Appleseeds: A Boy Named Johnny Champan by Melissa M. Cybulski was published in 2024 and is a staff favorite. This work is historical fiction but is heavily based on Cybulski's real historical findings with the Longmeadow Historical Society, where she used their archives to learn more about young Johnny Appleseed's life in a previously under-researched aspect. The author focuses on Champan's formative years as a young boy living with his step mother and attending school in western Massachusetts. Cybulski imagines Chapman as a relatable young boy who struggles with traditional schooling and feels more at home in the wilderness. Chapman makes new friends, explores his community, and demonstrates day to day life for a young boy in colonial America.
Size: 8.5 in ×5.5 in × 1/2 in
157 pgs
Ages: 7-10
Advanced Elementary-early middle school reader
Appleseeds: A Boy Named Johnny Champan by Melissa M. Cybulski was published in 2024 and is a staff favorite. This work is historical fiction but is heavily based on Cybulski's real historical findings with the Longmeadow Historical Society, where she used their archives to learn more about young Johnny Appleseed's life in a previously under-researched aspect. The author focuses on Champan's formative years as a young boy living with his step mother and attending school in western Massachusetts. Cybulski imagines Chapman as a relatable young boy who struggles with traditional schooling and feels more at home in the wilderness. Chapman makes new friends, explores his community, and demonstrates day to day life for a young boy in colonial America.
Size: 8.5 in ×5.5 in × 1/2 in
157 pgs
Ages: 7-10
Advanced Elementary-early middle school reader