bishop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 184pp. After her brother and father die, Sarah Bishop must survive in the wilderness alone to avoid imprisonment by the British.

O'Dell, Scott. (1989). My Name is Not Angelica. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 130pp. Raisha, a Senegalese girl, is captured and sold into slavery in the Caribbean where she and other slaves revolt against their masters.

Lenski, Lois. (1941, 1994). Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison. New York: Harper Collins. 298pp. A somewhat fictional account based on the real life of Mary Jemison, a white girl imprisoned and reared by the Seneca Indians.

Speare, Elizabeth George. (1983). The Sign of the Beaver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 135pp. During his father's lengthy absence, twelve-year old Matt forms a friendship with a Native American boy, Attean, and his grandfather. In exchange for teaching Attean to read, Attean teaches Matt survival skills. Eventually, Matt must decide if he wants to return to life with his family or begin anew with his new friends.

Collier, James Lincoln and Chris. (1974). My Brother Sam is Dead. New York: Four Winds Press. 216pp. During the American Revolution, Tim Meeker must decide between his father, a British loyalist, and his brother, a Revolutionary supporter.

Avi. (1984). The Fighting Ground. New York: Lippincott. 157pp. Jonathan, a thirteen-year old boy, decides to fight in the American Revolution and learns in war one must fight both the enemy and himself.

Morrison, Lillian (Ed). (2001). More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 80pp. A short anthology of poems about heroic, inspiring, and strong women.

Forward, Susan and Chris Buck. (1989). Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life . New York: Bantam Books. 326pp. A self-help books for children who were emotionally abused or mistreated by their parents.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Writing Under Protest" Give your students the power to turn their whining into social action. Bring in any protest song for them to listen to. Nearly anything from Bob Marley is a good example. Have copies of the lyrics available. In groups, have them brainstorm a their thoughts on the issues behind the song, ways to solve the problem, etc. Instruct them to think of a protest from the b4teens_book. What is the problem? How can it be solved? From there, the groups create their OWN protest song, dealing with any issue they feel important. Teachers could also ask them to use a specific protest from the b4teens_book. This is a great way to move the students beyond talking about a problem and into solving it. [Summarized from "Writing under Protest" by Judith E. Foust in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. April 1990, p. 3.]

(2) "Making Colonial Connections." This activity has the students making a comparison between lives of colonists and themselves. The students brainstorm a list of activities they do in a normal day and estimate how long it takes to complete each activity. Examples: take a shower, dry hair, drive to school, eat lunch in the cafeteria… Then talk with students about what children/teenagers did instead of those activities in the 1700s and if they did those activities, how long it would take. Example: compare taking a shower today to bathing then! A great resources to use is Alice Morse Earle's Home Life in Colonial Days (Jonathon David Publishing, 1975). This helps the students address their attitudes and also see life from the point of view of a colonial teenager. [Summarized from "Making Colonial Connections" by Judy Sylvester in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Nov. 1998, pp. 1-2.]

(3) "Memory Mosaic." In order to connect to the importance of Hannah's quilt, the students will be instructed to find 5 items in their homes that have great personal significance. For each piece, they need to briefly write why it is so important. Then, the students will make a memory mosaic, composed of either the actual items or a visual or artistic representation of the items. Basically, it will be similar to Hannah's quilt, a complete item composed of many smaller items, creating a picture of your life. The end result may be a collage, a painting, a box of arranged items, etc. [Summarized from "Memory Mosaic" by Bernadette Graff and Gail Thomas in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Oct. 1992, pp. 1-2.]

(review written by Emily King and Jennifer Moore and edited by Jennifer Moore)