Most often our family trips follow the inspiration of a book. We set off to discover Brighty's trail in the Grand Canyon. Or we intentionally flew from sunny San Diego to summer with Laura Ingalls Wilder on the prairies of South Dakota. Other times, the destination is chosen and then I seek to round it out with literature. This summer the plan is for a long overdue family reunion on Cape Hatteras with my husband's kin. After sending the deposit into Hatteras Realty, my first stop is the library. Since we live in San Diego it can be slim pickins even for a guidebook but I did find one. The history section gives me clues of topics we could
embrace for our trip's theme: Blackbeard the Pirate, lighthouses, the Wright Brothers, erosion. Using the worldwide library website I can browse the collection at any local branch and even request titles be held for me when I arrive. Looks like the East Abermarle branch serves Cape Hatteras so I will check back with them to see about any special events scheduled during our stay.
In this research stage my next stop is always to peruse the Backroads trip itinerary to see what they do. Their trips are so awesome I trust their aesthetic when choosing inns and prioritizing what-to-do. Each of their itineraries has a "recommended reading" list under Trip Preparation which links you to Longitude. In this case, Backroads doesn't go have a Hatteras trip....that's ok I don't need a hotel either! But boy oh boy, does Longitude have a reading list for the Outer Banks....as well as a Kid's Reading section.
In addition to Longitude, I surfed Amazon's site searching on "Outer Banks juvenile" or "Hatteras juvenile" as a starting point. Even if you are traveling without kids, children's literature is often a quick way to get the salient points on any one subject.
So back I go to my library site here in Solana Beach to request the titles that jumped out at me. It is not economical--of money or time--to buy as many books as we read so I will see which of these we can borrow. Here's what I've requested all from the comfort of home. My friendly neighborhood librarians will retrieve them and have them on the "Hold" shelf for me in no time flat. Now if you only learn one thing from this blog--learn how to do that!
Here's the short list:
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird • Phillip Hoose • NATURAL HISTORY • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) • An engaging and well-researched history of the ivory-billed woodpecker, and the struggles surrounding its survival. It's a suspenseful and entertaining book about modern conservation and environmental issues for middle-school readers.
Stories from Where We Live, The South Atlantic Coast • Sara St. Antoine • Trudy Nicholson • Paul Mirocha • LITERATURE • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) • An anthology of short stories, poems, essays, and historical accounts about the ecoregion spanning the thousand miles from Baltimore to Miami.Teach's Light, A tale of Blackbeard the Pirate • Nell Wise Wechter • Bruce Tucker • LITERATURE • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) • A time-travel novel about two modern American teens and the pirate Blackbeard.
The Wright Brothers, How They Invented the Airplane • Russell Freedman • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • YOUNG ADULTS • A young-adult biography of the flying brothers.
This book is the story - a story of an American icon headed for disaster and how engineers, dedicated workers and concerned citizens saved the Cape Hatteras lighthouse from harm's way.
Any other book suggestions to inspire our Hatteras trip?
photo credits: www.purlgurl.com, www.duke.edu
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